‘Unclaimed bodies cremated if 72-hr Notice yields no response’
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 15: Bizarre and strange it may sound but is a bitter truth that many times people die while they are away from their loved ones and more pathetic scenario erupts when even the last rites are performed in the absence of all relatives, closed ones and other dears.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
However, one has no control over such happenings and all of us have to take such things as fate written by the Almighty.
A ‘Look Out Notice’ from District Police Headquarters Jammu appeared in the newspaper on October 5, 2025 with photograph of an elderly man. The Notice stated that body of that old man was recovered from the bank of river Chenab in Akhnoor on September 29.
The Notice was issued by the Police Department with hope that relatives of the deceased may see it and contact the cops to claim the body. However, none turned-up after which as per the set norm Police waited for 72 hours and then send the body for medico-legal post-mortem at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu following which it was cremated at Jogi Gate-the oldest crematorium in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reliable sources at GMC Jammu informed that every month they receive about 3-4 such unidentified bodies of medico legal cases brought by cops and about 25 medico-legal post mortems were conducted on such unclaimed bodies in the last 6 months alone at GMC Jammu.
A high ranking Police officer informed that most of the unidentified bodies remain those of runaway persons, beggars, some of whom died in road accidents etc.
“Many times the ‘Look Out Notice’ by Police yields positive results and some claimant of the dead body comes and takes away the body after fulfilling certain formalities,” he informed adding: “If none responds to the Notice even after 72 hours, then the dead body is send for post-mortem after which it is cremated.”
Another source from the Police Department informed that sometimes deteriorated bodies are found where identification becomes extremely tough and such bodies remain unidentified if identity is not established even from the clothes or other belongings recovered from the body.
Sources at Jogi Gate crematorium informed that so far a number of unclaimed bodies brought by the cops have been cremated there.
“After cremating such unclaimed bodies, we collect their ashes in bags and put the name of the Police Stations from where these were brought on such bags as sometimes even after cremation relatives of the deceased persons visit the concerned Police Station for the body of their loved ones and the cops there tell them to visit the crematorium to collect the ashes of their deceased relatives,” they further said adding that many times such ashes of unclaimed bodies stored at the cremation ground are taken away by their relatives after fulfilling certain formalities, for immersion in Ganges or in some other river but for those deceased persons for whom none turns-up to claim the ashes, the same are immersed by the authorities of Jogi Gate crematorium in Chenab river at Akhnoor after some 60-70 ashes from such bodies are collected.
Sources at GMC Jammu informed if after the mandatory period of 72 hours, none appears to claim the dead body then Police starts inquest and the hospital is given circumstantial evidences by the cops after which medico legal autopsy is conducted on the body and the findings are send to Forensic Science Laboratory and also to Histopathological Lab or for some other examination depending upon what the doctor conducting the autopsy suggests.
“MLC cases mostly include the assault cases, road accident cases and Police brings such cases to the hospital,” they maintained.
Highly reliable sources at GMC Jammu informed that in case of some hospital death involving non-medico legal case wherein some unidentified person admitted in the hospital dies, the body is sent for study purposes in the Medical Colleges after following certain legal and prescribed norms and that too if the body remains fit for medical study purpose.
Police sources informed that many times the unclaimed bodies are identified and some claimant comes and takes away such bodies after fulfilling certain formalities but if none comes to claim the body then it is send to hospital for post-mortem and other medical formalities including DNA sample collection.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
