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Journalism of Courage
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, who was seriously injured in a road accident near Raipur, underwent a successful emergency operation on Sunday night in Mumbai.
The 50-year-old Congress leader, who recently returned to the mainstream after being sidelined following the cash-for-MLAs scandal, had suffered injuries to his spine, affecting movement in both his legs, in the accident early today morning. The driver of his car and another Congress leader, Mehttar Lal Sahu, were also hurt.
The four-hour neurosurgery was done at Bombay Hospital to basically ease the pressure on Jogi’s spine and prevent bloodclotting. Honorary Dean of Bombay Hospital Dr B K Goyal said the operation went as planned and his health parameters were since doing fine. However, Jogi will be on ventilator for the next 24 hours, as is normal procedure.
Jogi was his way to Deobhang from Rajim in his constituency Mahasamund when his vehicle spun out of control and rammed into a tree, 135 km from Raipur. The accident occurred at 3.35 am and Jogi was sleeping on the backseat at the time.
However, it took nearly four hours for his personal staff—following him in the second vehicle—to shift him to Modern Medical Institute (MMI), Raipur. His condition deteriorated further during this vital period.
Doctors attending on Jogi said his cervical spinal cord had been totally damaged. He also suffered head injuries.
One of his security guards, Sant Ram Dhruv, claimed the accident occurred when the driver of Jogi’s Qualis fell asleep at the wheel. Incidentally, the Congress leader had earlier planned for a night halt but got no response at the Gariaban Rest House that he tried.
Among the first to reach the spot was Jogi’s son Amit, who was there within 10 minutes of the accident. Jogi and the two others were taken out of the vehicle and rushed to the nearby Gariaban Hospital, where the state government was approached for a helicopter to fly him to Raipur. Chief Minister Raman Singh pointed out that the use of the government aircraft was prohibited due to the model code of conduct, and offered a BJP helicopter instead.
However, before that could be arranged, Amit and Jogi’s other attendants decided to rush the leader to Raipur by road.
With the Congress leader having undergone a heart bypass some years ago, the doctors were not willing to take any risks. After an MRI report indicated ‘‘spinal shock’’, they decided to shift him to Mumbai for treatment in Bombay Hospital. Jogi had gained consciousness by then, and was heard telling a Youth Congress leader: ‘‘I will be back. We should win Mahasamund at all costs.’’
A medical team accompanied Jogi to Mumbai along with his wife Renu, who is also a doctor, and Amit. The Chief Minister took the approval of the Election Commission to use a government aircraft to shift him.
Apart from Raman Singh and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who is in Chhattisgarh on his Yatra, also spoke to Renu Jogi and assured all help.
Jogi had only recently been reinstated in the Congress, four months after his suspension in the cash for MLAs scandal, and is contesting the April 20 elections from Mahasamund against V C Shukla. On hearing about the news, Shukla too left his campaign to visit Jogi.
