After a seven-and-a-half hour long surgery, the doctors successfully stitched back the severed wrist of a police official, who was attacked while trying to implement the lockdown in Punjab’s Patiala district on Sunday.
Taking to Twitter to share the news, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh late on Sunday said it took around a seven and a half hour long surgery to operate the injured hand of ASI Harjeet Singh and also thanked the entire team of doctors and support staff for their painstaking effort.
The chief minister also wished the police official a speedy recovery.
Punjab Police DGP Dinkar Gupta also tweeted that Harjeet Singh was recovering well.
“Just spoke with the lead Plastic surgeon who did the successful surgery to stitch back the hand of our brave corona warrior ASI Harjeet Singh. Also spoke with Harjeet, who is in high spirits. We still have to wait and watch for the next five days,” Gupta tweeted.
A police party on lockdown duty was attacked by a group of people on Sunday in which the ASI’s hand was chopped off and six other cops were injured.
According to the police, a group of four-five ‘Nihangs’ (Sikhs armed with traditional weapons and dressed in loose blue top) were travelling in a vehicle and they were asked to stop at a vegetable market by the Mandi board officials at around 6.15 am, when they were asked as to why they are breaking the lockdown, they started the brawl. The Nihangs fled the scene after the attack.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said, “They were asked to show (curfew) passes. But they banged the vehicle against the gate and barricades put up there.The group then attacked the police personnel on duty.”
However, all the culprits have been taken into custody, the chief minister informed.
“I am proud of the @PunjabPoliceInd party under SI Bikkar Singh for professionally handling this situation,” Amarinder Singh had earlier tweeted.
Following the attack, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Harjeet Singh was rushed to the Rajindra hospital, from where he was referred to PGIMER in Chandigarh.
The incident took place when restrictions are in place in the state because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Punjab Cabinet had unanimously approved the extension of the curfew till May 1 with effect from April 10.