Hospital releases body of killed Sharjah student

The body of 22-year-old Mitthi Singh, the Indian student who was killed in a road accident on Monday, was released to her family after completion of all the formalities Thursday. Mitthi's final rites were performed by her family Thursday. The body of Mitthi's friend Mariam Ahmad, 19, also an Indian, was released on Tuesday. She was buried in Sharjah. Both girls were fatally struck by a speeding car driven by an Iraqi woman on Buhaira Corniche. Mitthi died on the spot and Mariam died in hospital. The case has been transferred to Sharjah Public Prosecution. On the delay in releasing Mitthi's body, hospital officials explained that in cases where the victim dies outside a hospital, it is not uncommon for police to wait for the forensic report before giving permission to release the body. The process can take between three and seven days. The forensic laboratory at Sharjah Police completed its report yesterday and the body was handed over to the family after the necessary documents were issued by government departments. Earlier yesterday, an official at Kuwaiti Hospital told Gulf News, "the police were still carrying out the investigation and on Wednesday, the body was transferred to Al Qasimi Hospital to complete the forensic report". In order for a body to be released from hospital, the family members of the deceased are required to follow several procedures. If a person dies in a hospital, family members can acquire a death notification from the hospital that states the cause of death. The family is then required to register the death with the police before going to the Ministry of Health to get a death certificate. "Once the family receives the letters from the Ministry of Health, police and the hospital, they can then finalise the procedure by going back to the police with the documents. "The police will then issue a letter to release the body from hospital, and if necessary, further letters to embalm and transport the body to the airport in the case of repatriation," said C.P. Mathew, a social worker from the Dubai-based charitable and voluntary organisation Valley of Love. "If the body is to be cremated, family members need to acquire a letter from the municipality for a cremation permit," he said. If the deceased is given a Muslim or Christian burial, family members are also required to receive a municipality permit. "If the body is to be repatriated, the family should inform their embassy and register the death in order to have the deceased person's passport cancelled," added Mathew.