TvMCH seeks police probe into bribery allegations in mortuary

TIRUNELVELI: Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) administration lodged a complaint with the city police seeking verification of allegations made in a social media message which claimed that bribes were being collected from relatives of deceased persons at the hospital mortuary here on Wednesday.

The message circulated in WhatsApp alleged that the staff at the mortuary demanded money at multiple stages during postmortem procedures. According to the claims, a bribe of Rs 200 is first collected from those identifying the deceased. Later, when the body is transported to another floor, Rs 500 is allegedly collected where Rs 100 is collected for each of the five staff members involved in the process.

Further, it is alleged that the kin of the deceased are asked to bring several items for postmortem, including a dhoti, shirt, garland, six boxes, a bucket with a lid, Dettol soap, five metres of cloth, a bottle of perfume, and five packets of salt. Even if the relatives bring the items, staff allegedly claim that they are of inadequate quantity and insist on payment. In total, at least Rs 8,000 is allegedly extorted from grieving families, the message read.

The message also highlighted that no clear instructions or notices are displayed to inform relatives about what they need to bring. Despite CCTV cameras being installed in the mortuary, it remains unclear whether they are functional. When contacted by TNIE, TvMCH Dean C Revathy Balan said, "The message being circulated on social media is written by an outsider, not by our staff. We have filed a complaint with the city police to verify the claims made in the message."