Sarabjit Singh continues to be critical

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Indian death row prisoner in Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh, who was admitted to a Lahore hospital after a murderous attack on him in Kot Lakhpat jail, continues to be in coma and on ventilator support, officials said Saturday.

"Doctors attending to Sarabjit Singh informed Indian officials that he is in coma, on ventilator and receiving in-vitro drip," External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said on twitter.

Singh was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Lahore's Jinnah Hospital after the murderous attack on him by fellow prisoners Friday afternoon. He reportedly suffered critical head injuries in the assault. He was attacked with bricks, sharp objects and plates.

According to doctors, Sarabjit Singh is responding to some stimuli at times.

"The officials of India's High Commission at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore are in regular contact with medical board attending to Sarabjit Singh," Akbaruddin said.

The medical board has been constituted at the hospital.

"X-rays, MRI, CT scans (have been) done on Sarabjit Singh. (The) doctors (are) carrying out trauma control and await stabilisation in condition before further tests," he said.

The reason behind the assault was not immediately known. Doctors are battling to save his life, said an official of India's external affairs ministry. Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad have been granted consular access.

The assault on Sarabjit Singh comes a few months after the death of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh in the same Kot Lakhpat Jail after he was allegedly assaulted by the jail staffers.

Sarabjit Singh has been on a death row in Pakistan since 1990 after being convicted by Pakistani courts for bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan cities, which left 14 people dead. Sarabjit's family claims that he had inadvertently crossed into Pakistan in August 1990 in an inebriated state and was arrested there.

But police in Pakistan claimed Sarabjit Singh was involved in acts of terrorism.