NEW DELHI, February 7: Congress councillor Ramesh Datta was seriously injured on the face when he was stabbed opposite the house of party candidate from New Delhi, R K Dhawan, in Golf Links on Friday evening.The incident occurred around 9.45 p.m., when Datta, 52, had just reached Dhawan's house and was getting down from his car. A youth approached him and stabbed him on his face.
A member of Dhawan's campaign team was present when the incident occurred. ``He had just reached the house and was getting out from his car. I was walking towards the front door of the house when I heard a loud scream. I turned and saw that he had fallen down. A well-built youth in a black jacket who was near him, said, `Now let's see how you help Dhawan win' and then ran away.''
The knife had pierced the left cheek and entered the right part of the jaw. ``After being stabbed, Datta fell down. When he got up the knife was still stuck in his jaw. He himself pulled the knife out and was bleeding heavily,'' he said. Datta wasrushed to the AIIMS casualty. Doctors said his situation was stable. ``He was bleeding from his mouth, nose and all over his cheek so we couldn't even figure out where the wound was. But we have packed the area around the nose and cheek,'' said one of them. They said the bleeding had stopped, but his condition was still serious. Datta is a diabetic patient.
He was visited at the hospital by Dhawan and former prime minister Chandrashekhar. Congress workers refused to speculate about the motive behind the attack or the identity of the assailant. ``There is a conspiracy behind the act. There is no doubt about it,'' said Dhawan.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
