New Delhi: A shy boy from Jammu’s Kathua, 20-year-old Neeraj Bawa had come to Delhi a year ago to fulfil his dream – a degree in economics from Delhi University. Today, he is fighting for his life in AIIMS Delhi, nearly a month after the world came crashing down on him.Neeraj was one of the three students rescued after a PG collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sept 6. He is undergoing treatment after suffering lacerations on his stomach, back and near his groin, and a fractured hip. After 26 days, six surgeries and multiple skin grafts, Neeraj remains in Ward No. 9 of the AIIMS ICU.Five DU students — Arpit Jaj, Akshat Yadav, Pavan Yadav, Yuvraj Soni and Abhishek Kumar — died in the building collapse.Neeraj’s father, Darshan Dass (67), came to know about his son’s injury from TV. “When I turned on the news, a brief clip of a boy being taken out from the rubble and placed on a stretcher was playing. I thought the boy looked a lot like Neeraj,” he said. Neeraj’s sister then identified the rakhi on his hand — she had tied it on his hand just a week before.The family was allowed to meet Neeraj a day later, inside the ICU. “My boy immediately raised his hand to gesture that he was fine. He followed it with a raspy ‘main theek hoon papa’.”Dass has remained outside Neeraj’s ward since then. He feels his son will recover soon, but “the doctors are uncertain. Till my boy is in the ICU, no one can be sure.”Many of Neeraj’s friends have tried, in vain, to squeeze themselves during the one-hour visiting slot. “I didn’t know he made so many friends in college,” said a pleasantly surprised Dass.On Sept 6, Neeraj had just finished eating lunch with his friend, Nitish Chib, when the building collapsed. In despair, Neeraj called his friends and sent them his live location, hoping they would pull him out soon.Both were taken out hours later after a gruelling rescue operation and taken to hospital. Nitish, who returned to his Jammu home after being discharged, told TOI he could hear Neeraj pleading with his friends to save him while they were trapped. The two had come to Delhi together after securing a seat in Motilal Nehru College and decided to move into the PG.“After getting into DU, I hoped to study hard and do something worthwhile,” said Nitish, “but I just don’t feel like coming back to Delhi ever.”Neeraj is worried he won’t be able to study for a year because of his injuries. “Before he left for Delhi, he told me he’d make me proud one day,” said Dass. “I can wait for him to make me proud, he just needs to recover and stand up on his feet for now.”
