Doctors in India have kicked up a controversy by performing autopsy of two women, who met with an unnatural death, on roadside.

The shocking incident occurred on September 26 at a primary health centre (PHC) in Barmer district of Rajasthan, India.

Doctors defended their action saying they had asked the family of the victims to take the bodies to another hospital as their PHC did not have a mortuary.

When the relatives realised that there was no hospital with a mortuary within a distance of 100 kms they pleaded with the doctors to carry out the procedure.

The doctors said they obliged on humanitarian grounds and did the autopsy on the road in the open.

Dr Kamlesh Chaudhary, Chief Medical Officer of Barmer, confirmed that there was no morgue anywhere in the distance of between 100 kilometers between Barmer and Garmara Road, where the PHC is located.

The villagers said it was not the first time a post-mortem had been done the road.

Additional district collector Rakesh Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

On September 25, two women Maya Kanwar (30) and her mother-in-law, Raju Devi, 59, had died of electrocution at Thamlore village in Barmer district.

Maya Kanwar was drying the clothes on the roof when she came in contact with a live wire. Raju Devi rushed to help her and was also electrocuted.