Overview

• Notices were issued to the Punjab Chief Secretary and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
• The action follows an August 26 report that a stray dog was seen carrying the severed head of an infant near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.
• The NHRC said the reported facts, if true, would constitute a serious human rights violation.
• The hospital’s medical superintendent said no infant has been found missing and suggested the remains may have been dumped outside the premises.
• Patients’ attendants have alleged stray dogs inside the hospital along with poor sanitation, lax security, and negligence, and the NHRC requested details of actions taken and preventive steps.