Where is Jyoti Ranjan? Family of blast victim blames Hi-Tech hospital over 'identity mix-up'

Following the blast at Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital that saw two deaths and two others critically injured, a huge controversy has erupted over the identification of the dead and alive.

The family of Jyoti Ranjan Mallik who was injured in the compressor blast while repairing the AC of the hospital received the shock of their lives when they heard that the man who they thought to be their son is himself claiming to be Dilip Samantray.

The hospital authorities handed over Samantray’s body to his family on December 31, who subsequently performed his last rites at his village in Jatni.

Now that the injured youth who got out of the ventilator on Thursday night, has claimed he is in fact Dilip Samantray, Jyoti’s parents asked where their son is.

Also Read: Twist in Hi-Tech Hospital blast: Confusion Arises Over Identification of 'Dead' Dilip Days After Grief-Stricken Wife's Suicide

“I do not know where my husband is. I knew till yesterday that he was being treated at the hospital. But now they are saying he is not my husband but Dilip Samantray," said an inconsolable wife of Jyoti Ranjan.

“We need to know first where is Jyoti Ranjan Mallik. The hospital is claiming Dilip Samantray’s body was handed over to his parents after identification. But it should have been a proper identification. If somebody else claims to be Dilip Samantray, the hospital should answer where Jyoti is,” said a social activist.

“No officials from district administration have come here till now. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the Collector himself should have come here. Even the Police have not taken any action till now. The way the hospital and district administration are trying to suppress the matter, I think the government is complicit with the hospital in the identification fiasco,” he alleged.

However, the CEO of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital, Smita Padhi said, “We never handed over the body directly to the family of the deceased. As this was an MLC case, as per our policy, we handed over the body to the police which then performed the inquest and handed it over to the family. Had he been a staffer of this hospital, we would have taken the responsibility of identification. But they all worked for a third-party vendor. So it was not possible for the doctors to identify them.”

Meanwhile, Congress Spokesperson Nishikant Mishra went a step further and accused the hospital of killing Jyoti Ranjan. He said, “The hospital killed one of the injured persons and handed over the body identifying him as another person who is actually alive. The hospital authorities and the police cremated a person who was alive. The injured, who is said to be Dilip Samantray is very critical. I fear the hospital with the help of district administration will kill him too. We demand a high-level probe into the whole incident.”

It is particularly devastating for the Samantray family because, Dilip’s wife, Suna Samantray reportedly ended her life by hanging from a fan out of grief. She was reportedly depressed after hearing about her husband Dilip Samantray’s death. She could not bear the grief and hanged herself.

It is pertinent to mention here that another injured, Sritam Sahu had succumbed while under treatment on Tuesday night.