After 7.5-hour-long surgery, doctors stitch back Punjab ASI's chopped off hand

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that the severed wrist of Assistant Sub-Inspector, who was attacked in Patiala while doing his duty, has been stitched back after a 7.5-hour-long surgery.

"I am happy to share that a 7.5-hour long surgery has been successfully completed at PGIMER to repair the severed wrist of ASI Harjeet Singh. I thank the entire team of doctors and support staff for their painstaking effort. Wishing ASI Harjeet Singh a speedy recovery," said Chief Minister Singh.

"The re-implantation started at around 10 am. Both radial and ulnar artery, the vena comitans and an extra dorsal vein were anastomosed. All the flexors and extensor tendons were repaired. The nerves at the wrist were repaired and the bone fixation was done using three K-wires. The surgery went on for about 7.5 hours," said a doctor at the PGIMER.

Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta tweeted: "Just spoke with the lead Plastic surgeon who did the successful surgery to stitch back the hand of our brave corona warrior ASI Harjeet Singh. Also spoke with Harjeet, who is in high spirits. We still have to wait and watch for the next five days."

Earlier in the day, seven persons were arrested after Singh's hand was chopped off and a few others were injured when a group of men dressed as Nihangs attacked them at a vegetable market in Punjab's Patiala district, police said.

The incident took place when restrictions are in place in the State due to the COVID-19 lockdown, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.