At GTB Hospital, an endless wait for bodies

New Delhi, February 27

Still to come to terms with the loss of their loved ones in violence in parts of northeast Delhi, relatives are anxiously waiting outside GTB Hospital’s mortuary for the postmortem to be conducted before the bodies are handed over to them. Family members of people, who are missing since the violence broke out, also have been asking hospital authorities to check whether were brought dead or are being treated.

Relatives of 35-year-old Mudassir Khan who have been waiting at the mortuary at GTB hospital said they are still to recover from the shock.

“We have been coming here for last two days. Yesterday, the in-charge IO said files were ready and the postmortem would be conducted. Today, we have been waiting here since 8 am and the postmortem is underway.

“We hope to get the body soon. We will conduct the last rites today itself,” his nephew Arbaaz Khan said. Talking about the situation in his area in Mustafabad, he said it is returning to normal but there is still fear among people.

“No one is able to sleep peacefully. There is still fear. Children are not going to school, everyone is preferring to stay indoors and we are not even using our vehicles to commute. We are in shock over what happened within three days,” he said.

Mudassir was outside his house in Kardampuri on Monday when he sustained bullet injury on his head and was declared brought dead by doctors at GTB hospital.

Many relatives and friends of riot-affected victims are waiting in the hospital anxiously to get details about their loved ones. Relatives including the mother of of 22-year-old Shahbaz (25), who has been missing since February 25, are waiting anxiously outside the mortuary at GTB hospital since morning to know if their son is even alive.

“Around 2 pm, he had gone to Karawal Nagar for treatment. He had suffered injury in his eyes while he was doing welding work. When I called him at 3 pm, his phone was found to be switched off,” his inconsolable mother said. — PTI