- By Priyanka Koul
- Fri, 16 Jan 2026 09:04 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A 10-year-old boy was left to carry his mother’s lifeless body alone for a post-mortem examination in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district. The heartbreaking incident occurred after the boy’s 52-year-old mother passed away on January 14, following treatment for tuberculosis and HIV at a district hospital. His tearful eyes filled with grief, the boy, accompanied solely by medical staff, made his way to the post-mortem facility on Thursday, as neither relatives nor neighbours offered any assistance.
Photographs of the child sitting on the floor next to his mother’s body have since gone viral on social media. The boy remained by his mother's side for several hours, until local police arrived at the hospital after being alerted to the situation. They stepped in to help with the arrangement of the woman’s autopsy and burial.
The woman had been admitted to the Veerangana Avanti Bai Medical College in Etah, according to a report by the Times of India. Tragically, the boy’s father passed away the previous year due to HIV. The 10-year-old shared how his father's diagnosis of HIV had severely affected their social standing, causing everyone to turn away from them. He further disclosed that he had once attended school but had been forced to abandon his studies after his mother fell ill following his father’s death.
Heartbreaking | A 10 year old boy sits beside his mother’s mortal remains in Etah, Uttar Pradesh. She died during treatment for tuberculosis and HIV; his father passed away from HIV last year.
— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) January 16, 2026
“When papa contracted AIDS, everyone stopped talking to us,” the boy told TOI. pic.twitter.com/FEzwOLswrI
“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 stated that the woman had received treatment for tuberculosis back in 2017 and had been given all available assistance at the time. The administration assured that they are currently reviewing the situation.
Upon being informed of the dire circumstances by locals, police officials arrived at the hospital. Eyewitnesses said the boy refused to leave his mother’s body until authorities arrived.
“We were notified that a child was alone with the body. I sent a sub-inspector and a constable to the scene. The boy had no one, and we made arrangements for her last rites," said Jaithra SHO Ritesh Kumar in his statement to TOI.
Soon after, a few distant relatives from Kasganj, located 60 km away, arrived at the mortuary, enabling the post-mortem to proceed.
In an interview with Bhaskar English, the 10-year-old alleged that his relatives were threatening him, hoping to “usurp his land.” He also accused them of knowing about his mother’s declining health but refusing to offer any support.