The head of the forensic department at the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Dr Haris Pathak, was allegedly attacked by Shiv Sena members on 30 September.
A Shiv Sena member, who has been identified as an attacker, told The Indian Express that the violence was a reaction to the hospital’s decision to number the foreheads of the Elphinstone station stampede victims, before putting their photographs up on display.
The Indian Express reported that the attackers wanted to write on Pathak’s forehead.
We have been pained that the doctors decided to write numbers for identification on the forehead of our brothers and sisters who died. It is disrespectful of the hospital.Nilesh Ramal Dhumal, an attacker told The Indian Express
KEM Defends Actions
Hospital authorities claimed the measure was taken to "avoid chaos". The photographs of the victims, with numbers on their foreheads, were put up on a flex board at the hospital to expedite the process of identification, Pathak told the daily.
Also Read: Can Never Forget The Horror I Saw: Elphinstone Stampede Survivor
It would have been a "big mental trauma to make all the relatives see all 22 bodies" for identification, Dr Pathak said.
In a statement, he said: "Hence, we took photographs of all the bodies, numbered them and displayed them to the relatives on a laptop screen and a flex board thereafter. The numbers were erased after the autopsies".
He claimed it would be unjustified and unwise to criticise the scientific method adopted by the hospital for "speedy, honourable and smooth identification" of the victims.
His thoughts were echoed by Dr Avinash Supe, dean of KEM Hospital. DNA quoted him as saying: "Due to emergency, they might have written it on the foreheads. It was not intentionally done and if we have hurt someone's emotions, we are extremely sorry for that."
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