Jharkhand father carries baby's body for 12 kms in a 'discarded' cardboard box after ambulance denied

A father was filmed carrying his stillborn child in a discarded cardboard box after being allegedly denied a dignified transport service. The incident, which took place at the Chakradharpur Sub-divisional Hospital, saw Ramkrishna Hembram, a daily wager, navigating his way home with his infant's remains packed into a grocery bag. As the video of his lonely journey in an e-rickshaw sparked nationwide outrage, the state health ministry has been forced to intervene, ordering an immediate investigation into why basic emergency transport protocols were bypassed for one of the district’s most vulnerable citizens.

Heartbreaking Journey from the Ward

The tragedy began when Ramkrishna Hembram admitted his pregnant wife, Rita Tiriya, to the hospital on March 5. On Saturday morning, doctors were unable to detect a fetal heartbeat, and before a scheduled ultrasound could be performed, Rita delivered a stillborn baby. Hembram alleged that when he requested an ambulance to take the body back to his village—approximately 12 kilometers away—officials refused the request. Left with no choice and pressured by ward boys to remove the remains, Hembram found a discarded cardboard box on the hospital premises, placed his child inside, and began his journey home via e-rickshaw.

Hospital Management and Health Department Response

In the wake of the viral footage, Dr. Anshuman Sharma, the hospital in-charge, denied that an ambulance was refused. He maintained that the family left on their own and that if a request had been made, a Mamta Vahan (state-sponsored ambulance) could have been arranged. However, the state’s Additional Chief Secretary of Health, Ajoy Kumar Singh, has taken a stern view of the incident. Singh has announced a thorough investigation, promising "stern action" against any staff members found guilty of negligence or denying services to the grieving father.

A Recurring Pattern of Medical Apathy

This incident is not an isolated case for the West Singhbhum district. Public records show a strikingly similar tragedy occurred at the Chaibasa Sadar Hospital on December 19, 2025, when a father had to carry his four-month-old son’s body in a plastic bag on a public bus because he lacked the funds for a private hearse. These repeated failures highlight a systemic issue where the poor are often left to navigate the logistical nightmare of death without the support of the state’s promised emergency vehicle network.

(With TOI inputs)