10-Year-Old UP Boy Takes Mother’s Dead Body For Post-Mortem Alone, Sits For Hours Beside Corpse

Last Updated:January 16, 2026, 3:10 PM IST

The mother was undergoing treatment for tuberculosis and HIV.

The mother was undergoing treatment for tuberculosis and HIV. (Representative Image)

In a heartbreaking incident, a 10-year-old boy carried his mother’s dead body alone for a post-mortem examination in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district. The tragedy unfolded after the boy’s mother, aged 52, died on Wednesday during treatment of tuberculosis and HIV at a district hospital. Her teary-eyed son, accompanied by only the medical staff, went to the post-mortem facility on Thursday after no help came from relatives or neighbours.

Photos of the child sitting on the floor beside his mother’s body have gone viral. The boy sat beside his mother’s remains for hours, until local police reached the hospital after learning about the incident. They also assisted in arranging the woman’s autopsy and burial.

How Did The Boy’s Parents Die?

The woman was admitted to the Veerangana Avanti Bai Medical College in Etah, as per a Times of India report. The boy’s father passed away last year due to HIV. The 10-year-old told TOI how his father’s HIV diagnosis impacted the family’s social standing, as everyone stopped speaking to them. The child revealed that he used to go to school earlier, but left his studies after his mother fell ill following his father’s demise.

“I looked after Mummy. She was being treated in Etah and was even taken to Kanpur and Lohia Hospital in Farrukhabad. My uncle didn’t even know she died,” the boy explained.

District health officials revealed that the woman had been treated for tuberculosis in 2017 and received all possible aid in the matter. The administration said that they are reviewing the present situation.

Police reached the hospital after being alerted to the situation by locals. People at the hospital told the outlet that the boy refused to leave his mother’s corpse until officials arrived.

“We were informed that a child was alone with the body. I sent a sub-inspector and a constable to the spot. The boy had no one, and we arranged for her last rites,” Jaithra SHO Ritesh Kumar told TOI.

Later on, a few distant relatives from Kasganj, 60 km away, arrived at the mortuary, allowing the post-mortem to be completed.

Child Expresses Fear For His Life

According to a Bhaskar English report, the 10-year-old has alleged that he is facing a threat from his relatives who want to “usurp his land”. He also alleged that his relatives knew about his mother’s health condition but did not help the family.

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