50% die at once 25% die en route 25% vegetate

Kamaljeet Rajpal is recovering at Bombay Hospital after shooting himself in the mouth

50% die at once 25% die en route 25% vegetate

Kamaljeet Rajpal is recovering at Bombay Hospital after shooting himself in the mouth

The CEO of the prestigious Cricket Club of India (CCI), who had shot himself in the mouth, is a lucky man. Not only did Kamaljeet 'Bonny' Rajpal survive his suicide attempt, he is expected to recover fully which, doctors say, is a very rare occurrence in cases like his.

Rajpal had tried to kill himself at his Cuffe Parade home after returning from a court hearing on May 8. He was in court over a case of sending an e-mail comprising a sex video clip to a female member of the CCI.

He was rushed to Bombay Hospital, where he is now recovering slowly, but steadily. Dr Nootan Sharma, consultant neurosurgeon at the hospital, said, "The recovery is as expected in any case of brain injury. But his is a rare case because for injuries like this, 50 per cent of patients would have died on the spot. The next 25 per cent would probably die on the way to a hospital. Most of the remaining 25 per cent would have been in a vegetative state. Rajpal is one of those rare ones who survive this kind of an injury fully."

Dr Sharma recalled, "When Rajpal was brought to the hospital, the bullet had exited through the head. It had travelled from the mouth into the nose and then the frontal lobes, exiting from there."

Elaborating on Rajpal's progress since then, Dr Sharma said, "The bullet passed between two optic nerves missing them, so he hasn't lost his vision. He can speak now, though he takes time to form sentences. He can also recognise people and walk a little bit. He has started eating as well."

Next step?

The doctor added that Rajpal, who will "have all his faculties after recovery" will be in hospital "for the next fortnight at least". After about two-and-a-half months, "Rajpal will need to go in for a cranioplasty, which is a surgical repair of a defect or deformity of the skull," added Dr Sharma.

At CCI...
CCI has advertised for the post of the CEO. Annual elections are scheduled for the third week of September.u00a0u00a0