The Hindu : Bleeding wounds very hard to heal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Bleeding wounds very hard to heal

By R. Ravikanth Reddy

HYDERABAD Dec. 7. A bullet pierced through his right hand and the blood spurted out in a jet. He could see from the corner of his eye, his hand hanging in the air with the support of the skin and nothing else. Writhing in pain, he cried for help and thankfully a policeman noticed and shifted him to Osmania General Hospital. This was T. Vijay Kumar's second visit to the hospital in a gap of three months.

If the first visit left him poorer by Rs.70,000, the second visit shows a grim life ahead. An autorickshaw driver, Vijay Kumar's injured arm will force him out for work for at least a year and he has lots of worries to keep him company like running a family and he being the only breadwinner. The poor man received bullet injuries near Manik Prabhu temple in Gowlipura when he just stepped out of his vehicle to find a way out from the violent mobs.

"Where is my autorickshaw? I hope it is safe out there," he asks even as his hand bleeds. Vijay is more worried about future of his family than his hand.

"It was only three months ago that he was injured when a cylinder burst in his home. Now this which has completely shocked him," says his sister with tears rolling on her cheeks. Vijay doesn't have money to support his family leave alone the medical costs that stare at him.

For the families who have come to the general hospital to attend on the injured persons, more than the pain it is the thought of their future that is hurting them more. The case of a 22-year-old girl - wife of K. Srinivas, who died with bullet injuries - is pathetic. Married two years ago, she is carrying Srinivas's child. "Her future looks bleak and she has to suffer lifelong for no fault of hers," says her relative, Yashwant Kumar.

The pain on the cute face of Syed Azam is agonising and also on those watching him. A bullet pierced through his jaw and after an emergency operation Azam is still struggling. So moved was the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, by Azam's plight that he spent some time assuring his mother of Government's help. The seventh class student of Dazzling High School has lost his father long ago and he is the only hope of his mother. A simple fact that emerges from these cases is they all belong to very poor families. Even as these families are going through a horrifying period, a stream of politicians created chaos in the hospital with their `consoling' visits. Requests to move out failed to move the hordes of small-time leaders accompanying the big leaders.

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