4 days after being shot, activist Govind Pansare breathes his last

Senior CPI leader Govind Pansare, who had been shifted to Breach Candy hospital for treatment of a lung infection he developed from the bullet injury, died from excessive bleeding

Four days after veteran CPI leader Govind Pansare was shot during a morning walk near his house in Kolhapur, he passed away around 11 pm on Friday night, after he was shifted to Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai.

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The 82-year-old had been brought to Mumbai earlier in the evening to tackle complications that arose due to a bullet injury to his lungs. Dr T P Lahane, dean of JJ Hospital, who was guiding the Kolhapur medical team on the course of treatment for the leader, said, “Pansare had developed lung infection, and died due to excessive bleeding. However, the exact cause of death will be established after the post-mortem on Saturday.”

Veteran CPI leader Govind Pansare being shifted from a Kolhapur hospital to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after he experienced difficulty breathing due to post-surgical complications

Doctors in Kolhapur had successfully removed a bullet lodged in his body, but Pansare then experienced difficulty breathing due to the lung infection, and his diabetic condition also added to the complication.

Around 9.15 am on Monday morning, the senior communist leader and his wife, Uma (72) were barely 50 feet from their home, Sagar Mahal, returning from a morning walk when gunmen on a motorcycle stopped them on the pretext of asking for directions.

Policemen and members of the media outside Breach Candy Hospital where Govind Pansare passed away. Pics/Bipin Kokate

The assailants fired five times, and three of the bullets hit Pansare one passed through the thoracic region of the neck, another grazed his leg and the third hit him on his right shoulder and settled in his abdominal cavity. His wife suffered a head injury after the gunmen pushed her down before fleeing.

MP and NCP member Supriya Sule

Republican Party of India president Ramdas Athawale

Pansare underwent a nine-hour surgery to remove the bullet from his body. On Thursday night, the octogenarian had trouble breathing due to the lung infection that arose as a post-surgical complication.

An air ambulance had been arranged from Nanavati Hospital and sent to Kolhapur airport, around 4.10 pm on Friday, Pansare was taken aboard by his daughter-in-law, Megha, along with his doctor Dr Ajay Kene and two nurses. Megha said, “We are still worried that the police have not yet zeroed down on the culprits.”

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