LUCKNOW, March 15 -- A family's grief turned into a 12-hour ordeal at King George's Medical University (KGMU) after night duty doctors allegedly failed to respond to repeated calls from mortuary staff, delaying a postmortem examination and flouting state directives mandating round-the-clock autopsy services.

Gyan Chandra, 60, a resident of Bachrawan in Rae Bareli district, died in a road accident in the Nagram area on Friday. His body reached the KGMU postmortem house at around 11:35 pm that night. However, doctors on the night shift allegedly did not answer repeated calls from the mortuary staff requesting them to conduct the autopsy.

Sources at the postmortem house said staff members also contacted the chief medical officer's (CMO) of...