Jishnu episode: Doctors refuse to blame epilepsy
There was a background of the student complaining about the drug mafia to the principal
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-10-28 04:44 GMT
Kochi: Even as the mystery of the alleged attack on Jishnu, a plus one student of SNDP HSS, Udayamperor, fails to get resolved, doctors say that it’s not correct to fix epilepsy as the reason for the episode involving Jishnu.
“It is very unlikely that an epileptic patient comes out with such a coherent story of being attacked by members of the drug mafia on two bikes. There can be a confusional state after an epileptic seizure but will there ever be a purposeful confusional state?” asked eminent psychiatrist Dr C J John.
He said that if there was such a history in his case, the parents would have been able to tell it immediately after the incident and not after 10 days. “The confusion in the whole episode remains. Anyway the child need not feel anything bad about it, because the whole incident was focused on his willingness to help fight the drug mafia,” Dr John said.
He also pointed out that there was a background of the student complaining about the drug mafia to the principal and teachers. “So the boy becoming a target of the mafia cannot be ruled out. Anyway the school should take steps not to isolate him,” he said.
Dr Arun Oommen, neurosurgeon with Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi, said that there were some 10 types of epilepsy and of them, in the complex partial epilepsy, there are chances of falling into a hallucination which can lead to the creation of stories.
“But here in this case, the type of epilepsy which Jishnu has needs to be identified. Considering the complex history of the case, it is too early to blame epilepsy for the incident. If there was one, the parents should have initially reported it. So to unravel the truth, the boy has to be properly examined by a medical board consisting of a general surgeon, neurologist and a psychiatrist and the opinion of his doctor should also be obtained along with his previous medical reports before a proper conclusion is made,” Dr Arun Oommen said.
Dr James Vadakumchery, leading criminologist, opined that investigative methods adopted by the police in the state needed to be scientific. “The present system of policing is needed to be streamlined in accordance with advancements in science and technology. Such changes assume importance in cases connected with juvenile crimes”. I am not aware of the specific circumstances connected with the case of Jishnu. But I feel that the investigation agencies need to handle such cases with more sensitivity and refinement”.