Delhi violence: Nearly half of those killed lost their lives due to bullet injury

Almost half of those killed in North East Delhi's communal clashes lost their lives to bullets, while more than half of those injured were hit by blunt objects like rods and stones, hospital authorities said on Wednesday.

By Wednesday, the death toll rose to at least 24 while those injured had risen around 220.

An analysis by the doctors at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital in North East Delhi, where almost all the victims were brought, showed that nine of the 20 people who were killed on Monday and Tuesday suffered gun shots. Most of them suffered gun shots on the upper part of their body.

Five people were killed by blunt objects while three others were stabbed and another died due to burn injuries. Two people had more than one cause for death.

"All those who died were brought dead to the hospital. None of them died during treatment," GTB Hospital Medical Director Sunil Kumar told DH. This pointed out to the impact of violence on these victims amid indications that injuries were inflicted with an intent to cause maximum damage, doctors said.

As on Tuesday night, 189 people were being treated for injuries and two of them were in critical conditions. Some injured were also taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital near Delhi Gate.

Doctors and nurses treating injured said most of the victims were youth. Kumar said, "I can say that majority of those under treatment are in their productive ages."

Relatives of people who died in the violence said post mortem were not conducted on Monday or Tuesday.

Kumar admitted that post mortems were delayed as medical boards to conduct the autopsy were not formed and for that the police had to take the initiative. "Post mortems were being conducted on Wednesday as medical boards were formed. Once formalities are finished, bodies will be handed over to relatives," he said.

While there was a "gush" of injured persons in the previous two days, Kumar later told reporters that it was only a "trickle" on Wednesday. Till noon, there were only 15-20 people who were brought to the hospital.