The mix-up happened since both patients had the same first name (Representational)
A family in Madhya Pradesh's Indore cremated a different person instead of their son, who shared the same name, in an alleged mix-up by the hospital, police said on Tuesday.
A complaint was filed against the government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) for this alleged lapse, an official said.
Santosh Patelia has lodged a complaint accusing the MYH management for gross negligence, he said.
According to the complainant, the body of his son Akash Patelia (20) was handed over to a family from Indore after autopsy, the official said.
"The body was wrapped in a cloth and the Indore-based family, which collected the same, did not remove the covering out of fear of exposure to coronavirus at the hospital. The body was not identified nor was it seen before the funeral," he said.
The Akash Patelia had allegedly consumed acid and died on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday while undergoing treatment at MYH, following which an autopsy was conducted, the official said.
Around the same time, an autopsy was also conducted on Akash Panchal (25) on Monday at MYH, he said, adding that Mr Panchal had reportedly died of electrocution.
The complainant has alleged that the hospital had made the mistake because the two shared the same first name, the official said.
"This is a medico-legal case. A complaint has been lodged. So now the police will investigate the matter," MYH's superintendent PS Thakur said.
Meanwhile, senior police officer Rajiv Tripathi said no FIR has been registered in the matter as of now and the police will conduct a thorough probe.