'Live man kept in mortuary for 6 hours'

HUBBALLI (KARNATAKA): Relatives of a 23-year-old road accident victim declared dead by doctors at a hospital claimed he was "alive in the mortuary freezer for six hours". Shocked to see the "dead body" stirring while they were at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), the family rushed Praveen Mule to a private hospital, where he was declared dead again, they said. They allege the staff at KIMS didn't properly ascertain whether Mule was alive, costing him precious treatment time.

DCP (law and order) Renuka Sukumar said police have registered a case of negligence against doctors at KIMS. KIMS director Dr Dattatreya Bant denied the allegations. "Our duty doctor declared Mule brought dead after conducting the necessary tests. There is no question of taking any action against the duty doctor."