Shiv Sena men attack doctor for numbering Elphinstone stampede victims’ bodies

Dr Pathak, however, reasoned that it was only done this way so that the relatives of the dead would not have to see all the bodies.

A doctor was assaulted by five Shiv Sena members for numbering the bodies of those who died in the Elphinstone foot bridge stampede. The members also tried to scribble a number of the doctor's forehead.

Following the attack on the forensic head of the King Edward Memorial Hospital, the Shiv Sena members were arrested.

The Sena members said they were angered by the hospital's decision to identify the victims of the stampede at Mumbai's Elphinstone station by marking a number on their foreheads. They said that marking the victims like this was disrespectful to them.

Dr Pathak, however, reasoned that it was only done this way so that the relatives of the dead would not have to see all the bodies. "We took photos of the faces of all the victims, numbered them and displayed it to the relatives," he said, adding that hundreds of people had been streaming into the hospital looking for their relatives and it was already chaotic.

He said that once the victims were identified, the numbers were erased and the bodies were handed over. He said that the intention was only speedy identification and not to hurt anyone's sentiments.

Twenty-three people were killed and 39 others were injured after a stampede broke out on a crowded foot overbridge connecting Elphinstone and Parel stations in Mumbai on Friday morning.

OneIndia News