There was no fight ever. I don’t even know any of the people who hit me,” Rohit Pawar said in a one-on-one interaction with mid-day days after he was brought to the civic-run Sion Hospital with severe head injuries following a machete attack.

Pawar, who underwent surgery on Monday, was reported to be stable on Wednesday and was shifted from the Trauma ICU to the Neurosurgery Department’s ICU after signs of steady recovery. “His mobility, speech and neurological responses were assessed before the transfer was made. He could get up and take a few steps with support. He is talking fine and able to recognise everyone,” said Dr Batuk Diyora, professor and head of the Neurosurgery Department.