A hit-and-run victim was saved on Thursday night with timely attention from a doctor who took him in for treatment, disregarding chances of any harassment from police.
Jaganpura resident Munni Lal Paswan, 50, was on his bicycle around 9pm when a speeding vehicle hit him from behind on Bypass Road. He was left on the partially lit road, immobile and bleeding for close to 15 minutes.
Vehicles zipped past, a crowd gathered around the victim but none came ahead to help Paswan to a hospital, barely 50m from the accident spot.
"As the accident took place on the highway, people were afraid to touch the man, fearing questions and harassment by the police. I too was an onlooker and didn't have the courage to help," Santosh, a resident, said.
Around this time, 41-year-old Dr Ajay Kumar, the director of Pulse Emergency Hospital along Bypass Road, exited the health hub and saw the motionless victim. Ajay told The Telegraph: "We have another hospital in the Rajendra Nagar area and I was on my way there when I saw the victim. No one was helping the victim, so I called some of the hospital attendants,who said he was critical. We immediately took him to the intensive care unit and also informed the police."
Last year, senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj had appealed the people to help accident victims, assuring them that they would not have to face any harassment from cops.
Ajay said once the victim was taken to the hospital, an agitated group of people arrived at the health hub, wanting to check if the patient was alive or not. Ajay allowed a small group inside, apprehending protests to escalate if he did not.
"One of them identified the patient as Munni Lal Paswan, a former daily wager, and we asked the man to inform Paswan's family about the accident. The patient had injuries on his head and other parts of the body. He was breathing faintly. Around midnight, he showed first signs of movement. By that time, his family had reached the hospital and we decided to keep him overnight. On Friday morning, we told the family a CT-scan had to be performed and they requested us to refer him to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). The patient was conscious and we agreed. We didn't charge the family for the treatment provided, as they looked very poor," Ajay said, adding that he was just doing his job.
"I am a doctor and it is my job. The man could have died because of lack of treatment," he said.
Raja Ram, the Traffic police station house officer at Gandhi Maidan, said Paswan did not work any longer and his sons were daily wagers. The statement of one of them was recorded on Friday. "It is a hit-and-run case. The victim does not work anymore. The victim is stable at PMCH now," Ram said, adding that the vehicle that hit Paswan has not been identified yet.
