Nine bullets, 16 days in coma and over 30 days in ICU later, CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta has fought his way back to recovery. Injured during an encounter in Kashmir on February 14, he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Wednesday.
Mr. Cheeta, Commanding Officer (CO) of the CRPF’s 45th battalion in Kashmir, slipped into coma after being shot at nine times. Having suffered injuries to the brain, right eye, abdomen, arms, left hand and the lower back, he was airlifted to AIIMS from Srinagar.
Dr. Subodh Kumar, professor of trauma surgery at AIIMS, said: “He has shown steely resolve and responded well to the intensive care that continued for almost two months. This is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Mr. Cheeta was in coma for 16 days and spent over a month in the ICU. He was discharged today [Wednesday],” said Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the hospital.
Doctors, however, are not very hopeful of him regaining vision in the right eye. His left eye, which was damaged due to splinters, has been restored. “He was in coma when he was brought in, had bullet injuries in the head, a fractured torso, and a ruptured right eye. Within 24 hours, a portion of the skull that had a bullet injury was removed. He then underwent multiple surgeries. He also developed signs of sepsis, which was managed by specialists,” said Dr. Kumar.
Mr. Cheeta’s wife Uma Singh said: “Doctors said he was in coma, but he would respond whenever I would meet him and hold his hand. That strengthened my faith, but the journey is not over yet. I want to see him wear his uniform again.”
Airlifted from Srinagar
The CO, who hails from Rajasthan and was commissioned in 1998, was injured in Hajjan after a joint team of the Army, CRPF and State Police received inputs about two terrorists hiding in the area. Mr. Cheeta was initially taken to the Base Hospital in Srinagar from where he was airlifted to New Delhi the same day.
Doctors at AIIMS said he was shifted to a ward on March 16 where he underwent physiotherapy and speech therapy. Subsequently, the plastic surgery team worked on covering his wounds.
“He is an example of the grit of a warrior,” said Anurag Srivastava, chief of the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also took to Twitter on Wednesday saying “Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheeta has made a miraculous recovery.”
“I thank the team of doctors who helped Shri Chetan Cheeta in his recovery. Hope to see Cheeta back in action soon,” the Minister said.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju visited the officer at AIIMS.
Mr. Cheeta, meanwhile, said he felt proud when Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and Mr. Rijiju visited him at the hospital and recognised his contribution.
