Stray dog runs away with amputated part from B’sarai hosp

Patna: In a spine-chilling incident, a stray dog was seen running away with an amputated body part inside the campus of a government hospital in Begusarai district, sparking outrage over the conditions of the government hospitals in the state.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at the hospital, raising fresh concerns over the handling and disposal of amputated body parts and the management of bodies kept for postmortem.

Begusarai civil surgeon Dr Ashok Kumar said the amputated leg belonged to a man injured in a train accident. The patient had undergone surgery successfully a day earlier, during which part of his leg was removed.

“The amputated part was kept in a bag outside the postmortem room and was supposed to be disposed of properly as biomedical waste. However, a dog entered and carried it away, even though the boundary wall is high,” Dr Kumar said.

He said a show-cause notice has been issued and the hospital’s deputy superintendent and manager have been asked to submit their replies.

The episode is the latest in a string of similar incidents reported from government hospitals in Bihar.

In Buxar, a dog had reportedly carried away the amputated limb of a train accident victim in 2018 from an operation theatre while doctors were preparing for surgery. In Begusarai, the body of a Bhutanese woman who died in a road accident in 2016 was allegedly taken away by a stray dog after being kept outside the postmortem room.

In Siwan in January this year, a stray dog allegedly mauled the body of a woman kept for postmortem at a government hospital.

In November last year, a dog was seen near Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital dragging the body of a newborn. Locals claimed the body was brought from inside the hospital campus.

In February 2025, the health department had written to the state health society, superintendents and principals of all medical colleges and hospitals, and heads of government health centres, directing them to ensure protection of hospital premises from stray dogs.

The letter called for proper boundary walls, scientific disposal of biodegradable and solid waste, and the appointment of a nodal officer at every health institution to coordinate with municipal authorities and ensure that stray dogs do not enter hospital campuses.