Actions of Ranjit Bajaj could have harmed Makan Winkle Chothe- AFC Physician Fenton Desouza

The match commissioner of the game has also supported the doctor's claims that the Minerva Punjab owner misbehaved with the ambulance staff.

Minerva Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj cannot stop making the headlines for good or bad reasons recently. He finds himself in yet another conundrum, this time regarding his complaint with the injury of Makan Winkle Chothe during a game against Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS).

The incident took place during a Hero Elite League match between Minerva Punjab and Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) in Goa on 30th January, where Minerva's young midfielder Makan Winkle Chothe had a nasty collision with the opponent goalkeeper resulting in a severe concussion around the 30 minutes marks in the game.

According to Minerva Punjab's statement, both the Warriros' physio and team manager, Mr Bajaj rushed into the pitch but there were lack of medical urgency among the ground staff as there was no doctor or stretcher available in the venue. The player was in an unconscious state and needed immediate medical attention. Seeking for an ambulance there was again confusion involved and according to the club officials the emergency was not treated with prime urgency rather there was a lot of delay in reaching the hospital and things did get nasty in between.

Chothe has also made I-League appearances for Minerva Punjab this season

Chothe stopped breathing on numerous occasions and Bajaj provided him with necessary first aid treatments including CPR and mouth to mouth breathing resuscitation to revive the player. Later, the club officials sent a complaint to the AIFF, filing the whole incident elaborately and rued AIFF for lack of medical support and proper ambulance which could have been a situation of life and death for the player.

However, amidst all of this the AFC Emergency Medicine physician Dr Fenton Desouza has filed a complaint against Ranjit Bajaj of manhandling and misbehaviour with the medical and ambulance staff.

Bajaj was credited of reviving Chothe after performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation but Dr. Desouza's letter to AIFF alleged the Minerva owner's actions as irresponsible, which according to him could have made matters worse for the injured player. Chothe collapse on the ground after the collision which resulted in a serious concussion which resulted in epileptic seizure. According to the doctor, Bajaj was in a panicky and apprehensive state and even after repeated explanations from the medical staff he decided to provide mouth to mouth resuscitation.

“Even after the doctor and ambulance staff explained to him the condition of the player and Ranjit Bajaj deciding to treat his own player, he went berserk screaming at the ambulance staff and doctor and even holding the neck of the ambulance driver and catching his collar and breaking the buttons of his shirt,” Dr. Desouza wrote in his complaint to AIFF.

“Little knowledge is very dangerous and actions of Ranjit Bajaj could lead to harm to the player and his career, and I would request AIFF to take action against the owner of Minerva Punjab,” he continued.

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"Also please note news on the internet as owner of Minerva Punjab saving a life of a player is all false," Desouza further added. The doctor also went onto saying that if necessary actions are not taken immediately, medical services for the rest of the tournament could come to a standstill for the rest of the tournament.

"Please take this mail very seriously or we will withdraw all medical services for the rest of the tournament," he warned.

Bajaj in his defence claimed the complaint as a coverup to the medical shortcoming that wasn't present on the ground in a situation of emergency. "This is nothing but vendetta as I have been raising my voice against Reliance, FSDL and AIFF. How can they blame me when all I did was save a life?” Bajaj said to the Tribune.

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"There was no doctor present and those paramedics weren’t trained to save any life and that is the reason why I had to conduct CPR on Chothe. It appears to me that this complaint has been furnished because we shot them a letter that highlights several faults,” he further added to his statement.

The match commissioner in the game, Adley Costa broke his silence over the issue, saying that the doctors present ran immediately to attend Chothe's medical condition. However, he also claimed that the driver of the ambulance had a feud with Bajaj as the latter grabbed his collar and threatened him on their way to the hospital.