Daijiworld Media Network - Jharkhand

Sahibganj, Jul 23: In a harrowing reminder of healthcare neglect, a tribal family from Jharkhand’s remote Lodoni Pahad village was forced to carry the body of a teenage girl for over 10 km on a cot after hospital authorities refused to provide an ambulance.

The victim, Badrin Pahadin, belonged to the vulnerable Pahariya Janjati community. She was brought to Sadar Hospital in Sahibganj on Monday in critical condition after her family trekked 10 km on foot due to the lack of road access to their village in Mandro block. Despite efforts to save her, she died during treatment.

What followed added further anguish to the grieving family. With no transport arranged by the hospital, the family was left with no choice but to carry her body back the same way they had come — on a makeshift cot, through rugged terrain under the scorching sun.

A video of the heartbreaking procession surfaced on social media Wednesday, triggering widespread outrage across Jharkhand and putting the state government in the dock once again over healthcare failures in tribal and rural belts.

Reacting sharply, Leader of the Opposition and Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi slammed the state administration and Health Minister Irfan Ansari, calling the incident “a grave injustice to the state’s most neglected communities.”

"This is not just a case of negligence — it’s criminal indifference. Minister Irfan Ansari is a burden on this government and the people," said Marandi. He further alleged that ambulance services were handed over to Ansari’s close aides, and even accused the minister’s minor son of interfering in hospital affairs.

Marandi demanded urgent intervention by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, calling for a full audit of the state’s ambulance services and rural healthcare outreach.

"Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case. Such disturbing visuals of bodies being carried on cots, bicycles, or wooden carts keep emerging from Jharkhand. The system is collapsing in front of our eyes," he said.

He also called for decisive action, not just symbolic responses. "Healthcare is a basic right, not a privilege. When citizens are denied even that, it’s a sign that the state has failed them utterly."

The state government is yet to issue a formal response. Meanwhile, tribal rights activists and civil society groups have called for an independent inquiry into the Sahibganj incident and immediate redressal for the bereaved family.