Stray dog nibbles on dead body at Telangana Govt Hosp’s mortuary in Jadcherla; four suspended

A stray dog entered the mortuary of the Area Hospital in Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar district, on Monday (March 2, 2026) evening and nibbled on the finger of a decomposed body brought for post-mortem, leading to suspension of the health facility’s Superintendent, Duty RMO, Duty Medical Officer and the mortuary’s support staff.

The body of a 33-year-old man, who had died in a drowning case, was brought to the hospital by the police at around 12.30 pm on Monday. The hospital authorities said that the post-mortems are conducted in the old mortuary building located in the previous hospital premises, as the newly constructed mortuary block is yet to be made fully operational.

“The body was in a completely decomposed state when it was received. The old mortuary lacked a proper gate and had broken walls and shattered glass panes, which allowed a stray dog to enter the premises between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m.,” said the hospital superintendent, Chandrakala.

She added that the dog tried to bite the finger of the deceased and within minutes, it went away as many people were present there, including patient attenders, police personnel and hospital staff. There was no damage to the body and no injuries occurred. The duty doctor conducted the post-mortem in the presence of a police constable soon after the incident, and the body was handed over to the family members at around 5.30 pm.

Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad’s (TVVP) Commissioner, Ajaya Kumar, visited the hospital on Tuesday morning on the directions of Health Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha and conducted an inquiry. Stating that the old mortuary building was in a dilapidated condition, the Commissioner termed the incident unfortunate and pointed to administrative lapses.

According to information from the Health Minister’s office, the hospital Superintendent Dr. Chandrakala, Duty RMO Harinath, Duty Medical Officer Munisha and mortuary support staff member Raviprakash were suspended for negligence. Officials said further action would be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.