Dharmasthala panchayat spent ₹1.28 lakh to transport 26 bodies; ambulance owner’s contradictory statements

Belthangady

Documents pertaining to payment receipts accessed by blrpost.com show that the Dharmasthala village panchayat spent ₹1,28,300 on ambulance services to ferry 26 bodies to Justice K. S. Hegde Charitable Hospital.

It should be noted that these receipts were generated between 2014 and 2019, and this news website could not secure receipts for all the Unnatural Death Reports (UDRs) registered during those years at the police station. This means the actual annual spending of the panchayat on ambulance services is likely higher than the amount mentioned in this report. The present report is limited to the transportation of 26 bodies based on receipts procured through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

While most of the receipts were issued for Baba Ambulance, Belthangady, three were generated for Jeeva Ambulance. Per trip, these private ambulance services charged between ₹3,500 and ₹5,500. All bodies found in Dharmasthala are transported to Justice K. S. Hegde Charitable Hospital for autopsy. The hospital is located about 60 km from Belthangady.

The documents show that a total of 26 bodies were transported (to and fro) between 2014 and 2019, for which ₹1.28 lakh was paid. It appears that the ambulance service in Dharmasthala is a highly lucrative business.

For instance, in 2018, the panchayat paid ₹7,000 to transport one dead body (to and fro). In another instance, in 2014, ₹8,600 was spent to transport two bodies. The cost varies from case to case.

Abdul Jaleel, owner of Baba Ambulance, said, “in some receipts, the cost is a little higher because we provide materials like plastic bags. If the body is decomposed, we need other materials for transport.” Jaleel added that K. S. Hegde is the preferred hospital due to the availability of sufficient cold storage in the mortuary.

Dr. D. S. Shivaprasad, DMO, Wenlock Hospital, said, “in Wenlock, 20 bodies can be kept at a time in the mortuary, and the police decide where to send the bodies for post-mortem.” In Dakshina Kannada district, apart from government facilities, autopsies are conducted at K. S. Hegde, Father Muller’s, A. J. Hospital, and Yenepoya Hospital.

Contradictory statements by Jaleel

Jaleel said that in the case of unidentified bodies, they are kept exactly for eight days at K. S. Hegde. However, one panchayat document shows that a dead body transported on May 15, 2018, was brought back on May 31, 2018. This indicates that the body was kept in cold storage at K. S. Hegde for more than 10 days.

When asked how soon payments are made and who makes them, Jaleel said, “it’s based on the understanding between the police and us. We are generally paid by the police one day later, or sometimes after three or four days.”

However, when it was pointed out that the bills carry the seal of the Dharmasthala panchayat, he changed his statement, saying the payments were made by the panchayat. It is normal to say police paid the bills because they are the ones who call an ambulance for service.  But for Jaleel, who has been in the business since 2004, his lack of clarity on the payment authority raises suspicion.