J&K: Salute! CRPF jawan follows doctor’s instructions over phone, saves life of poll officer

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldier’s presence of mind helped save the life of a Kashmiri election officer when he suffered a heart attack during polling for the national election in the valley on Thursday.

Ahsaan ul Haq, Presiding Officer (PO) deployed at polling booth number 13 in Kashmir had suffered a heart attack at 9 pm. Immediately, CRPG personnel Surinder Kumar at the same booth sought the help of the doctor, Suneem, of his unit over a phone call.

“He responded to the situation intelligently and followed my instruction very diligently,” Khan told TOI. Meanwhile, Khan had also called the Sher-e Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) as well as the deputy commissioner of Srinagar for an ambulance.

Dr Suneem instructed Kumar over the phone, following it he gave Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other revival aids to Haq for around 50 minutes until the ambulance arrived at the spot.

CRPF jawan also performed 30 compressions and three mouth-to-mouth respirations as instructed by the doctor. Due to Kumar’s prompt actions, presence of mind and concerted efforts, the life of the PO was saved.

The ambulance arrived at 10 am after which poll officer Haq was shifted to SKIMS. Doctors said the timely intervention saved the official’s life.

Kumar is among the 50 CRPF personnel who were trained by the Red Cross Society as "the first responder" during critical situations.