Financial worries for family of police as he battles for life

A 54-year-old Head Constable (HC) from Bandra police station has been battling for life since the past one week. He has been lying unconscious and breathing through a ventilator in the ICU of Lilavati Hospital after an iron net fell on him while clearing onlookers as part of a BMC drive against hawkers at Khar west last Saturday morning.

HC Ajitkumar Shantaram Khavale, a resident of Mahim police quarters, is married and has two grown-up sons. Police surgeon to Maharashtra government, S.M. Patil, informed that Lilavati hospital in Bandra (west) is not in the list of 32 hospitals including private hospitals in Mumbai where, as per a government scheme, injured policemen can be treated free-of-charge.

But it is learnt from reliable sources that zonal deputy commissioner of police, zone IX, Satya Narayan, has taken up the case with a senior police official in Maharashtra Police headquarters to ensure that Mr Khavale’s family does not have to pay a hefty amount.

Just in six days, the medical bill at Lilavati hospital has climbed to nearly '3 lakh and doctors at the hospital have advised that the patient, who they said is showing good signs of recovery, be kept there for at least six more weeks.

The Asian Age was the first to report how BMC used a JCB crane to pull down a plastic cover put up by hawkers which eyewitnesses said could have been removed manually. While doing so, the crane accidentally pulled down an iron net placed above the plastic cover, which fell on Mr Khavale, grievously injuring him.

DCP Satya Narayan was asked to probe the incident and file a report by regional additional commissioner Cherring Dorje. When The Asian Age contacted the DCP on Saturday evening to inquire about the BMC’s role, he passed the query and disconnected the call saying he was in a meeting. Mr. Khavale’s brother, Santosh Khavale, who is attached to CB unit IX, said, “I will ask what exactly happened once my brother gains consciousness.”