Injured Palwal killer undergoes surgery in city

◗ The Haryana police was unable to record the statement of the accused as he was in the ICU of Safdarjung Hospital after undergoing head surgery

Palwal/ New Delhi, Jan. 3: The Haryana police on Wednesday was unable to record the statement of the ex- Army officer, who allegedly bludgeoned six people to death in Palwal, as he was in the ICU of a Delhi hospital after undergoing a head surgery.

A day after 45- year- old Naresh Dhankhad went on a deadly rampage that sent shockwaves through the Haryana town, the family members of the victims held a protest and demanded adequate compensation and a job to the next of kin of the victims.

They blocked the road outside the civil hospital where the bodies of the victims were kept.

Later, the administration announced a compensation of ` 3 lakh to the next of kin of the victims.

Dhankhad, believed to be mentally ill, was nabbed soon after he went on the killing spree in the early hours of Tuesday. He had sustained serious injuries in a scuffle with the police.

“We have yet not been able to record the accused’s statement as he is still not in a position to do so. He is currently admitted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital,” Palwal SP Sulochana Gajraj said.

Dhankhad, an ex- Army lieutenant, was presently working as a sub- divisional officer with the Haryana’s agriculture department, the SP said. He was operated at Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday.

“He had suffered head injury and was found to have epidural hematoma, which is an intracranial haemorrhage between the outer membrane of the brain and the skull. We operated on him and removed the blood clot,” Dr Karam Chand Sharma, head of the department of neurosurgery at the hospital, said.

“He is in the ICU and was taken off the ventilator in the morning. His condition is stable but he is yet to gain consciousness,” he said.

Meanwhile in Palwal, the last rites of the victims were performed on Wednesday evening.