'We Pulled Her Out Unconscious': Eyewitness Recounts Crowd Crush That Left 21-Year-Old Student In Critical Condition

A 21-year-old Delhi University student is currently in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after she was injured during the violence that broke out at Monday's student protest in central Delhi. According to eyewitnesses, she was caught in a crush of protesters after police allegedly charged at students and pushed them towards an already overcrowded area, leaving several people trapped under one another.

The student, Sakshi, was with her cousin on July 20 to be a part of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) 'Sansad Chalo' protest. According to family members, she suffered severe injuries to her face and neck and had trouble breathing.

A 20-year-old Delhi University student, Abhay, who was at the protest and was with Sakshi moments before she was injured, told Outlook that the incident unfolded within minutes after the police action began. "We were protesting outside the office of the Registrar Cooperative. We were not standing on the road but on the side, near the footpath. The ground was very uneven, broken barricades were lying on the ground, and there was already a huge crowd," he said.

Abhay told us that some students attempted to move slightly ahead after a barricade shifted and, initially, the police appeared cooperative. "At the beginning, they even allowed some students to move inside. But suddenly they started a lathi-charge and began pushing everyone backwards," he said. "Behind us, there was already a huge crowd and even a police van. There was nowhere to run."

As students were pushed back onto the uneven ground, many lost their balance.

"People started falling one over another. Sakshi fell, and many people fell on top of her," Abhay recalled. "We got separated. I managed to get out from the side, but when I looked back, I saw many people trapped under the crowd, including her."

He said students immediately began pulling those trapped out from beneath the pile. "The police kept saying, 'We'll do it, you leave,' but we continued pulling people out ourselves because so many were trapped."

POLICE REFUSED INITIALLY

When Sakshi was finally pulled free, she was unconscious and unresponsive.

"We took her into an open area inside the office premises. Two female medical students who were present performed CPR, but there was no response," he said.

Abhay alleged that students repeatedly pleaded with police personnel to take her to a hospital.

"Initially, they refused. It was only after repeated requests by many people that they finally agreed and took her to RML Hospital in a police van," he said, adding that this happened at around 11 am. He said he did not notice any visible bleeding or swelling but believes she may have suffered an injury to her neck. "I didn't see it happen, but it's possible that a lathi struck her neck," he said.

Abhay also described the panic that followed the crowd's rush. "We couldn't breathe. We were shouting, 'Don't throw stones, don't throw stones,' because we ourselves were trapped," he said.

By Tuesday, Sakshi remained in the ICU at RML Hospital. Outside the intensive care unit, her mother sat inconsolable, breaking down repeatedly as relatives and students waited anxiously for updates on her condition.

Many political leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Arvind Kejriwal and Union Minister JP Nadda, visited RML and met the family as well.

Outlook repeatedly contacted the Director of RML Hospital for information on Sakshi's medical condition and the circumstances surrounding her admission. However, despite multiple attempts, she declined to comment. Outlook had earlier reported that over 120 people, including a few police officials, were injured during the protest demonstrations in central Delhi on July 20.