NEW DELHI: For four long years, assistant sub-inspector Chhatrapal Singh lived in the fragile, silent zone between life and death — a world of hospital monitors and sterile white walls.
The injuries he suffered during the Feb 2020 Delhi riots did not let him live fully, nor die. As he stayed submerged in a deep coma, his recovery seemed distant. For his family — his homemaker wife and two sons — life almost stopped. For four years, his elder son, Yash Raghav (21), halted his studies. He became his father's primary caregiver, taking him to hospitals and psychotherapy sessions.
Singh remained in hospital for eight months after the riots. There was a brief spark of hope in Oct 2020 when he opened his eyes and regained consciousness. The worst may have passed, the family thought. But the trauma caused brain hemorrhage in March 2021. He slipped into a coma and remained in a vegetative state at home until Jan 12, 2025, when a second brain haemorrhage turned fatal.
Singh's death is the second of a Delhi Police officer — after head constable Ratan Lal — to succumb to injuries from the riots.
A gallantry award came his way, but his death got attention last Oct during the commemoration day as the police chief paid homage to Singh.
Speaking to TOI at their home in Ghaziabad's Sahibabad, Singh's elder son and wife recounted the trauma of the riots, and the long shadow that Singh's illness cast on their daily lives.
Ritu Raghav, now widowed, said they were at home when she got a phone call from the police on Feb 24, 2020, informing her that her husband had been injured. He had suffered serious injuries to his head, fractured four shoulder bones, and had wounds on other areas of his body. "That day, he had gone to Chand Bagh in northeast Delhi on duty, where protests over the CAA-NRC were under way," she said.
In Oct 2020, Singh rejoined duty despite being unwell. He was already suffering regular headaches. On March 8, 2021, while on duty, he suffered the first brain hemorrhage. From then on, things went downhill. "He was bedridden till Jan last year, when he succumbed to his injuries," Ritu added.
Yash, their son, said he stayed by his father's side to give him confidence and hope. For a while, he showed the ability for slight movement of his body parts, but Singh eventually deteriorated.
"As the elder son, it was my responsibility to support the family.... I sacrificed my studies, hoping that one day my father would stand up, but that never happened. It was Jan 12, 2025, I was sitting beside my father on the bed when he passed away," he said.
Yash is now preparing for competitive exams. His younger brother, Amarender Raghav, is in Class 9.
Ritu said that the years following the attack were unbearably painful. She watched her husband lie in bed day after day, completely immobile and in constant pain. She felt helpless seeing the man she loved so dearly unable to move or speak. "It was heartbreaking to see him suffer like that, knowing there was nothing I could do to ease his pain. And then, he left us," she said.
At the time of the attack, Singh was a head constable. He was promoted to assistant sub-inspector a year before his death. He had joined the force as a constable in the nineties. He was awarded a gallantry medal for his bravery. "Ex gratia, a gallantry award, and related funds were disbursed on June 19 last year," an officer said.
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