Maniktala ESI Hospital in Kolkata has formed a 10-member inquiry committee after the body of an elderly woman was found with injuries to the face, hands and fingers, with her family alleging that rats had gnawed at it inside the hospital.
The woman, identified as Alpana Dey, was a resident of Andul in Howrah and had reportedly been suffering from kidney-related illness for around six years. According to the report by Sangbad Pratidin – Kolkata, she was admitted to the hospital’s female surgical ward after her health deteriorated on Thursday.
Her family said they reached the hospital on Friday morning and were informed that she had died. They alleged that the hospital had not informed them about the death earlier. When relatives removed the covering from the body, they reportedly found multiple injury marks across the face and hands. The family also alleged that the eyelids were missing, part of the lips had been damaged and some fingers had been injured.
The family attributed the injuries to rats. Hospital authorities, as reported by Sangbad Pratidin – Kolkata, said the body may have been gnawed by rats and constituted a 10-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee has been directed to submit its report within three days.
The account does not establish when or where the injuries occurred, nor does it record a completed medical or administrative finding confirming the cause. The allegation remains subject to the inquiry ordered by the hospital. The reported circumstances nevertheless raise questions about how bodies are secured after death, how wards and adjoining hospital areas are maintained, and how families are informed when a patient dies.
The hospital reportedly treats and admits a large number of patients every day. The report also refers to recurring complaints from patients’ families about cleanliness in areas used by patients, alleged irregularities in the distribution of food and alleged rude behaviour by some hospital employees and doctors. These complaints were presented as part of the wider dissatisfaction surrounding services at the facility, but the report does not provide details of previous complaints or any official findings on them.
For a public hospital, sanitation and pest control are operational responsibilities linked to patient safety, infection prevention and the dignity of patients and their families. The reported incident has brought those basic functions into focus alongside the immediate question of how the woman’s body was handled after death.
The next formal step is the inquiry committee’s report, due within three days. Its findings are expected to clarify the circumstances of the death notification, the condition and location of the body, and whether failures in hospital maintenance or supervision contributed to the injuries reported by the family.
