In a rare and heartfelt appeal, Prof. Sudhir Gupta, Head of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at AIIMS Delhi, stressed the urgent need to treat every dead person with dignity — no matter how they died or in what condition their body reaches the hospital.

Speaking at a special workshop attended by leading forensic experts and the head of the International Red Cross Society, at Delhi-AIIMS on November 28, 2025, Prof. Gupta said that even though the dead cannot speak, their families deeply feel how their loved one is handled.

“Sometimes, bodies arrive fully disfigured after accidents or blasts. Our duty is to reconstruct them in a humane way so the family does not feel more pain than they already do,” he said.

Prof. Gupta explained that AIIMS Delhi has been quietly doing the painstaking work of reconstructing badly damaged bodies so families can perform last rites with dignity. 

He recalled incidents like the Delhi bomb blast, where body parts were scattered across the site.

“We collected the parts, reconstructed the bodies, and returned them respectfully to the families,” he said. 

“This is hidden work, but it is essential work.”

All reconstruction services at AIIMS Delhi are offered free of cost, he added.

To make the process even less distressing, AIIMS has introduced virtual autopsy, a modern technique that uses advanced scanning instead of cutting open the body.

“For many families, the idea of surgical cuts on their loved one is extremely painful,” Prof. Gupta said. 

“Virtual autopsy allows us to examine the body without surgery. It is more respectful and easier for the family to accept.”

The workshop also focused on how India should prepare for major disasters such as plane crashes, bomb blasts, or natural calamities. 

Prof. Gupta said the International Red Cross Society is supporting AIIMS in developing a swift and organised system for handling large numbers of bodies.

Prof. Gupta made a strong pitch for creating a national disaster mortuary, a central facility that can receive and manage up to 400 bodies at once, transported quickly by air if needed.

He explained that such a centre would prevent chaos at disaster sites and ensure that every body is handled respectfully. Countries like Australia already have such systems — he pointed to the Victoria Forensic Institute as a successful example.

Prof. Gupta emphasised that the goal is simple to ensure no family suffers more than they already have, and that every deceased person receives dignity — from recovery to reconstruction to handover.

AIIMS now plans to standardise these reconstruction and virtual autopsy techniques across the country, hoping to bring uniform dignity, compassion, and care to every corner of India.