The condition of police sub-inspector Mallikarjun Bande, who was shot at and injured in the head, continues to be critical. He has been put on ventilator and is in the ICCU in the Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital in Gulbarga.
At the end of a four-hour-long operation, conducted by a team of doctors headed by two expert neurosurgeons Shashank Ramdurg and Santosh Mangshetty, hospital sources told The Hindu that all the blood clots in the brain have been successfully removed and the cerebral bleeding has been stopped.
Mr. Bande is still unconscious and has been put on ventilator; his vital organs are functioning normally. The doctors have told his family that the patient will be closely monitored for the next 24 hours before taking any decision on shifting him to a specialty hospital, either in Hyderabad or Bangalore.
Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil, who was in Gulbarga, visited the hospital and held discussions with the doctors who attended Mr. Bande and senior police officers, including Superintendent of Police Amit Singh. He offered all assistance from the State government for extending the best available treatment to him and also to provide all help to shift or airlift Mr. Bande for further treatment.
Hailing from Khajuri in Aland taluk of Gulbarga district, Mr. Bande, who was recruited in 2005 as sub-inspector, joined the police force as a constable in 1997. He worked in different police stations before writing the examination for selection as sub-inspector. Besides working in Gulbarga district, Mr. Bande, who is known for his daredevilry in dealing with criminals, had worked in Raichur and Bidar district.
Mr. Bande, in his present capacity, takes care of crime in Station Bazaar Police station. Assistant sub-inspector Udandappa, who suffered two bullet injuries in the stomach, has been shifted to Hyderabad for further treatment.
