Post 11 years of rescue operations, award winning Gadchiroli doctor rues lack of support

Nagpur: Dr Charanjeet Singh Saluja, 42, who received the highest civilian life-saving award ‘Uttam jeevan raksha padak- 2018’ from guardian minister of Gadchiroli-Chandrapur Sudhir Mungantiwar on Independence Day, regretted the fact that though his selfless efforts in rescue operations in the Maoist-affected district earned him accolades from the police department, no concrete support has come his way.

Engaged in rescue operations since 2008, when four cops lost their lives in the Korepalli encounter, Saluja has not been charging fees and neither is he taking any money for medicines. He calls it a call from his heart.

Defying threats from Maoists, Saluja had no qualms of travelling even at odd hours for his mission. He is forever ready to offer his services to save a life in any corner of the district. Having made his humanitarian intentions clear to the police department, Saluja’s only request was an insurance cover for him and his family, but it did not materialize.

Saluja, who owns a nursing home in Alapalli, had also shown keen interest to officially serve the force with the district police’s medical team given his experience of around 17 years and also his familiarity of the terrain, but again, he didn’t get a response.

“After Korepalli in 2008, I participated in rescue operations at Beijur palli in 2011 where 11 cops were injured. In 2013, I had taken part in yet another rescue operation in Mirakel on Bhamragarh road in which eight jawans were injured,” he said.

Saluja accompanied the injured to Nagpur and Chandrapur, too, after providing the initial medical assistance.

A ‘mini surgery kit’, jointly developed by Saluja and Dy SP Sandeep Pakhale, a doctor-turned-cop, was also trashed by the police department.

“Two mini surgery kits were put in place to conduct on-the-spot minor surgeries to remove pellets, bullets, splinters and treat respiratory arrests,” he said.

“After the regime of the then SP changed, the department, too, soon forgot about the kit which could have proved handy at encounter sites to save lives,” he said.

After 11 odd years, Saluja’s sacrifices got some kind of recognition in the form of an award for his valiant efforts to save the life of an officer and two more jawans after a blast triggered by the Maoists at Pursalgondi in May 2017.

Saluja travelled around 60km from Alapalli to Bhamragarh to treat 22 injured jawans, including three who were critical.

While one jawan was brought dead to the Bhamragarh Primary Health Centre (PHC), the lives of one officer and another two C-60 jawans were saved from the jaws of death by Saluja. A government-appointed doctor, too, was present at the PHC, but Saluja played the key role. “I was denied a vehicle and permission to go beyond Perimili as Maoists had planned an ambush. Despite the odds, I borrowed a vehicle from a marriage party to continue my journey at night to reach the PHC with medicines,” he said.