Stray dogs were found feasting on the flesh of an unidentified human body in one of the corridors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) on Thursday morning.

The disturbing visuals, which went viral on social media, exposed once again the chronic lapses in hospital security and sanitation at the region's largest state-run healthcare facility.

Sources within the hospital said that the deceased was found in a corridor adjacent to the oncology department. He was apparently a homeless person who slept in the corridor.

“He is suspected to have died during the night from an undiagnosed illness. On Thursday around 9am, some sweepers were the first to spot the mutilated body, with a portion of the man’s leg missing,” said a source. "Dogs were seen tearing at the corpse before the staff managed to drive them away. The body was later removed to the morgue."

Sanjay Mallick, the NBMCH medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal, confirmed the incident and admitted to the problem of stray dogs and homeless individuals staying within the hospital premises.

“The campus has long been struggling with the issue of stray dogs. We have repeatedly informed the state animal resources development department to take steps, but no effective solution has been found so far. Around 150 dogs roam around the campus,” he said.

“During night hours, while being on duty, even our employees avoid certain zones out of fear of dog attacks. Many of our faculty members and staff have been bitten," he added.

Mallick stated that the deceased was not a patient and the hospital had no record of him.

“It seems the man was among the homeless who spend nights in the hospital corridors. We are investigating the matter. We are also waiting for his post-mortem report to know the cause of his death,” he said.

Sources said this was not the first time that such an event occurred at the NBMCH.

“In May 2022, a stray dog was seen carrying a severed human body part within the premises, sparking similar public outrage then. Despite repeated appeals, the problem of animal menace and poor security at the medical college remains unaddressed,” a source said.

Raising this issue, Darjeeling MP and BJP’s national spokesperson Raju Bista blamed the Trinamool government for the “collapse of public healthcare in north Bengal”.

“There is no dignity for the living or the dead under Mamata Banerjee’s rule. The fact that a man’s body was left unattended and mutilated by dogs shows the absolute apathy of this administration,” Bista said in a statement.

“The chief minister is the most incompetent health minister this state has ever seen,” the MP added.

Vedabrata Dutta, Trinamool spokesperson in Darjeeling (plains) said: “Truly it is an unfortunate incident, but the BJP MP is trying to make politics out of it. This is unacceptable. In Bengal, most people are dependent on government healthcare, unlike in the BJP-ruled states."