Doctors at DMCH refuse spine surgery on Jammu Army aspirant thrown out of train: ‘life-threatening’

However, even after nearly two months, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has failed to arrest or even identify a single suspect, who pushed him out of the moving train after he objected to their smoking on May 19 near Ludhiana railway station.

Speaking to The Indian Express, GRP Ludhiana police station SHO Sub-Inspector Jatinder Singh said, “We have procured the reservation chart of the train and sorted each passenger based on details provided by the victim. No such incident has been recorded by CCTV cameras as it possibly took place on the periphery outside of the CCTV cameras’ limits.

Train staff, including TTE, driver and GRP guards patrolling inside that day have denied witnessing such an incident. The victim is the only witness. Some locals saw Tushar lying by the tracks and called the 108 ambulance service.”

A resident of Greater Kailash in Jammu, Tushar was on his way to Ahmedabad to appear in an interview for the Service Selection Board (SSB) when the incident took place.

For Virander Thakur, an employee of the power department in Jammu, what is still keeping his hope afloat is the twinkling spirit in his son’s eyes. Even though he is unable to sit and has painful bedsores, Tushar is communicating well, speaking with his friends often and even taking care of his pet Beagle dog Bruni’s health by consulting the vet on the phone — all while being on the hospital bed. He even typed his complaint and mailed it to the police for registering an FIR.

Picture of Tushar Thakur with his pet dog Bruni.

“Bruni is very dear to him. He is in Jammu. We told Tushar that Bruni was feeling unwell and he immediately coordinated with the vet when he was fighting for his life. Though doctors at DMCH have refused to perform surgery, we are still hopeful. We will consult every doctor in the country or abroad who can make my son walk again. My heart breaks when I see what my son is going through. He wants to fill Army recruitment form again,” says the tearful father.

In his typed statement to the police based on which the FIR was registered on June 24 at the Ludhiana GRP police station, Tushar stated: “In the train, I went to the washroom, where three persons, including one turbaned man, all looked of my age were smoking cigarettes.

I asked them not to smoke inside the train. When I came out, the three boys held me and pushed me out of the moving train. I don’t remember anything after falling on the ground, but I can recognise them….” Speaking with The Indian Express, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said the administration was in regular touch with Dr Ashwani Chaudhary, head of the neurosurgery department at DMCH and his team. “The family has been informed about the exact situation,” she said.

“According to doctors, the portion of the spine located in the chest region, and very close to the heart, has broken completely. The vertebral bone has completely ruptured. The spinal cord is twisted beyond repair and misaligned. If they attempt to align and repair it, the risks will outweigh the rewards.

Even if the surgery is 100 per cent successful, there will be no mobility in the lower limbs. It is very risky to operate due to the location of the spinal rupture. Yet if the family wants a surgery, they should first consult PGIMER, Chandigarh, and other hospitals in Delhi equipped with better machinery and live CT imaging with better precision that reduces the risk,” Sawhney said.

“The administration is providing all possible support to the parents and has mobilised funds of around Rs 1.60 lakh, including donations,” she added.