Kanpur Police send amputated hand of ITBP jawan’s mother for histopathological test

Last Saturday, senior ITBP officials arrived at the Kanpur Police Commissionerate, along with several personnel, to raise concerns over the case. Initially, the presence of a sizeable contingent outside the police office triggered rumours that paramilitary personnel had “gheraoed” the commissionerate. But both the police and the ITBP denied the claims and clarified that the meeting had been scheduled in advance.

Criminal proceedings were initiated after a medical committee’s inquiry, which found “gross negligence” in the treatment provided by two private hospitals. The committee reportedly found that critical delays, lapses in medical care and failures in timely intervention contributed to the deterioration of the woman’s condition, ultimately resulting in the amputation of her hand.

The amputated hand, which was preserved by a district medical team after being handed over by the ITBP jawan, has been sent to Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College in Kanpur for histopathological examination, an official said.

Sources familiar with the investigation said the examination is aimed at determining the extent and cause of the infection, as well as establishing the precise factors that led to the tissue damage and eventual amputation.

Meanwhile, police are gathering medical records and other documents from the two private hospitals where the woman underwent treatment, as part of efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events that culminated in the loss of her hand.

On May 10, Singh brought his mother, Nirmala Devi (56), to see a doctor in Kanpur after she faced trouble breathing. When her condition failed to improve, the doctor advised the jawan to admit her to a hospital; So, he took her to a private medical facility.

The following day, he said he noticed that his mother’s right hand had become swollen and turned black. “When I asked her what happened, she told me that a drip was inserted into a vein in her right hand for administering glucose and injections. After she developed swelling and severe pain, the hospital staff shifted the drip to her left hand,” Singh had said earlier.

He said when he questioned the doctors about the condition of her hand, he was assured that it was a temporary complication and would improve soon.

“But the pain in her hand did not subside. So I got my mother discharged from the hospital and admitted her to another private medical facility. The doctors there told us infection had spread. Three days later, on May 17, my mother’s right hand was amputated above the elbow to stop the infection from spreading,” Singh had said.

The incident initially prompted an inquiry, but the first report failed to arrive at a definitive conclusion. Following representations by the jawan and intervention from his senior officers, a fresh probe was ordered.