More than a year after the death of the Left Front regime’s of West Bengal ex-chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, his posthumous body remains intact and carefully preserved at the anatomy department of Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital. The body, donated to medical science as per his wishes, is yet to be dissected for educational purposes due to the high number of body donations received prior to his death on August 8 last year.
Hospital authorities confirmed that the body was embalmed within days of being handed over on August 9, 2024, but has not yet been used in anatomy classes.
“His body has been preserved chemically with care and respect. We have a queue of donated bodies and they are used for dissection one after another. When the time comes, Buddhadebbabu’s body will be used for medical students’ training,” said Sudeshna Majumdar, head of NRS’s anatomy department.
The practice of donating one’s body to medical science has long been common among leaders of the Left Front, driven by the body donation movement. Notable leaders such as Binay Chowdhury, Anil Biswas, Chittabrata Majumdar, Somnath Chatterjee, Khiti Goswami, Manab Mukhopadhyay and Shyamal Chakraborty have all pledged and fulfilled such donations.
Former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu was no exception—his body was handed over to SSKM Hospital on January 18, 2010, the day after his death. His organs, including his brain, heart, lungs and liver, were preserved in glass jars for academic purposes.
Also Read: Ministers pay tribute to ex-WB CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
According to doctors, there is nothing unusual in the delay. “If embalming is done properly, a body remains intact for eight to ten years,” said experts from the Anatomical Society of India (ASI), adding, “The high volume of donated bodies in Kolkata’s medical colleges compared to district institutions means some bodies are preserved for years before use.”
Explaining the embalming process, Partha Pratim Pradhan, former ASI executive committee member and principal of Sagar Dutta Medical College, said, “After cleaning the body, a formalin solution is injected through the femoral artery to reach all parts of the body. The body is then immersed in a chemical solution in a tank, which keeps it intact for years.”
For now, Bhattacharjee’s final contribution to society—his body—remains preserved, awaiting its turn to serve the purpose he pledged it for—advancing medical education.
Also Read: Buddhadeb lives on in memory, loyalty and values
Follow us
