While it was announced recently that National Security Guard (NSG) commando Surjan Singh Bhandari will finally be shifted to AIIMS, his family’s woes are far from over. It is learnt that the transfer may take sometime. The hitch is that it is still unclear who will pay compensation for Surjan’s injuries.Surjan has been in coma for almost 12 months now. He was issued a 100 per cent injuries certificate by Civil Hospital about three months ago.In a letter to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Uttam Singh, Surjan’s brother, had recently sought a clarification on who would be responsible for payment of compensation to Surjan and whether the state government would give an undertaking to the effect that it would pay the compensation. The clarification was sought following discussions between the commando’s relatives and NSG officials, who asked them to get the issue clarified with the state government before he was shifted. Surjan’s relatives are requesting the state government to give a written assurance about the payment. A reply to this is awaited.When contacted, V.A. Sathe, Commissioner, Health and Medical Services said that ‘‘The matter has to be sorted out between the state government and the NSG. The NSG officials can come here and we can discuss and take a decision.’’
