Kota doctors remove axe lodged in sleeping man's skull after 3-hour surgery

Published 12 July 2026 · health

Doctors at a hospital in Kota on Sunday carried out a surgery lasting more than three hours to remove the edge of an axe lodged

Doctors at a hospital in Kota on Sunday carried out a surgery lasting more than three hours to remove the edge of an axe lodged deep in a 30-year-old man's skull after he was allegedly attacked while asleep, police said. The man, Ramjilal Shariya of Baran district, remains in an unstable condition and is not out of danger, doctors said, adding that the next eight to ten days are critical. Police have registered a case of attempted murder against an unidentified attacker and are trying to trace the person. Read Full Story According to police, Shariya, a resident of the Bhanwargarh police station area, was sleeping at home with his wife Mamta and their daughter when the attack took place on the night between July 11 and 12.

His wife woke up at around 2 am after dogs started barking and found him lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with an axe embedded in the left side of his skull. With help from neighbours, he was taken to the government hospital in Bhanwargarh. After initial treatment there, doctors referred him to the district hospital in Baran, and from there he was sent to Kota. The family reached NMCH hospital at around 5 am on Sunday, with the axe handle still sticking out of his skull. Dr SN Gautam, head of the neurosurgery department at NMCH, said the patient was brought in critical condition. He said the 2.5 cm edge of the axe was stuck deep in the left side of the skull and that the man had very low blood pressure and had lost a large amount of blood.

Doctors first worked to stabilise him and improve his blood pressure before carrying out medical tests to assess the damage. Dr Gautam also said a CT scan was difficult because of the axe handle. A team of doctors began surgery at around 3 pm and operated for about three hours to remove the axe edge while trying to cause as little damage as possible to the brain cells, Dr Gautam said. He added that the patient remains unstable and is not out of danger. Bhanwargarh Circle Inspector Gopichand Arya said police have registered a case of attempted murder under the BNS against an unidentified person and are working to find the attacker.

He said Shariya worked as a tractor driver and that the reason for the attack is still not known, with no past enmity coming to light so far. Overall, doctors managed to remove the axe after a long operation, while police continue to investigate the attack and the motive behind it. Ends With PTI inputs