19 January,2017 07:42 PM IST | | Anurag Kamble
Family rushes their daugther from Nashik's Trimbakeshwar temple to JJ Hospital in Mumbai for emergency brain surgery; operation likely today after doctors ascertain damage to girl's brain
Hell in holy land! Monkey cracks kid's skull with a stone
Anushka Jagtap with one of her relatives
A trip to Trimbakeshwar, Nashik's most holy spot, turned disastrous for a Latur family when a monkey attacked their six-year-old daughter, Anushka Jagtap, splitting her skull. The girl was rushed to JJ Hospital in Mumbai this morning where she will undergo emergency surgery today.
Around 10 members of the Jagtap family were traveling on a pilgrimage to Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik.
On reaching Brahmagiri, a hilly area that sits around three hours from Nashik, they halted for a tea break. Anushka's mother, Sadhna, recounts the moment. "While my husband was fetching tea, we were taking photos of Anushka and her sister. I was scrolling through my phone when I heard Anushka let out a shout. I rushed to find her on the ground, blood oozing from her head. We realised that one of the monkeys that was lurking around had hurled a stone at her from a height of more than 50 feet."
Anushka was rushed to Nashik Civic Hospital, but given the seriousness of the injury, the doctors advised the Jagtaps drive her to Mumbai. "After conducting a CT scan, the doctors said a section of her brain had swollen and she needed immediate surgery. They arranged for an ambulance for us," she adds. Anushka is currently undergoing treatment at JJ Hospital. A doctor from the hospital says, "We are trying to ascertain the extent of damage to her brain via an MRI scan. We are looking for blood clots if any and will take it the treatment forward from there."
According to Sadhna, JJ Hospital doctors said that if Anushka was operated on, she would need to be shifted to another hospital post surgery, as "all their ICU beds were occupied".
Monkey business. Representational Pic
"Doctors will decide if a surgery needs to be done after the MRI scan is over. But they have already told us they don't have beds available. We rushed to Mumbai with no money in hand. Now, if the doctors want us to shift Anushka to another hospital, it's going to be a problem."
When contacted, a doctor from JJ Hospital said, "We are trying to ascertain the damage to her brain with an MRI scan. We are looking for blood clots if any and will take it forward from there."
