Ed berg Pereira from Navelim has been removed from the ventilator and shifted on Monday to Ward No 108, Bed No 23 of the Neuro surgery Department at Goa Medical College (GMC). Doctors treating him re main cautiously optimis tic about his recovery but are not making any firm commitments. “He is conscious and follows all commands, which is why he has been removed from the Inten sive Care Unit (ICU). It is, however, too early to pre dict how he will respond to treatment. Only time will tell,” stated a doctor from amid allegations that he was beaten by police while in custody. He was the GMC Neurosurgery Department. Pereira’s hospitalisa tion has drawn attention first admitted to the South District Hospital before being shifted to GMC. A police sub inspector has since been suspended and an FIR has been registered against him, while a head constable and two con stables have been sent to the reserve line pending further inquiry. Following his admission, Pereira underwent brain surgery. The raw sutures on his head were visible as he was moved from the ICU to the general ward, ac companied by his mother.
While doctors have not ruled out that Pereira’s injuries could have resulted from a fall or by hitting a wall, medico legal experts who examined him say the truth — whether he was assaulted or not — may be ascertained from the Hurt Certificate. “I am not really aware of what is stated in the Hurt Cer tificate. I need to check the details and will do so tomor row,” said Suraj Sawant, Police Inspector at Margao Police Station. A medico–legal officer who visited the patient expressed doubts about the police version. “It is a dictum in medical jurisprudence that injuries above the hat line are typically due to assault,” said the doctor, requesting anonymity. “Such injuries cannot usually be caused by accidental falls or by tripping over surfaces,” the medico–legal expert added. In medical–legal terms, “above hat line” injuries refer to wounds suffered above the border where a hat is worn. Doctors at GMC offered varying accounts of the extent of Pereira’s wounds. “There were no head or facial wounds requiring suturing when he was admitted. There were, however, injuries on different parts of his body,” said one doctor. Another doctor added, “There were superficial wounds on his head and face that did not require stitches. Surgery was performed because the scan revealed internal bleed ing in the brain.” “He has stabilised now, but it will take time for him to regain senses that are subdued after surgery,” the doctor explained. Doctors at GMC were unable to provide Pereira’s Glas gow Coma Score (GCS). One doctor said it was difficult to determine since “the patient is still unable to speak.” A GCS score of three is considered life-threatening, while a score of 10 or above is considered stable. “He may temporarily lose his speech, sense of smell, or taste. Some patients regain all senses over time, while oth ers recover only some,” said a neurosurgeon attending to him. When shifted from the ICU, Pereira remained drowsy and was kept in a head-up position while on intravenous fluids. Visitors came to console his family, though he was unable to respond. “He is still unable to talk to us and remains unconscious,” said his girlfriend, who stayed by his bedside. “I do not want to say anything as I have been advised not to speak to anyone,” she added. Meanwhile, Pereira’s villagers in Navelim are struggling to accept that his injuries could have been caused by a mere fall. “The truth will come out only if the baton alleg edly used to assault Edberg is seized and the blood on it matched with that of the victim,” said Salvador Dias, a res ident. Tikam Singh Verma, Superintendent of Police (South Goa), who earlier drew criticism from opposition politi cians for claiming Pereira’s injuries were due to a fall, did not respond to calls at the time of going to press
