Mahajan shows signs of consciousness but still very critical

Mumbai, Apr 23 (UNI) The condition of BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan, who was grievously injured after he was shot at by his brother at his Worli residence yesterday morning, has shown ''slight improvment but stil remains very critical,'' hospital sources said today.

Dr Anupam Verma told mediapersons, ''There are signs of consciousness but (these) cannot be termed as beginning of stability.'' ''Pramod Mahajan is still on life support system in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),'' Dr Verma said in the first medical bulletin issued verbally this morning.

''Bleeding from the liver has been substantially controlled,'' he added.

The Hinduja hospital dean said, ''His kidneys are functioning but poorly.'' The hospital sources said the surgeons who operated on Mr Mahajan yesterday do not want to risk another surgery untill the arrival of a team of doctors from the UK.

''We are consulting doctors all over and some of them are coming to Mumbai but that does not mean the Hinduja hospital doctors have taken a backseat. We are keeping up an hourly checks of various health parameters of the patient,'' the hospital administrator said.

Three bullets, pumped into Mr Mahajan's body by his younger brother Pravin, had shattered the liver, pancreas and intestine of the 56-year-old BJP leader. All the three bullets are still embedded in his body.

Meanwhile, BJP president Rajanth Singh, who visited the hospital last night, turned up again this morning and met the doctors who had operated upon Mr Mahajan.

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