Mother’s Body Held in Morgue for 11 hours; Son Forced to do Sit-ups Holding Ears to Receive It
Collected Photo
A conflict between doctors and relatives over the death of a patient at Rangpur Medical College Hospital led to the body of a deceased woman being withheld for 11 hours. Later, her son was reportedly made to do sit-ups while holding his ears before the body was handed over. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism.
According to family members, Nurjahan Begum (55) from New Jumma Para in Rangpur city fell seriously ill around 2:30 am on Friday night. Her son, Rifat Hossain, took her to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Relatives allege that although they repeatedly requested immediate oxygen support, hospital staff insisted that admission procedures be completed first. Her condition deteriorated and she died around 4:00 am.
Tensions escalated after her death. Doctors claimed that angry relatives attempted to assault on-duty medical staff. However, the family alleged negligence in treatment led to her death, resulting in a heated altercation.
Following the incident, doctors sent the body to the hospital morgue. Intern doctors also remained present and demanded legal action against those involved. Emergency services were reportedly suspended as doctors observed a work stoppage from morning until evening.
Relatives repeatedly attempted to claim the body but were unsuccessful. At one point, even after the body was placed in an ambulance, it was reportedly taken back down. Later, at around 1:30 pm, they blocked a road near Medical College Gate demanding the release of the body.
At around 3:00 pm, Rifat Hossain arrived at the hospital and was taken to the director’s office. Viral footage shows him being forced to do sit-ups while holding his ears around 10 times. After this, the body was handed over to the family.
President of the Rangpur Intern Doctors Association, Dr. Miraj, said they had insisted from the beginning that they had no objection to releasing the body, but the person accused of assaulting doctors must be presented and legal action taken. He added that the son later arrived, apologised by doing sit-ups, and the body was then released.
The deceased’s elder son, Nuruzzaman Rintu, said they found a tense situation upon arriving at the hospital and that the body was withheld for a long time over a minor incident.
The victim’s nephew, Abdus Salam, alleged that repeated requests to release the body were ignored. “We said let us bury her first, and we would bring him later to apologise. But they did not agree. Instead, they kept the body for 11 hours. In the end, the son had to come and do sit-ups holding his ears to take his mother’s body. This is inhumane and oppressive,” he said.
Salam also claimed there was no actual assault on doctors, and that CCTV footage could clarify the situation. He said the dispute began over oxygen support and a verbal altercation, not physical violence.
Hospital Director Brigadier General Md. Ashiqur Rahman called the incident unfortunate. He said CCTV footage showed no evidence of negligence by doctors or nurses. Rather, he claimed there was misconduct and an attempted assault on medical staff by the patient’s relatives. He added that the behaviour of the family was unacceptable and also condemned the act of forcing the son to perform sit-ups before receiving the body.