05 May,2026 07:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Ritika Gondhalekar
Rohit Pawar at Sion Hospital in the early hours of Sunday. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Staff on duty at Sion Hospital witnessed an unusual sight around 3 am on Saturday, when a 27-year-old, Rohit Pawar, walked into the facility with a koyta (machete) embedded in the left side of his skull. According to the police, the youth, a Mankhurd resident, had been attacked by three locals, who have been detained and sent to the Dongri Children's Home as they are minors.
A CT scan of the 27-year-old's cranium. The scanning procedure, which usually takes about three minutes, lasted for at least 45 minutes in this case
Rohit's father, Nagnath Pawar, said, "Around 10.15 pm, when the family was about to go to bed, Rohit told me he would hang out with his friends for some time. I advised him to stay at home as it was late and we both had to be at work the next day. But he did not listen. Ten minutes later, his elder brother called me, saying that Rohit had got into a fight, and he had been hurt.
Rohit Pawar rests after undergoing surgery at Sion Hospital. Pic/Ritika Gondhalekar
At that time, I thought it must have been a trivial dispute, and I didn't pay attention. A few minutes later, however, his brother called me again, saying that Rohit was injured by a koyta. I panicked and rushed down. But by then, some people had driven him to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi. When I reached there, the staff told me that he had been shifted to Sion Hospital."
Despite such a serious head injury, Rohit was able to walk around on his own. "He was lucky that the weapon entered through the non-eloquent area of his brain. The weapon had penetrated the skin, scalp, muscle, and bone, injuring his dura mater and brain. As none of his main brain parts was hit, he was conscious. He was talking fine and also had proper motor skills," said Dr Batuk Diyora, professor and HOD, neurosurgery, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Sion Hospital
A CT scan of the 27-year-old's cranium. The scanning procedure lasted for at least 45 minutes. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
According to Dr Diyora, the biggest challenge was to get Rohit's CT scan and angiogram done. "Metal was not the issue, but putting him inside the machine and scanning him was difficult. A procedure that usually takes two to three minutes took at least 45 in this case. We had to be careful while removing the weapon, as there was a high chance that his other underlying vessels could have been impacted. And last was to ensure minimum possible blood loss," he said.
The doctor also said that Rohit will need to be in close observation after recovery, as he could experience speech and comprehension loss, weakness in the left side of his body, and seizures, considering that
he was hit on his left side.
Senior police inspector Madhu Ghorpade told mid-day that the three suspects were minors. "They were detained, and the court remanded them to the Children's Home. No one else was involved in the attack," she said.
According to police sources, the incident took place around 10.30 pm near Irfan Chicken Shop in PMGP Colony, and the attack stemmed from a dispute that had taken place a few days earlier between Rohit and a local youth. "Rohit had earlier had an argument with a youth named Gautam, following which the trio, who are known to him and live in the same locality, confronted the former. One of them struck Rohit with a koyta, while the others kicked and punched him," an official said.
Rohit's brother, Rahul, the complainant in the case, said he received a call from the victim informing him about the assault. "He asked me to come immediately," Rahul said.
The police said the accused were identified based on the victim's statement and local enquiries. They were subsequently detained in their residences. Police are also examining CCTV footage from the area to establish the sequence of events. They said the trio had picked up the koyta from a nearby place to use it for the crime.
A case has been registered under sections related to attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon, and assault under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act.
Input by Aishwarya Iyer
