Cricketer Rishabh Pant suffers injuries in car crash in Haridwar
New Delhi/Dehradun (PTI): India's star cricketer Rishabh Pant had a miraculous escape after his luxury car crashed into a road divider and caught fire after he dozed off at the wheel on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in the early hours of Friday.
The 25-year-old suffered injuries on his head, back and feet but is in a stable condition, Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh said.
Pant, who was driving to his hometown Roorkee, dozed off, and the vehicle hit the divider before bursting into flames, he said.
The driver and other staff of a Haryana Roadways bus passing by helped the cricketer get out of the burning car, he said, adding the car was completely charred in the accident.
"Pant met with an accident in Manglaur in Haridwar district when his car hit a divider at 5.30 am on Friday. He was rushed to Saksham hospital in nearby Rookee from where he was referred later to Max Hospital, Dehradun," he added.
Dr. Sushil Nagar, who treated Pant in emergency, said the cricketer didn't suffer any fracture but there was a ligament injury on his knee which would require further investigation.
"When he was brought to our hospital, he was fully conscious and I spoke to him. He wanted to surprise his mother and was going back home," Dr Nagar told PTI.
"He had two lacerations (blunt trauma) on his head but I didn't put stitches. I have recommended him to Max Hospital where a plastic surgeon might see him.
"However reports of X Rays conducted at our hospital suggest that there are no bone injuries. Yes, there is a ligament tear on his right knee. How serious it is can only be detected after further investigation and detailed MRI done."
Ligament injuries have various grades and it can take two to six months to regain complete fitness.
Dr Nagar said the big bruises on his back, pictures of which have gone viral on social media, are not burn injuries.
"The injuries happened because he jumped out of car by breaking the window as soon as it caught fire. As he landed on the side of the road on his rear, the skin was peeled off. But those are not burn injuries and not very serious," he said.
Dr Ashish Yagnik, medical superintendent at Max Hospital, Dehradun said Pant is being evaluated by a team of orthopaedists and plastic surgeons in the emergency ward.
"A detailed bulletin on his condition will be available in around an hour after the evaluation is complete," he said.
Pant played a big role in India's two-Test series win against Bangladesh. He had scored a match-winning knock of 93 in the second Test in Mirpur.
"We are all concerned but thankfully he is stable. We, at DDCA, are keeping a tab and wish him a speedy recovery," DDCA secretary Siddharth Sahib Singh said in a statement.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said his government will bear the entire expense of Pant's treatment.
Dhami spoke to the cricketer's mother and assured her that the state government will provide all necessary support.
He also spoke to officials and asked them to make all arrangements for his treatment.
Arrangement for an air ambulance should also be made, if required, he said.
However, Pant is a centrally contracted player and the BCCI will take full care of all his medical expenses.
"Praying for Rishabh Pant. Thankfully he is out of danger. Wishing @RishabhPant17 a very speedy recovery. Get well soon Champ," NCA chief VVS Laxman wrote on his twitter handle.
Pant was left out of the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3 as he was supposed to join the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning programme ahead of February's Border Gavaskar Trophy.
As of now, there is no clarity on his availability for the series against Australia.
Pant has scored 2,271 runs in 33 Tests so far with the help of five hundreds and 11 fifties. He has also represented the country in 30 ODIs and 66 T20Is.
Cricketer #RishabhPant's miraculous escape after his car met with an accident early morning on Friday. pic.twitter.com/rclJkZLww9
— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) December 30, 2022
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
