A photograph that emerged from Sasaram, Bihar, raised questions about both humanity and the state system. The body of 16-year-old Lakshmi Kumari was not delivered for a dignified farewell after death. Her body was packed in a sack and secured to an agricultural tool—a plow located behind a tractor—and transported about 20 kilometers to Sasaram Sadar hospital.
The incident occurred in the Dumrakhoh forest, in the Baddi police area. The body of 16-year-old Lakshmi was discovered in an old well. Lakshmi is from the village of Mani in Bikramganj. According to available information, about two months ago she entered into a love marriage with Pinku Binda from Vishrampura, Baddi, and lived near him in the Dumrakhoh forest after the wedding.
After the body was found in the well in the forest, the police extracted it, but the method of transportation to the hospital drew close public scrutiny. Instead of using an ambulance or other state transport, the body was wrapped in a sack and fastened to an iron agricultural implement placed behind a tractor. In this condition, it was transported approximately 20 kilometers to Sasaram Sadar hospital.
People passing by on the road were shocked by what they saw. Natural questions arose regarding how the body of a 16-year-old girl, whose death was already a mystery, was being transported in this manner.
Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors refused to perform an autopsy upon seeing the condition of the body. A doctor at the hospital, Dr. Ajit Kumar, stated that the body was sent to Patna for an autopsy. The police announced that several individuals have been arrested in connection with a murder case, and the investigation is ongoing. However, the incident itself raised a broader question, separate from the murder investigation: is there any possibility within the system to ensure a dignified final journey for a deceased person?
The main question is why state transport or an ambulance was not used to deliver the body to the hospital. An investigation into the death of 16-year-old Lakshmi will be conducted, but the question of whether responsibility for such treatment of her body will be determined remains open.