25-year-old Pratyush Anand, injured in the fatal chopper attack in front of police outside the Double Down (DD) Bar and Cafe here on June 27 midnight that killed 28-year-old Himanshu Singh, is battling for his life with 22 stabbing wounds in a private hospital in Kolkata even as a BJP delegation on Saturday demanded murder case against the police personnel present on the spot at the time of the attack, people close to the development said on Saturday.
“Pratyush was stabbed at 22 places of his body and the doctors had to operate out one of his lungs because of the irreparable damage caused to it. His intestines have also been severely damaged. He is now out of the ventilator but is still in critical condition in the CCU,” Chandan Singh, uncle of Pratyush, told HT on Saturday.
Singh also revealed that the pathological tests didn’t found alcohol in Pratyush’s stomach.
“Tests didn’t find alcohol in Pratyush’s stomach. We have not filed an FIR as of now because our priority is to save Pratyush and get him fully cured. Pray for his well being .... Let him recover fully. Once he is in a state to talk, we will file FIR as per his statement. We want justice not money or job or anything else,” asserted Singh.
Singh, a noted builder in Adityapur, however, minced no words in expressing his hurt feelings on being isolated in this hour of crisis.
{{/usCountry}}Singh, a noted builder in Adityapur, however, minced no words in expressing his hurt feelings on being isolated in this hour of crisis.
{{/usCountry}}“I am also a member of the BJP family but unfortunately none from this family stood by us when we needed them most. Jharkhand BJP president Aditya Sahu and a senior leader from Delhi called me today over phone. Aditya ji wanted to come to our Adityapur residence today but all our family members are in Kolkata, camping at the hospital premises. Hence, I requested him not to come. We thought the BJP leaders would raise the issue that Pratyush and Himanshu were attacked and stabbed in front of the police. They should have questioned why the PCR police kept Himanshu and Pratyush waiting for over 20 minutes when they were leaving for home? They should have demanded legal action against these police personnel for assisting in murder,” an emotional Singh said.
He also thanked CM Hemant Soren for calling him at 12 AM on June 28 when Pratyush was in the operation theatre.
“Our entire family is thankful to CM Soren for his call on June 28 midnight when Pratyush was in the OT. He promised all possible help from the government and assured action would be taken against all the guilty, including the police personnel. Even the CM could call us but not anyone from my own party BJP which I considered our extended family. Former health minister Banna Gupta, former Ichagarh MLA Arvind Singh ‘Malkhan’, Upendra Singh Mastaan, Ranchi-based Manoj Singh and Om Prakash Sonu (patron of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Fans Club) visited us at the hospital in Kolkata. We thank them all,” said Singh.
Why didn’t police fire in air: BJP
Meanwhile, BJP state president Aditya Sahu, former LoP Amar Bauri and party MLA Bhanu Pratap Shahi visited late Himanshu Singh’s residence in Adityapur on Saturday and demanded registration of FIR for murder charge against the police personnel present during the chopper attack.
“We demand that the state government register murder case against the police personnel present during the chopper attack on Himanshu and Pratyush on June 27 midnight and be sent to jail immediately. Two youths were attacked with choppers and other sharp weapons under the nose of the police in Jamshedpur. They rushed into the police van to save their lives, the assailants dragged them out and stabbed continuously in front of the police. Why didn’t the police fire in the air? It seems there is not rule of law but parallel government of criminals running in the state with the patronage of the police,” Aditya Sahu told the media on Saturday.
Bauri and Shahi said the state government was trying to whitewash the crime and divert the case. “BJP will not allow the government to succeed in doing so. Now, Jamshedpur has been shut down and if justice is not delivered to the victim families soon, entire Jharkhand will be shut down. A BJP delegation will meet the governor in this matter shortly,” they said.