GMCH records 128 unidentified bodies in 2025, straining morgue capacity

Guwahati, April 15: A grim reality has surfaced at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where an alarming number of unidentified bodies are straining the facility’s morgue capacity.

According to official data, 128 bodies have remained unidentified so far this year, while police records indicate that 352 unidentified bodies have been brought in 2024.

Many of the deceased are suspected victims of road accidents, street violence, or criminal incidents across the city.

“The situation is deeply troubling. We’ve received over a hundred unclaimed, unidentified bodies this year. It’s the responsibility of the police to trace their identities and inform families, but in most cases, they’ve failed to do so,” an official at GMCH told The Assam Tribune, requesting anonymity.

The police, meanwhile, cites the lack documentation for the situation.

"When a body remains unclaimed for 72 hours, the case is dismissed as unidentified. However, if someone comes forward after 72 hours for identification, the body is released after a proper verification process. This procedure is uniformly followed across all police stations," said Biswajit Bhadra, Officer-in-Charge of Bhangagarh Police Station.

Despite efforts by both police and hospital authorities to locate next of kin, most of these bodies remain unclaimed in the GMCH morgue for the statutory 72 hours — the period mandated before further action is taken.

Once the waiting period lapses, the bodies are either cremated by authorities as per procedure or, in some cases, handed over for academic purposes to the medical college.

The situation has triggered widespread concern — not just due to the numbers, but because each body represents a life, a person who may have left behind a family still unaware of their fate.

As hundreds lie in cold storage — nameless and forgotten — GMCH continues to shoulder the silent burden of these lost lives.