Bhubaneswar: After initially being thought to have died in a recent accident at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, an air-conditioner mechanic from Odisha, who was believed to have passed away, has been revealed to be alive and currently receiving treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit. This discovery occurred four days after the tragic suicide of his seven-month pregnant wife, who had been informed of his supposed demise.
On Friday, officials from Bhubaneswar’s Hi Tech Medical College and Hospital announced that the individual who died from burn injuries on December 31 was identified as Jyoti Ranjan Mallik, contrary to the initial belief that it was Dilip Samantray.
Dilip Samantray’s mother, Ahalya, expressed a bittersweet sentiment, stating that they were relieved to discover her son was alive. However, she lamented that this news came too late for Dilip’s wife, Soumyashree Jena. Tragically, on January 1, Soumyashree, who was seven months pregnant with their first child, took her own life by hanging after learning about her husband’s supposed death. Ahalya pointed out that had the hospital authorities been more careful, her daughter-in-law might still be alive today.
Jyoti Ranjan Malik’s father expressed deep regret at not being able to see his son one last time, as Jyoti was cremated by Dilip Samantray’s family. Blaming the hospital authorities for the situation, he vowed not to spare them, holding them responsible for the unfortunate turn of events. The statement underscores the grief and anger felt by the families involved and their dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation by the hospital.
Smita Padhi, the chief executive officer of the hospital, explained that the confusion arose from information provided by the outsourced agency’s staffers. She clarified that four individuals—Seemanchal Biswal, Sritam Sahu, Jyotiranjan Mallik, and Dilip Samantray—were injured in the compressor blast. Unfortunately, Jyoti Ranjan Malik and Sritam Sahu (who died on Wednesday) were the casualties.
Padhi detailed the sequence of events, stating that after the blast, an employee of the outsourced agency identified all four injured individuals. When one of the patients succumbed to injuries on December 31, the hospital was informed by the agency’s employee that he was Dilip Samantray. Following standard procedure, the hospital informed the police, and the deceased was identified by the father as Dilip Samantray, who signed the inquest form.
However, on Thursday evening, one of the patients, initially identified as Jyoti Malik, showed improvement in his condition and was taken off the ventilator. It was at this point that he identified himself as Dilip Samantray, leading to the discovery of the mistaken identities.
The ICU doctors, upon realizing the mistaken identity, promptly sought the expertise of psychiatrist Amrit Pattojoshi for an evaluation of the patient. Surprisingly, the patient provided all the correct answers during the evaluation, further complicating the situation. Meanwhile, Dilip Samantray’s family, who had been mourning his supposed death, received a call notifying them of the unexpected turn of events. The patient even demonstrated the ability to recognize his nephew, adding to the confusion.
Psychiatrist Amrit Pattajoshi, who conducted the psychometric evaluation on Thursday, emphasized the difficulty in recognizing Jyoti Ranjan Malik’s body, which had sustained 95% burns. He described the face as abnormally swollen, making identification impossible under such circumstances.
Sanjay Sahu, the air conditioner agency’s staffer who allegedly identified the injured individuals, clarified that he only knew three of them, not the fourth one. He asserted that he did not identify them individually during the chaotic aftermath of the blast, emphasizing that he simply provided the hospital authorities with their names. Sahu also highlighted that he himself was not in a state to accurately identify them at the time due to the chaotic situation.
Ahalya Samantray shared the heartbreaking account of receiving the charred and unrecognizable body of a deceased individual wrapped in polythene from the hospital on December 31. Trusting the hospital’s identification, they believed it was Dilip Samantray and performed his last rites. However, this misidentification led to tragic consequences, as Ahalya’s pregnant daughter-in-law, distressed by the news of her husband’s death, became delirious and took her own life two days later. Ahalya expressed deep anguish, stating that if the hospital authorities had been more careful, her daughter-in-law might still be alive.
Jyoti Ranjan Mallick, whose family also initially believed the deceased to be Dilip Samantray, described the confusion. The patient responded to both a nickname and the name “Jyoti” when addressed, leading to the misunderstanding. Jyoti’s father explained that he became certain the patient was not his son when the ventilator was removed, and the face became visible. Despite the family’s efforts to confirm the identity through birthmarks, they were unsuccessful. He expressed frustration and blamed the hospital authorities for the tragic turn of events, vowing not to spare them.
The hospital authorities said they will now conduct a DNA test to conclusively establish the identities in this case.