Daijiworld Media Network - Ahilyanagar

Ahilyanagar, Oct 20: In a shocking case from Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, six doctors have been booked on serious charges, including culpable homicide, fraud, and forgery, for allegedly falsely declaring a 79-year-old man COVID-positive and administering treatment after his death during the pandemic in 2020.

The case was registered at the Topkhana Police Station following directives from the Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad Bench on October 15, after a prolonged legal battle by the victim’s family.

According to police, the deceased, Babanrao Khokarale, was wrongly declared COVID-positive, and his body was never handed over to the family. The hospital where he was treated has no record of the body’s disposal, raising serious questions about protocol violations.

The complaint was filed by Ashok Khokarale, the deceased’s son, who had approached the High Court in 2022 after local police allegedly refused to register an FIR despite an earlier investigation report by the district civil surgeon in 2021, which confirmed medical negligence.

The civil surgeon’s report revealed grave discrepancies. It stated that Remdesivir, a powerful antiviral drug used for COVID treatment, was administered to the patient at 10 a.m. on August 18, even though hospital records show that he had died at 8:30 a.m. the same day.

Despite this, the hospital’s official report dated August 20 listed the cause of death as “COVID-19 pneumonitis, cytokine storm, and respiratory failure.”

Taking note of the irregularities, the High Court ordered the police to file an FIR and carry out a detailed investigation. Acting on the directive, police have booked six doctors under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 420 (cheating and fraud), and 468 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code.

The case has triggered outrage among citizens and medical professionals alike, raising concerns about ethical lapses and accountability during the COVID-19 pandemic.