Father George PA, Director of the Holy Family Medical Hospital, spoke to NDTV
Mohammad Tamim, one of those injured during violent clashes in Delhi on Sunday, did not actually sustain a bullet injury, the Director of the Holy Family Medical Hospital told NDTV today. Father George PA said confusion over the medical report of Mr Tamim's injury, which initially said: "sustained gunshot injury to left leg", had risen because the 'History' section of the report merely contains what the patient tells the doctor and not the latter's diagnosis.
"'History' section of reports records what patient tells doctor on arrival; this is why it was recorded as "sustained gunshot injury on left leg". Report also says "alleged history of assault" because that is what patient said," Father George said.
"We did not say it is a bullet injury. I saw what was removed and it is clearly not a bullet. It was some particle... a foreign body. It is now sealed... in our custody but will be handed to Delhi Police for forensic examination," he told NDTV today.
Questions had been raised over the use of firearms by the police to quell protests in the national capital yesterday, with reports of three people suffering gunshot injuries. Delhi Police has denied opening fire, on either protesters or students from the city's Jamia Millia Islamia University, and has said they only used tear gas shells.
A report submitted to the Home Ministry also says empty cartridges were recovered from the protest sites and that these do not match those issued to police.
On Monday three people were admitted to hospitals in the city. The two admitted to the first hospital sustained bullet injuries, the medical superintendent told NDTV.
Controversy has erupted over whether Delhi Police fired on protestors at Jamia protest
Mr Tamim, who was admitted to the second, told NDTV the policemen "clearly pointed and fired at me... there was absolutely no smoke, no tear gas as long as I was there".
He said he was conscious even after being shot and remembered everything. He said after being hit, he could not walk and had to be carried to the hospital by the students.
The cops have said the injured may have been hit by splinters from tear gas shells; such splinters have proved fatal in the past.
Ten people, many of whom have criminal backgrounds, have been arrested in connection with Sunday's violent clashes involving Jamia Millia Islamia students and Delhi Police. No students have been arrested so far but sources said the cops had not yet given them a clean chit.
At least three public buses and a hundred two-wheelers were torched in the violence
Those arrested are from the Jamia and Okhla areas - both of which border the university - of the national capital, police added. Sources within the Home Ministry also said "more anti-social elements (are) being tracked".
Violence had scarred parts of the country since the new citizenship law - meant to facilitate grant of citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh - was passed. Much of the violence has taken place in the North East, Bengal and Delhi, and much of it has been led by the student community.