Punjab launches ‘Pehchaan’ portal to identify unclaimed bodies

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Chandigarh, September 2
Punjab has launched a statewide digital portal aimed at helping families identify unidentified and unclaimed deceased persons in government mortuaries.The portal, called Pehchaan, was launched by Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh on Wednesday.

Under the initiative, facial photographs, permanent identification marks such as tattoos and birthmarks, physical deformities and other identifying details of unidentified bodies will be uploaded to the portal within 48 hours of a postmortem examination at government mortuaries.The portal will be available free of charge through official Health Department websites, allowing families in India and abroad to search for missing relatives online.

Once a family submits a claim through the portal, the concerned investigating officer will be automatically alerted to begin the formal identification process under the relevant legal procedures. The system is intended to reduce the need for families to visit mortuaries or police stations repeatedly.

Dr Balbir Singh said thousands of people die unidentified or unclaimed in Punjab every year.
“Every year, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 human beings die as unknown and unclaimed in Punjab alone. They were someone’s son, daughter, spouse, or parent, and somewhere a family is still waiting for them,” he said.

The minister described the initiative as an effort to ensure dignity for unidentified people after death and provide closure to their families. The Pehchaan portal has been developed using Punjab’s digital medico-legal software, MedLEaPR, an NIC-built system introduced following directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

According to the government, MedLEaPR is currently operational across all 23 districts and 346 government hospitals in Punjab, with more than 6,600 registered medical officers. The system has recorded more than 12 lakh medico-legal and postmortem cases.
The platform also connects police, courts, health institutions and forensic science laboratories, while integrating with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) to help cross-check missing persons’ records.

The Health Minister said the Pehchaan portal complies with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and urged civil surgeons, medical officers and mortuary staff to ensure that details of unidentified bodies are uploaded promptly.
The initiative is expected to help families searching for missing relatives while creating a centralised digital system for identifying unclaimed bodies across Punjab.