PATIALA, September 3: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a disturbing media report that a stray dog was seen carrying the severed head of an infant near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala district, Punjab, on August 26, 2025.
The report, carried on August 27, cited hospital attendants alleging that stray dogs roam freely inside the hospital premises amid poor sanitation, lack of security, and administrative negligence.
Observing that the incident, if true, raises “a serious issue of human rights violation,” the NHRC has issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Punjab and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
The hospital’s Medical Superintendent clarified that no baby has been reported missing from the facility. In all recent cases of child deaths, bodies were handed over to families after due documentation, he said. The official suggested that the remains may have been dumped outside the hospital premises by someone else.
Authorities are expected to investigate the matter thoroughly, focusing on both hospital security lapses and the possible origin of the remains.