Auto driver injured in cooker blast discharged from hospital after 100 days

MANGALURU: The autorickshaw driver who was injured in the cooker blast in Mangaluru, was discharged from hospital on Tuesday after more than 100 days of treatment.

Purushotham Poojary was treated for burn injuries after a cooker IED blast in his autorickshaw near Naguri on November 19. His family has been shifted to a rented house in Pumpwell as his house is being repaired by the Gurubeladingalu Trust, led by Padmaraj.

The doctors have instructed him not to go out of the house for one month. He has to visit the hospital every 10 days for medical tests and treatment. The burn injuries are not yet healed and doctors have also asked him to avoid infection.

Purushotham Poojary, the injured autorickshaw driver from the cooker blast in Mangaluru.

“A man asked me to drop him to Pumpwell, and when the autorickshaw reached Naguri, I heard a loud sound and everything went dark. As I couldn’t stop the autorickshaw in the middle of the road, I pulled it over to the side of the road. He ran away, but I took him to the hospital. I was admitted to the hospital for 100 days for allergies. The police told me it was a bomb in the bag”, said Purushotham Poojary, the injured autorickshaw driver from the cooker blast in Mangaluru.

“The doctors have told me not to work for one year and to go for a checkup once every 10 days. For my treatment, we have used my daughter’s ESI membership. My daughter is getting married, so our house is being renovated. Whatever money was left at home was spent on my hospital treatment. Local MLA Vedavayas Kamath has told me that they will buy me a new autorickshaw. The old one is at my relative’s house”, he added.

“Some organisations have raised funds, but the government has not given money. How was I to know that he was carrying a bomb? We do not observe people, it our job is to drop them. I started out as an autorickshaw driver when I was 20 years old. I’m not sure when the government will give me money”, he added.

Vedavyas Kamath, MLA of Mangaluru South Assembly Constituency.

“I have inquired about his health. We have decided to give Poojary a new autorickshaw and we will also complete all the documentation. The autorickshaw is my personal contribution to him. We have also planned to give Rs 5 lakh from the party. All the necessary documents for the relief have been sent to the government and that will also be announced soon. We know our responsibilities”, said MLA Vedavyas Kamath.