Mudassir Kuloo

Srinagar, May 07: Lying motionless on a bed in the Intensive Care Unit of the SMHS Hospital here is 18-year-old Sufail Ahmad Bhat, a class 12 student.
A resident of Dassu Shopian, Sufail was among the many civilians shot at by government forces during the encounter and clashes that devoured 10 lives on Sunday.
He is in a critical condition as three of his vital organs have been damaged by the bullet fired by forces at protesters on Sunday.
“A bullet has pierced through his abdomen, causing damage to three internal organs,” said a doctor, while attending him in the ICU.
“He has a fracture in spinal chip. The bullet has caused him grade-4 liver and grade-2 kidney injury,” the doctor said.
He added that they have operated upon his damaged liver.
“We are yet to start treatment on damaged kidney and spinal chip fracture,” the doctor said.
“He has suffered massive blood loss. We gave him several pints of blood. His condition remains critical,” he said.
Standing next to the bed Sufail lies motionless on was his sister.
Visibly in despair, she looked at every doctor who came in to see her brother.
“Doctor Sahab is asking to bring these medicines immediately,” she told a relative, who was sitting on a bench outside the ICU in the corridor along with few other relatives.
Bilal Ahmad, the teen’s maternal uncle, said Sufail was sitting outside his father’s shop when forces fired at a group of people.
“The encounter had ended when army fired at him around 11:30 am. The eyewitnesses told us that he fell down on the floor, unconscious and in a pool of his own blood,” he said.
From there, he was taken to Anantnag hospital on a two-wheeler and subsequently referred to SMHS Hospital.
Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital, Dr Saleem Tak, said Sufail was among the three critically injured patients brought on Sunday.
“We received 48 patients. Thirteen have pellet injuries in eyes, five have stone injuries, and others have bullet injuries in abdomen and arms. Rest have pellet injuries on other parts of body,” Tak said.