Five-year-old Priya has become the darling of the ICU staff at the National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences ever since she was admitted by the police on August 1. Surviving a life-threatening attack by the killer of her parents, the innocent child sings bhajans taught by her mother, to the attending doctors and nurses, who have fallen in love with her. The girl talks incessantly about Karthik bhaiyya, the man, who killed her parents – Pawan Kumar Maheshwari and Babita – in front of her eyes on July 31 at their house in Cottonpet.
“Priya’s conversations are dotted with the mention of Karthik. She stops suddenly in between and slips into silence. We don’t probe her further. She misses home and wants to eat roti sabzi. We’ve organised for home-cooked food and clothes for the child with hospital permission,” said the Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Meena Jain, who visited the child at Nimhans on Friday.
Dr Satish, the Registrar, Nimhans, said Priya is out of the critical stage, but will have to be monitored and counseled on a regular basis because of the recent trauma she has been subjected to; of witnessing the murder of her parents and being orphaned. “The stitches on her wounds are yet to dry. We may discharge her from the ICU by Monday and keep her in the regular ward for some more time. Even after she is discharged we will follow up with the child because of the trauma and her head injury,” said Dr. Satish. Karthik from Bihar was hired by Priya’s parents few days before he reportedly murdered them. He had allegedly hit Priya – the sole eyewitness to the murders – on her head with a crowbar.