In times of high inflation, a sum of Rs 300 may be considered paltry. But physical mutilation was the price that Ram Sagar Chandravanshi, 20, had to pay for not being able to repay a debt of mere Rs 300. His hands were chopped off and he was dumped in an unconscious state. The incident happened in a village in Arwal district, barely 80 km south-west of Patna, some 10 days ago.
As he lay on the floor in the MN ward of the Patna medical college hospital (PMCH), Chandravanshi’s two bandaged hands bore testimony to the terrible tragedy he has suffered.
A daily-wage worker, Ram Sagar’s ordeal did not end with the maiming. When his family tried to lodge a FIR with the Kinjar police station in Arwal, it was not entertained, initially. A couple of days later, the FIR was registered, but action is still awaited.
When contacted, Arwal SP Bimal Kumar told HT that the entire story was ‘concocted’ and that the investigation had revealed something else.
“He apparently lost his hands near Danapur after meeting with an accident on the railway tracks. Why are you people after this story? We are looking into the matter,” he said before disconnecting the phone line.
Magadh range DIG NH Khan was more responsive.
“I will ask the SP to send somebody to record the statement of the youth. If he is saying something then that needs to be examined. We have to fulfill all legal formalities to get to the bottom of the truth,” he added.
Married just a month ago, the traumatised youth has been languishing on the PMCH ward floor for the past eight days, with his shattered wife Buchchi Devi sitting beside him.
“Some people took me to Kodra village and asked me to work for a couple of contractors in lieu of Rs 300 that I owed them but I refused. Instead, I assured them that I would repay the amount soon,” he said.
This, according to Ram Sagar, infuriated them.
“They thrashed me and started hitting my hand with an axe, saying I should pay up or face the consequences. I fell unconscious. I don’t know what happened after that and who took me to hospital and how,” he went on.
His sister-in-law, Sunita Devi, said Ram Sagar was in dire need of blood.
“He needs at least four bottles of blood immediately for surgery as profuse bleeding had rendered him totally emaciated,” said a ward assistant.
“In a train accident, his hands would have been completely severed,” he added.
Dr Vidyapati Choudhary, head of the department, said Ram Sagar had not been able to secure a bed beacause a heavy rush of patients.
“We will ensure that he gets a bed at the earliest. One of his hands has been virtually chopped off, while the other one has been damaged significantly. The doctor attending on him is trying to save at least one hand,” he added.
Ram Bali Singh, convener of the Chandravanshi Struggle Committee, met the injured man in hospital and offered him financial help.
“We will launch an agitation to seek justice for Ram Sagar,” he added.
Thanks HT Agencies