World Cup-bound hockey drag flicker Sandeep Singh, who was injured in his right hip when the gun of an Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Railway Protection Force went off accidentally in the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express near Kurukshetra on Tuesday morning, is recovering well, according to the police.
Sandeep was admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in Kurukshetra and later referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) in Chandigarh, where he underwent surgery. Doctors said his condition is stable and he will be under observation for 24 hours.
Accompanied by another World Cup team member, Rajpal Singh, Sandeep was going to Delhi, as the Indian team was to assemble there en route to Germany on August 24, where the World Cup will be played from September 6 to 17.
As fate would have it, Sandeep was booked in another coach of the train, but joined Rajpal on learning that he was also travelling in the adjacent coach of the train.
"Sandeep was booked to travel in the C-7 coach, but he joined Rajpal in C-8 coach, as the latter was already travelling from Chandigarh. As the seat next to Rajpal was vacant, both sat on seats number 39/40 of the C-8 bogie," a senior railway official said.
"One can say it was his ill-fate that he changed his coach," Divisional Commercial Manager, Northern Railway, Ambala, M S Meena told reporters.
Meena said ticket checker and former hockey player Swaran Singh, also present in the train, was the first along with Rajpal to lend a helping hand to the 21-year-old player.
"From Kurukshetra, we alerted the authorities at PGI. On reaching there they immediately opened the VIP room adjacent to the emergency ward," Meena said.
The policeman whose gun accidentally went off was identified as Mohar Singh. He has been arrested. He was due to retire at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said the state government will bear the entire expenses for treatment of the player.
The Chief Minister, on getting the information about the incident, rang up PGI director K K Talwar and urged him to ensure that Sandeep gets the best medical aid. He told him that the State government would bear all the expenses, an official spokesman said.
