Bagalkot, 7 March

A 65-year-old man who was presumed dead by his family showed signs of breathing while being taken for his funeral in the Jamkhandi town in Bagalkot district on Friday, triggering panic and confusion among relatives.

The man, identified as Haji Mubarak Avati, a resident of Momin Galli, had been suffering from kidney failure and had recently suffered a heart attack.

He was admitted to a private hospital in Belagavi, where he was undergoing treatment on a ventilator support. Doctors had reportedly informed the family that his condition was critical and the chances of survival were minimal.

Despite medical advice, the family decided to discharge him from the hospital and bring him back to Jamkhandi. After the ventilator support was removed, the family noticed no signs of breathing and assumed that he had died. They then began transporting him to Jamkhandi for the funeral.

However, near Lokapur, when the vehicle carrying him passed over a road hump, his family noticed signs of breathing, leading to panic among those accompanying him. The relatives immediately rushed him to the Jamkhandi Government Hospital.

Dr Krishna Bannada of the Jamkhandi Government Hospital said that a review of the medical records revealed that doctors at the Belagavi hospital had not declared the patient dead. He said the patient’s condition had been extremely critical following a heart attack caused by kidney failure.

Mubarak was later shifted to a private hospital in Vijayapura.