Karunanidhi visits GH, but cadres discharged

By R. K. Radhakrishnan and

Saptharshi Bhattacharya

CHENNAI, AUG. 13. The DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, today visited the Government General Hospital here, to enquire about cadres who were injured in violence on Sunday.

However, when he arrived at the trauma ward, the DMK chief realised that all except one injured were either shifted or discharged from the hospital. ``There were 67 of our people here initially,'' said Mr. Balaraman, DMK leader. ``They discharged 23 last night itself, though many were not in a position to even move,'' he alleged. Another 22 were discharged this morning and the remaining shifted to other wards, he claimed.

While hospital sources said the DMK version was ``more or less''true, hospital authorities maintained that patients who had recovered were discharged.

From early today, the police expected that the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, would visit the hospital. They had shifted all injured to ``one central place,'' trauma ward. As many as seven policemen were occupying beds while many with ``injuries'' sat along the corridor and waited for the Chief Minister. She did not turn up.

Hospital authorities confirmed that 27 police personnel who had received treatment in hospitals and health institutions elsewhere in the city yesterday, came to the out- patient department in the morning.

Three persons, two of them with bullet injuries, underwent surgeries on Monday. They were identified as Mr. Jayaraj (40) of Periamet here, with a gunshot injury in the right arm, and Mr. Karunakaran (30) with a gunshot injury in the liver.

Recalling the incident, Mr. Jayaraj said he was hit by a bullet `near the DGP's office.' He said the police resorted to a lathicharge when the processionists pushed back a barricade. When the situation turned violent, the police used water cannon to disperse the violent mob and fired tear gas shells. ``I noticed a senior police officer firing shots in the air. Soon after I was hit. I do not know who shot me and from where. I ran to the meeting venue and then the party colleagues brought me to the GH,'' he told The Hindu.

Doctors said the third person, identified as Mr. Nagarajan (41), had stab injuries in the body.

The disaster management ward, which was opened yesterday to accommodate the patients, had six persons undergoing treatment on Monday.

The scene was no different in the Royapettah Hospital, only that the uniformed personnel were not there. Doctors said they removed a bullet from the pelvis of Mr. Shiva (24) of Vizhur village in Villupuram.

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