Srinagar: Asrar Wani, a 17-year-old boy who was battling for life at the intensive care unit of local Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) after sustaining injuries during a clash between local residents and forces last month, died in the early hours of Wednesday.
The authorities and the doctors who treated him, however, made contesting claims over the cause of Wani’s death, even as the law and order situation remained tense in downtown Srinagar.
Munir Khan, Additional Director General, Jammu and Kashmir Police, told reporters that Wani died of injuries caused by stone-pelting.
However, doctors who treated Wani confirmed that he died of a shell injury in his head that eventually led to a pulmonary cardiac arrest.
An SKIMS staff doctor looking after Wani’s case, however, refuted the authorities’ claims.
The cause of death is the head injury which led to a pulmonary cardiac arrest. A shell had hit his head causing grievous injury. He underwent a surgery and had been on the ventilator for long. He was improving but his condition worsened Tuesday night,” said the doctor who did not wish to be named.
A staff nurse at the ICU had earlier told ThePrint that Wani had sustained pellet injuries on his legs, chest, arms, left eye and face.
