NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old student preparing for competitive examinations is battling the possibility of losing vision in his right eye after allegedly being struck by a pellet during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest in Delhi.As his family waits anxiously outside AIIMS Trauma Centre, the incident has raised fresh questions over the alleged use of pellet guns during the demonstrations, a charge denied by Delhi Police.The first thought that crossed Ajay Duggal’s mind when he saw his nephew in hospital was whether the teenager would ever be able to see again.His 19-year-old nephew, Sahil Lochab, had his eyes shut and his face, neck and chest were covered with tiny red perforation marks.Duggal asked him what he could see from his injured right eye. The reply, he said, left the family devastated.“Sahil said he was hit directly in his eye. From what we have been told, another operation involving the pupil will determine whether his vision will return,” Duggal told PTI.The Najafgarh resident was among the around 60 protesters injured during the CJP’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20, according to Delhi Police estimates.At least one other protester also allegedly suffered pellet gun injuries.Sahil has already undergone one surgery to repair the damaged eye and remove pellets and is awaiting another operation.He was initially taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College, later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital and eventually moved to the AIIMS Trauma Centre on July 21.“He was conscious when they brought him here. He was talking to us. But when I saw his face, I kept looking at his eyes and thinking – what if he had lost his sight completely? Who would give him back the life he had before he went to that protest?” Duggal said.“I asked him, ‘beta, can you see properly?’ He told us he cannot see from his right eye at all. It is pitch black. It is not even hazy or blurry vision,” he added.Doctors had initially told the family there was only a one per cent chance of recovering his vision.On Thursday, however, they offered some hope.“Today, the doctors gave us some reassurance and said the chances are improving. But he cannot see at all, and he is in a lot of pain,” Duggal said.According to a source familiar with his treatment, doctors have described Sahil’s visual prognosis as “guarded”, meaning the chances of recovering vision remain uncertain.Another surgery is likely within the next day or two.The teenager suffered multiple pellet injuries to his face, neck, chest, right shoulder and arm.One pellet pierced his right eye, causing a corneal perforation, a full-thickness hole in the cornea.Another pellet was found lodged in his right lung and in the pericardial fat, the tissue surrounding the heart, the source said.According to his family, Sahil’s life revolved around academics and preparing for a career in the police force.A student of Delhi University’s School of Open Learning, he had been preparing for the Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (SSC CGL) examination, PTI reported.“He always wanted to become a police officer. He was studying and preparing for competitive examinations,” Duggal said.He had attended the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar after it began on June 20 and returned again on July 20, telling his family that it was important.“We even tried to stop him, but you know how kids are, they do not listen,” Duggal said.The family remains outside the hospital, hoping he regains full vision.They said doctors informed them the pellets that struck Sahil were made of metal.The incident has also reignited questions over the alleged use of pellet guns during the protest.Delhi Police has denied that its personnel used pellet guns against protesters during the march.The CRPF, whose Rapid Action Force personnel were also deployed that day, did not respond to questions regarding the alleged use of pellet guns.Pellet guns were first used in Kashmir during the 2010 unrest and later again in July 2016 following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.They were later discontinued by the then Jammu and Kashmir government.A pellet gun fires cartridges containing up to 600 metal or rubber pellets, which disperse at speeds of around 1,000 feet per second.Standard operating procedure requires the weapon to be fired from a minimum distance of 500 feet and aimed below the waist.Sahil is not the only protester to suffer serious injuries.Also undergoing treatment is 25-year-old Gurugram resident Sheikh Mansoori, who allegedly sustained seven pellet injuries to his face, including his nose, forehead, both eyes and cheeks.He underwent surgery at Lady Hardinge Medical College and is likely to require another procedure.At Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, 21-year-old Sakshi, who suffered critical injuries in a stampede-like situation near Jantar Mantar and Tolstoy Marg, has been taken off ventilator support.The scheduled march was part of the ongoing agitation over alleged examination irregularities and the demand for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.(With agency inputs)
