Tensions ran high at the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Purnia, Bihar, after an accident victim’s family accused doctors of negligence, claiming their relative was mistakenly declared dead and sent for a postmortem while still alive.
The charge triggered chaos inside the hospital, with staff reportedly assaulted and police forced to intervene.
The incident began Saturday afternoon when two speeding motorcycles collided head-on near a petrol pump in Purnia.
Police rushed the three critically injured men to GMCH. Doctors pronounced two of them “brought dead,” while the third succumbed during treatment despite efforts to resuscitate him.
Hospital sources said that once doctors confirmed the deaths, the bodies were shifted for postmortem procedures.
However, in the morgue, relatives of one of the victims, 25-year-old Mohammad Najim, claimed they saw blood trickling from his body, which they interpreted as a sign of life.
Panic quickly turned into outrage. Family members rushed Najim’s body back to the emergency ward, demanding immediate medical care.
Even though doctors re-examined the body and reaffirmed death, the family refused to accept the declaration. Soon, tempers flared, and a crowd of grieving relatives and supporters confronted the hospital staff.
Eyewitnesses alleged attempts were made to physically assault doctors and even detain one of them inside a ward.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, further fueling the controversy. The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), sharing the clip on X, alleged a collapse of Bihar’s healthcare system under the BJP–Nitish Kumar government.
“At GMCH, Purnia, a living patient was declared dead and sent for postmortem! In the incompetent and corrupt BJP-Nitish government, Bihar’s healthcare system is causing immense suffering to common people every day,” the RJD wrote.
Hospital authorities strongly rejected the allegations, insisting all clinical protocols were followed.
“All three victims were examined thoroughly. In Najim’s case, repeated checks, including ECG monitoring, confirmed there was no heartbeat or brain activity.
What the relatives mistook for signs of life was postmortem bleeding, a natural occurrence after death,” a senior GMCH official clarified.
As the situation spiraled, additional police reinforcements from nearby stations were rushed to the hospital to restore order. After several hours of explanation and negotiation, the crowd eventually dispersed.
The episode highlights not only the fragile relationship between doctors and patients’ families but also the deep mistrust brewing in Bihar’s overstretched public healthcare system.
For many, Najim’s case has become a flashpoint — less about medical science and more about the growing frustration of people who feel failed by the institutions meant to save lives.
