Give burial space for unclaimed bodies

Death is a tragic and inevitable fate of life. But unlike other living beings, human death demands respect and funeral rites. Nothing could be more unfortunate than being deprived of that. For many, even after death, no loved one mourns them. These unidentified bodies are labelled as “unclaimed”. They remain neglected in hospital morgues. Many of these bodies in Dhaka are buried with the help of the voluntary welfare organisation Anjuman Mofidul Islam. But this time, even burial space is not available for many unclaimed bodies due to the rigid stance of the two city corporations. While Anjuman Mofidul Islam carries out the burial of unclaimed bodies, it is the two city corporations that provide the land and bear the cost.

According to media reports published on 28 August, Dhaka’s two city corporations have set restrictions on the burial of such bodies. Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has said that no more than one-third of unclaimed bodies will be allowed to be buried in the Jurain graveyard. Meanwhile, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has said that no unclaimed bodies from outside the DNCC area may be buried in the Rayerbazar graveyard. Such rules have left Anjuman Mofidul Islam in great difficulty.

Meanwhile, the number of unclaimed bodies is steadily rising. According to information provided by Anjuman Mofidul Islam, they buried 570 unclaimed bodies last year (2024). In the past seven months alone, they have buried 364. Now, due to the lack of burial space, these bodies are rotting in morgues. Some have already stiffened. Days, even months pass, yet no one comes forward to identify them.

Often these unknown bodies are victims of accidents, illness, or old age, left lying on the streets. The police pick them up and keep them in morgues. Due to negligence in police investigation and the absence of records in the National Identity Card (NID) server, the bodies cannot be handed over to relatives. According to the latest reports on Tuesday, there are 20 unclaimed bodies lying in the morgue of Dhaka Medical College (DMCH) under DSCC, and five more in Sir Salimullah Medical College. If the city corporations do not resolve their rules regarding burial, the number of unclaimed bodies in morgues will only increase. Then, morgue authorities will face a shortage of space to store them.

So where will these bodies go? Conversations with doctors and medical students reveal that medical students need human skeletons for study and practical work. As a result, a large portion of unclaimed bodies are used for the needs of medical colleges.

Currently, there are 27 government and 72 private medical colleges in the country. Each private medical college has to collect skeletons or bones as part of educational materials. One of the main sources of these skeletons is unclaimed bodies. According to information from a former doctor of Dhaka Medical College’s Forensic Department, in many government hospitals unclaimed bodies and skeletons are sold through illegal means. The main buyers are students of private medical colleges. Most of these sales involve morgue staff, both permanent and contractual.

But this is not a legal process, and it is extremely inhumane. The method of providing skeletons to students should be legalised. Many people voluntarily donate their bodies for medical science, and those can be handed over to students in a lawful manner. But the illegal trade of unclaimed bodies can in no way be accepted. And if unclaimed bodies remain unburied, such illegal activities will only increase.

Therefore, the two city corporations must reach an agreement on this issue. To show due respect to human remains, burial space must be provided. Nothing could be more disgraceful for a human being than being denied even a grave after death.