Indian army’s Lt Col Karanbir Singh Natt, who had been in coma for the past eight years after he received severe injuries in an attack in Kupwara district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in 2015, passed away at Military Hospital Jalandhar in Punjab, India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian army’s Brig BA Dhillon, Director Sainik Welfare, Punjab, confirmed the demise of Lt Col Natt, stating that he served as the second-in-command (2IC) of 160 Territorial Army Battalion (JAK Rifles) during the incident in November 2015.
On November 22, 2015, Lt Col Natt was critically injured in an attack in Haji Naka village of Kupwara. Despite extensive surgeries in Military Hospital Srinagar and Army Research and Referral Hospital New Delhi, he remained in critical condition.
Describing the unique injury, an Indian Army Medical Corps (AMC) officer stated, “The lower half of the face gone, the tongue hanging loose, he was unable to lie back, as the tongue would fall back and obstruct his air passage.”
During the initial two days of battling to save Lt Col Natt, the AMC team performed emergency tracheotomy, and blood transfusion, and engaged a surgical team. Despite the severe injury, EEG and MRI scans showed no damage to the brain/spine, and he was eventually taken off the life-support system at Indian Army Hospital Research and Referral (AHRR).—KMS
