New Delhi, India (April 16, 2013): According to certain media reports the security of Prof. Devender Pal Singh Bhullar has been heightened. It is also learnt that the visiting time for the family members has been reduced drastically.
It is notable that Prof. DPS Bhullar is currently at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in Delhi, where he has been admitted since December 2010.
“We allow immediate family members four to five hours with their patients. Bhullar’s wife spent at least four hours when she came to visit. But when she came Monday morning, police officials said they have orders to cut down the time to 10 minutes,” a senior doctor at IHBAS reportedly said.
“He said doctors have written to the police to extend the visiting time to at least 30 minutes”, IE news added further.
According to Indian Express (IE), Prof. Bhullar’s attendant, a ward boy provided by the hospital who has been staying with him for nine months now, has been barred from carrying his mobile phone inside the ward room.
Prof. Bhullar’s wife Bibi Navneet Kaur visited IHBAS on April 12 and reportedly told him about the verdict.
According to IE news report, Dr Rajesh Kumar, consultant in psychiatry who has been treating him since 2007, said: “He was particularly disinterested that day and has been turning down any attempts to counsel him. He stopped physiotherapy for lumbar spondylosis and just keeps lying in bed”.
As per IE, Dr. Rajesh Kumar said Bhullar’s initial diagnosis of depression, now includes psychotic symptoms, and IHBAS has no plans to discharge him soon.
“We cannot discharge him now since his condition shows no improvement. In fact, there has been a deterioration. When he first came, he only had symptoms of depression. But now, there are psychotic manifestations also. We are giving him anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs with some injectable sedatives on certain occasions,” Dr Kumar reportedly added.
According to IE news report “[s]ince he was admitted to IHBAS, Bhullar has lost 7 kg and now weighs 57 kg. “Now, he barely sleeps a couple of hours at night,” a doctor added”.
In its verdict last week, the SC had observed that “the petitioner’s mental health has deteriorated to such an extent that the sentence awarded to him cannot be executed.”
It is notable that according to IE, doctors said that they had received no instructions so far about Bhullar’s discharge or constitution of a medical board to ascertain his condition.