Jantar Mantar protest: Woman in ICU taken off ventilator, says RML

New DelhiTwenty-one-year-old Sakshi, who was injured during the Monday protest at Jantar Mantar and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, has shown significant improvement in her condition, a medical bulletin issued by the hospital on Wednesday stated

New Delhi

Woman, identified as Sakshi, 21, was injured during July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ agitation. (HT Archive)

Twenty-one-year-old Sakshi, who was injured during the Monday protest at Jantar Mantar and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, has shown significant improvement in her condition, a medical bulletin issued by the hospital on Wednesday stated.

“She has been taken off the ventilator and is breathing on her own. She is conscious and responding to commands. Her MRI scans of the brain and spine is normal,” the bulletin stated.

Abhay, a Delhi University student, who helped take Sakshi to the hospital, said the woman was injured in a “stampede-like” situation near the Registrar Cooperative office, where police had put up barricades, at around 11am. “We were not even on the main road,” he said.

He said the crowd grew as more people arrived and at around 11.30am, police began a lathi-charge. “Protesters started moving back, but police buses had blocked the road behind. It was almost a trap for such a huge crowd,” he said.

“Some people fell, leading to a stampede-like situation. Sakshi got trapped in the crowd and we quickly picked her up. Two MBBS students helped provide CPR near the office. They said she looked critical and was not responding properly,” said Abhay.

He added, “We then approached the police and sought their help to take her to the hospital.”

According to Sakshi’s family, she was at the protest site along with an older cousin, who also sustained injuries.