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Amid allegation of "medical negligence", a blame game has begun following the tragic death of promising Bengal opening batsman Ankit Keshri who passed away Monday morning owing to an injury sustained during a cricket match a few days back.

Keshri sustained a head injury in an on-field collision while taking a catch in a Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB) senior one-day knock-out match on April 17 at JU second campus ground in Salt Lake.

Keshri, representing East Bengal in the match against Bhowanipore Club, was taken to the AMRI hospital in the vicinity. On Sunday night, Keshri was shifted to Nightingale hospital on Shakespeare Sarani after East Bengal senior official Sadanand Mukherjee signed the risk bond at the AMRI hospital. He died early Monday morning because of cardiac arrest.

A blame game then began as the super specialty hospital in Salt Lake said they were not given a chance to treat further, while East Bengal’s Sadanand Mukherjee claimed otherwise.

AMRI CEO Rupak Barua said they were not given a chance to treat Keshri for which further investigations were required, even as Mukherjee claimed that they were given assurances by the hospital that Keshri was stable.

"We wanted to conduct more investigations on him like CT angio and other tests but we were not given a chance to treat him because the patient was taken after the club and family authorities signed the risk bond and after which we discharged him," Baruah told PTI.

Baruah said the doctor attending on Keshri told the patient parties that he was aerodynamically stable but did not advice his discharge.

"He was under treatment at the critical care unit... AMRI had conducted CT scan of the brain and 13 dopplers and wanted further investigation," Baruah said.

Mukherjee, however, said: "We went by what doctors told us and for better treatment we took him to Nightingale. It was a decision taken in consultation with the family."

East Bengal coach Pranab Nandi claimed: "There was no indication from the hospital at all. They in fact told us that Keshri would be shifted to general bed and nothing revealed in the scan."

"It’s nothing to do with the tie-up and we shifted him purely because of better treatment," CAB joint-secretary Subir Ganguly told PTI.

The Nightingale hospital in their medical bulletin said Keshri’s pulse rate was low and he had a brain swelling (edema) that caused the cardiac arrest.

"CT scan revealed small hemorrhages. So we decided to put him under our neurosurgeon Buddhadev Saha. He was then put in ICU for constant monitoring.

"There’s a chance of secondary brain injury to deteriorate further. From 8.30 pm till 11, the patient was in uniformed state. Later on, he developed uneasiness and another CT scan revealed that the swelling inside the brain has begun to grow. We tried our best and was in constant touch with Dr Saha. But unfortunately the brain swelling (called Edema) began to grow despite all the medication and affected the heart beat.

"Early morning he suffered a cardiac arrest and immediately we put him on pacemaker. But in spite of all our efforts, heart could not be revived and the unfortunate death occurred," Dr Arpan Chowdhury, critical care expert, said in the bulletin.

He, however, refused to comment about Keshri’s condition at the AMRI.

"After we got the patient, we felt the need to keep him in ICU because there was a chance of further deterioration in such types of injury," he said.

Keshri’s father Raj Kumar was inconsolable and said: "I don’t know why he was shifted to Nightingale. We always wanted better treatment and his East Bengal coach and officials did all the formalities (of signing the risk bond)."

Keshri’s first coach Arijit Majumdar said: "We always wanted better treatment. Now we think he should not have been shifted to Nightingale and could have got a better treatment at AMRI."

Earlier News:

Former Bengal U-19 Captain Ankit Keshri Dies of Injury After Freak On-Field Collision

Ankit Keshri was in hospital for the last three days after colliding with a teammate Mondal, and falling unconscious during a Cricket Association Bengal’s Senior one-day knockout match on April 17.

In another tragic on-field incident after Phillip Hughes’ death last November, a promising Bengal batsman Ankit Keshri today died, owing to an injury sustained during a Cricket Association of Bengal’s Senior one-day knock-out match on April 17.

Keshri was in hospital for the past three days and was showing signs of recovery till yesterday evening when he was given oral food.

However, in the early hours of this morning, Keshri suffered a massive cardiac arrest and was put on ventilator before he was declared dead.

The 20-year-old, a talented right-hander, had captained the Bengal U-19 team in Cooch Behar Trophy and was in the 30-member India U-19 probables list for the 2014 Colts World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. He was also playing for Bengal A (U-23 side) in CK Nayudu national Championship.

In what can be considered a cruel twist of fate, Keshri was not a part of the playing XI and was the 12th man of the side in the fateful match. He came to replace Railways Ranji all-rounder Arnab Nandi, who had taken a break.

The incident happened at the Salt Lake ground during a one day match between local giants East Bengal and Bhowanipore club.

"Fielding at sweeper cover, Keshri rushed to take the high catch as left-arm pacer Sourav Mondal too ran on his follow through. It was as freak an accident as possible," Bengal A coach Jaideep Mukherjee, who was present at the ground, told PTI.

After colliding with Mondal, blood spurted out of his mouth as he fell unconscious. Former Bengal spinner Shivsagar Singh and batsman Anustup Majumdar rushed to attend him.

Shiv Sagar, in fact, tried the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by giving him CPR (Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation) after which he started breathing again. He was then taken to the Nightingale nursing home.

"There was no external injury but Keshri fainted as fellow mates Anustup Majumder and Shiv Sagar Singh resuscitated him. He gained some consciousness and was rushed to nearby AMRI. From there he was admitted to Nightingale Hospital," Mukherjee further added.

"I am not in a position to speak. I am feeling devastated and I don’t know what his parents must be going through. His body will be brought to East Bengal tent before being taken for last rites," a distraught CAB joint secretary Subir Ganguly said.

In fact the veteran official returned from Kolkata airport even though he was supposed to reach Delhi in the afternoon for the IPL governing council meeting.

"I am not in a mental frame of mind to attend any meeting," the joint secretary said. India A captain Manoj Tiwary sounded equally devastated.

"I did not want to get this news. A fine young talent who should have played Ranji Trophy in a year or two. I am told he suffered cardiac arrest in the morning.

A 20-year-old suffering heart attack after scans showed that there was not hemorrhage," said Tiwary, who would be playing an IPL match for Delhi Daredevils against KKR, in Delhi today.