Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 07: Manipur chief Minister Okram Ibobi today solved half of the mystery surrounding the incident in which Advocate General N Koteshwor sustained bullet injuries yesterday by revealing that one of the two Ministers, who were travelling with him in the same car, had "accidentally shot" him. But the other half on "Who shot him?" still remains to be solved.

This revelation was made by the Chief Minister when he visited the Shija Hospital located at Langol, where the injured Advocate General was operated on today.
Chief Minister Ibobi, accompanied by Works and Printing & Stationery Minister, K Ranjit and Tribal Development, District Council & Hills and Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Minister, DD Thaisii, called on the Advocate General, Koteshwor this afternoon.

The Chief Minister, along with the two Ministers, went inside the room located in the Post Operation Ward of the hospital and enquired about the condition of the injured Advocate General.
No media-persons were allowed inside the room. It is not known what transpired in the room, but many believed that some sort of consolation and persuasion might have occurred during the brief presence of the Chief Minister and the two Ministers there.
After coming out of the room, replying to querries of the media-persons, Chief Minister Ibobi said, one of the two Ministers, who were travelling together with the Advocate General in the same car, pulled out his lincensed gun, but accidentally pulled the trigger shooting a bullet. Koteshwor was hit and injured.

To a question whether there would be some kind of inquiry into the incident or not, the Chief Minister replied that since the Minister himself has admitted his mistake and apologised for the same, there would be no need for any inquiry.

When reporters persisted with the question as to who between the two Ministers opened fire, the Chief Minister refused to name the Minister. The Chief Minister then met with the Managing Director of Shija Hospital, Dr Kh Palin and enquired about the treatment of Koteshwor.

The family members of the Advocate General also refused to give any statement regarding yesterday's shooting incident without his permission. The Chief Minister was scheduled to visit Shija Hospital at 8.30 am today. All necessary security arrangements were made.
However, since operation was being performed on Koteshwor at that time, the Chief Minister's visit had to be postponed till 2.15 pm in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Shija Hospital, Dr Palin told media-persons that Koteshwor was to be operated on last night itself. However, since his right arm's bone had been fractured, it needed to be fixed with the help of machine. Thus, the operation was performed this morning.

He said, a bullet hit his right arm fracturing the bone. A piece of the projectile remained inside the humerus while another piece impaled through the arm and into the right side of the chest near the armpit.
Both the pieces of the projectile had been successefully removed during the operation, Dr Palin informed adding that the projectile appears to be that of .9 mm.

If the right humerus had not considerably blocked the impact of the bullet, AG Koteshwor's condition might have been really tragic, Dr Palin said.

Now also, it would be difficult for Koteshwor's right arm to make movements. It will take time. A lucky thing for him is that the Advocate General is left-handed, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to write. His condition is out of danger. Physiotherapy will start on him from tomorrow, Dr Palin said.