In a shocking incident on Sunday in Patiala, Punjab, a group of ‘Nihangs’ (Sikhs armed with traditional weapons and dressed in loose blue top) had chopped-off the hand of a police officer at Sabzi Mandi, Patiala earlier today. The attackers had also injured three other police officials and one Mandi board official. Now, it is reported that doctors have managed to repair the amputated hand of ASI Harjeet Singh. Doctors at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research in Chandigarh managed this feat after a 7.5 hours long surgery.
After 7.5 hours long surgery, PGI doctors have “successfully” repaired the amputated hand of the 50 year old police official. “The hand is viable, warm with good circulation,” said doctors after “technically very complex” and “challenging” surgery.
— Tanbir Dhaliwal (@tanbirdhaliwal) April 12, 2020
Kudos to PGI docs ! https://t.co/VFEOxBiBwF
According to Tanbir Dhaliwal, a journalist associated with Hindustan Times, the doctors have said that “the hand is viable, warm with good circulation” after what was a “technically very complex” and “challenging” surgery. As per reports, the surgery took seven and a half hours to complete. The DGP of Punjab Police Dinkar Gupta heaped praised on the doctors for the successful surgery of SSI Harjeet Singh and saluted them. Immediately after Singh was brought to the hospital, Director of PGI had deputed top Plastic surgeons of PGI for surgery.
The 50-year-old police official had an amputation through the proximal wrist of left hand, according to the doctors. The reimplantation was started around 10 a.m. after initial preparation of the amputated part. Both radial and ulnar arteries, the vena comitantes and an extra dorsal vein were anastomosed (reconnection of blood verssels). All the flexors and extensor tendons were repaired, all the nerves at the wrist required bony fixation done using three K-wires, the hospital said in a statement. “It was evaluated at the end of surgery that hand is viable, warm with good circulation”, the hospital added in the statement.
The DGP also informed that he had talked to Harjeet Singh after successful completion of the surgery and he was in high spirits.
Reportedly, a group of five ‘Nihangs’, armed with swords and iron rods, were travelling in a vehicle and they were asked to stop at a vegetable market at 6.15 am by Mandi board officials. “They were asked to show (curfew) passes. But they crashed the vehicle against the gate and barricades put up there,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said. The group then attacked the police personnel on duty, he said.
Apart from Harjeet Singh, others injured in the attack are Inspector Bakkar Singh, ASI Raj Singh, ASI Raghbir Singh and Mandi board official, AR Yadwinder Singh. All of them were attacked with sharp weapons.
11 culprits have been arrested in the case so far, and cases have been filed against them under UAPA, Explosives Act, Arms Act and NDPS Act. Punjab police have assured that the probe will be completed in 10 days and after that it will move to trial on fast track. The 11 arrested Nihangs include one woman too. The accused were arrested after they had fired upon the police team who had arrived at the Nihang Dera Complex to nab them. The confrontation and negotiations lasted for several hours, as the Nihang members were refusing the police appeal to surrender their weapons and swords. One Nihang member was injured in the incident and was sent to the hospital. The 11 arrested people include 5 who were involved in the attack on police earlier in the day.
A huge cache of weapons, including barchhe and kirpans, and used cartridges were seized from the accused. Poppy husk mixed with sulpha, and other drugs were also recovered, along with Rs 39 lakh in case.
