Odisha Family Gets Wrong Body in Coffin Mix-Up

A grieving family in Odisha’s Balasore district was left reeling after receiving the wrong body due to a labeling error on a coffin sent from Bengaluru. The incident occurred in Mulising village under Soro block, involving the body of 21-year-old Rakesh Shaw, a supervisor at a private company in Bengaluru, who died of electrocution on August 15. The family alleges that a mix-up at the dispatch point led to a traumatic exchange of bodies, intensifying their sorrow.

Rakesh’s body was transported in an ambulance alongside another deceased person from Siliguri, West Bengal. On Sunday, the ambulance delivered a coffin to Mulising village, presumed to contain Rakesh’s remains, before heading to Siliguri. When the family opened the coffin, they discovered it was not Rakesh but an unfamiliar person. The company responsible for dispatching the coffins was promptly contacted, forcing the ambulance to turn back midway from its journey to Siliguri to exchange the bodies.

The family blamed the error on incorrect labeling of the coffin stickers at the Bengaluru dispatch point. “This negligence deepened our pain during an already devastating time,” a family member said. The company has yet to comment publicly, but the incident has sparked concerns about protocols for handling deceased individuals’ remains.

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The mix-up caused profound emotional distress for the Shaw family, already mourning Rakesh’s untimely death. Local authorities in Balasore have launched an investigation to ensure accountability and prevent similar mistakes. The correct body was delivered to Mulising village late Sunday, allowing the family to proceed with Rakesh’s final rites, but the ordeal has left them shaken and seeking answers for the preventable error.

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