Autorickshaw Hearse: Family's Tragic Journey Home

A family in Rajapalayam was compelled to transport the body of their 61-year-old relative home in an autorickshaw from the government hospital. The incident unfolded after the man passed away due to cardiogenic shock, with his family opting against a lengthy wait for an available hearse van. This difficult situation brought to light the lack of a hearse van landing point at the Rajapalayam Government Hospital, which relies on vehicles from Sivakasi through the 108 service. Requests, routed through Chennai, often lead to delays of an hour or more, especially for cases of natural death.

Following the viral circulation of a video showing the body being placed into the autorickshaw, a temporary hospital worker, Pandian, was removed from his post. Complaints suggested he demanded bribes to arrange transport. While hospital officials noted that delays are usually managed for medicolegal cases requiring post-mortems, natural deaths leave families to arrange their own transport or wait for the distant service. In response, the hospital has formally requested a hearse van landing point from the joint director of health, aiming to resolve this critical service gap.