NSG commando to be shifted to Delhi

AHMEDABAD: After nearly 11 months of the terrorist attack at the Akshardham temple on September 24 last year, the ICU of the Civil Hospital here continues to witness a battle for life.
Each day dawns as a day of hope for the family of Surjan Singh Bhandari, the 25 year old NSG commando who survives with the help of a ventilator and has been unconscious for months.
The terrorists who attacked Akshardham damaged his brain stem when they shot at him after NSG commandos were air-lifted from New Delhi to flush out the two deadly terrorists from the temple complex .
The family now wants him shifted to Delhi. "Despite four surgeries not much was achieved. After the second surgery itself he lost consciousness never to regain it till today," says his brother Surjeet Bhandari.
Surjeet, who has nursed his brother for the past 10 months now, says he would like to be closer to his family who are in Chamoli, Uttaranchal. "My mother barely eats due to her grief and is on medication. We have requested the government to allow us to shift him to Delhi. There we can take turns to take care of him," he says.
Dr. Jayesh Shelat, head of neurosurgery department, says he supports the decision to shift Surjan. "It is risky, but for the family it is a painful experience. Maybe shifting him is a better option," he says.
According to Shelat chances of revival for Surjan are dim as he is on an artificial respirator.
"He cannot survive without the ventilator. The damage to his brain was deep as grenade particles were lodged in many places. We expected him to improve after the first surgery, but we were disappointed when the brain haemorrhage occurred," he says.
Surjan''s brother, however, refuses to give up hope. "We give him a warm bath everyday, massage him and help him sit up. The hospital provides soup and milk and I go to the army canteen and buy fruit juices for him. Earlier he had lost weight and used to run high temperatures. His pulse and blood pressure are normal. If you pinch his arm, he moves it. Maybe he would improve further," he says.
According to Surjeet there are times when they regret the decision to continue treatment in Gujarat. "After the first surgery, Surjan was able to recognise people, he could write and convey his thoughts. But after the next surgery he did not revive," he says.
NSG officials have approached Surjan''s mother to get her to sign a document saying she does not object to shifting Surjan to Delhi.
However, the future is still hazy. As Surjeet said, "We do not know which hospital he would be kept in and how he would be treated. The government has not conveyed anything to us, we are little worried on that front," he says.