By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 25: The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of the case in which two injured NEHU student were left unattended at Shillong Civil Hospital, despite one of them bleeding for nearly an hour.
The injured students were later shifted to Nazareth Hospital.
Taking suo motu cognizance of The Shillong Times report under the caption “NEHU accident case: Civil Hospital staff accused of neglect”, the Commission issued a notice to the Director of Health Service (MI), Government of Meghalaya, to cause an effective enquiry and to submit a detailed inquiry report to the Commission on or before January 7, 2026.
It may be recalled that Stephanie Shadap (22) and Daritngen Ponduhkhei (20) were walking near NEHU Gate-II when they were hit by a speeding vehicle on November 17.
Both suffered severe head and facial injuries. They were taken to Shillong Civil Hospital around 8:15 pm but were reportedly denied emergency treatment.
In the absence of ward boys, classmates had to physically carry the bleeding students from the ambulance into the emergency ward themselves. “Stephanie, who had a deep head wound, bled for nearly an hour before dressing was applied – that too only after students repeatedly demanded it. Daritngen lay on a bed with visible facial injuries, unattended for long stretches. Basic procedures – wound cleaning, stitching, X-rays – were either delayed for hours or never done,” the accompanying students alleged.
At around 9:45 pm, desperate students called former Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. She reached the hospital shortly after 10 pm.
It was only after Ampareen’s arrival that plans were made to shift Stephanie to Nazareth Hospital but the shifting process again lacked support.
Students claimed they had to carry Stephanie themselves from the emergency ward to the ambulance, with only one ward boy available to assist.
Doctors had initially informed the students that Stephanie was “more critical” while Daritngen was “stable”.
However, after being shifted to Nazareth Hospital, it was Daritngen who was found to be in a more serious state and remained unconscious, raising questions about the assessment made at the civil hospital.
