Bihar Teen’s Body Taken to Hospital on Tractor Plough; Death Under Investigation

The body of Lakshmi Kumari, a girl who was 16 and from the Rohtas district of Bihar, was said to have been taken to Sasaram Sadar Hospital tied up in a sack which was attached to a tractor-mounted plough after it had been retrieved from an old well.

The incident, which was reported in the Dumarkhoh forest area under the Baddi police station, has led to doubts regarding emergency access and the proper handling of bodies in remote areas.

What was the reason for using a tractor?

It has been reported that the body was transported about 20 kilometres to the hospital; the police said that because of the difficult terrain an ambulance could not get to the spot where the body had been recovered and so a tractor was used.

The explanation given highlights the access difficulties in the area; yet it does not show whether other transport arrangements had been considered or what steps were taken when moving the body.

What is currently known regarding the investigation?

It is reported that several people have been arrested in relation to the case. The circumstances around Lakshmi's death are still under investigation and the current information does not show how she died or the supposed roles of those who have been arrested.

The authorities will carry out a post-mortem examination and continue their investigation to find out what caused the death, and merely making an arrest does not prove that someone is guilty.

Questions Over Emergency Access

The situation at Rohtas brings into question the availability of ambulances, the arrangements for transport and the basic infrastructure in difficult terrain, and it also shows the need to look at how authorities recover from and get corpses transported from inaccessible areas.

More official investigations are required in order to make clear both the cause of Lakshmi Kumari's death and the decisions taken regarding her transfer to hospital.