Pramod takes third surgery well, stable

Pravin Mahajan, who shot his elder brother Pramod, comes out of a Mumbai court which, on Saturday, extended his police remand till May 3 - PTI

Senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan underwent a surgery to wash his abdominal cavity and clear infection, on the eighth day of his admission to the PD Hinduja Hospital here on Saturday. This was the third surgery on Mr Mahajan - which doctors attending on him termed planned procedure - ever since he was admitted to hospital after being shot thrice in his lower chest and abdomen by his younger brother Pravin.

The surgery, which lasted for two hours, went off well. Significantly, Mr Mahajan's liver injury "appeared contained, requiring no further intervention".

There was speculation prior to the surgery that doctors would try and remove the three bullets embedded in Mr Mahajan's body. But, no such thing happened, as the doctors confined themselves to washing the BJP leader's abdominal cavity and placing drainage tubes there. The hospital management had clarified on Friday that the three bullets embedded in Mr Mahajan's body were not cause for immediate concern.

In a medical bulletin on Mr Mahajan's condition issued at 3.30 pm, hospital director Dr Anupam Verma said: "Mr Pramod Mahajan has undergone a planned procedure at 10 am to wash the abdominal cavity and to clear any infection. Mr Mahajan tolerated the procedure well. The liver injury appeared contained, requiring no further intervention".

"The head of the pancreas appeared necrosed with inflammation in the surrounding area. This was thoroughly cleaned and drains left in place. A feeding jejunostomy was inserted for enteral feeding. The abdomen was closed using silastic mesh," Dr Verma said. He indicated that Mr Mahajan might have to undergo "similar procedures" in future. "A tracheostomy was also performed to facilitate ventilatory support," he added.

According to Mr Verma, the team of surgeons led by Dr GB Daver from Hinduja Hospital, and Dr Mohamed Rela from King's College Hospital, London, was satisfied with the outcome.

As Mr Mahajan's condition remains critical, he is being closely monitored by team of Intensivists led by Dr F N Kapadia of Hinduja Hospital in close consultation with Dr Julia Wendon of King's College Hospital, London. Meanwhile, Dr Mohamed Rela clarified that liver transplantation was never required nor considered as a treatment option for Mr Mahajan, and had been in full agreement with the line of management given by Dr Daver and his team. Meanwhile, a magistrate's court extended the police custody of Pravin - accused of attempting to murder his elder brother Pramod Mahajan - till May 3.

The prosecution had sought the extension on grounds that the police were yet to complete his interrogation. Special Public Prosecutor Shrikant Bhatt told the court that Pravin was "misusing" his intelligence and was evading answers to specific questions posed to him during interrogation and that the police required more time to unearth the motive behind the crime. Mr Bhatt cited an instance of how Pravin had failed to give a full account for the bullets he had purchased. Of the 90 bullets that he had purchased, he had given an account for 32 bullets

Extending Pravin's police remand till Wednesday, Magistrate R T Badge allowed Pravin to read newspapers in jail. The magistrate, however, rejected the defence lawyer's plea for medical examination to determine Pravin's mental condition.