The family of Gagandeep Singh (31), who was undergoing treatment for a kidney-related ailment at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC), Ludhiana, has alleged that the hospital authorities refused to hand over his body as the pending bills could not be cleared.Om Pal Singh, a relative of the deceased, said that instead of allowing the bereaved family to perform the last rites with dignity, the hospital authorities allegedly detained the body for over 24 hours, citing non-payment of dues amounting to Rs 1.16 lakh.Dr Kamaljeet Soi, Chairman of Raahat – The Safe Community Foundation, said the family approached him for help. “The deceased belonged to a poor labourer family. Already devastated by the untimely loss, they were further subjected to harassment by the hospital authorities,” he alleged.Soi further stated that the actions of DMC Hospital were in direct violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the right to life and dignity, even after death, The Patient Rights Charter (NHRC framework), which clearly prohibits detention of bodies over unpaid bills, established judicial precedents that hospitals cannot hold bodies “hostage” for recovery of dues.Following the intervention of Jitender Singh Shunty, member of the Punjab State and Chandigarh Human Rights Commission, the hospital authorities agreed today agreed to release the body.A senior doctor at DMCH confirmed that the body was being released shortly.Meanwhile, Soi urged the Punjab Human Rights Commission to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and conduct a time-bound, independent inquiry into the alleged violation.