The family of Nilam Shinde, a 35-year-old Indian student in the US, has made an urgent appeal to the Indian government for a visa to be with her after she was critically injured in a road accident in California. Shinde has been in a coma since February 14 after being hit by a four-wheeler, suffering severe head and chest injuries.
Her family in Maharashtra’s Satara only learned about the accident two days later, on February 16. Since then, her father, Tanaji Shinde, has been struggling to obtain a visa to travel to the US. “We got to know about the accident on February 16 and have been trying for a visa since then. But we haven’t got it yet,” he said.
The hospital treating Nilam sought permission from the family to perform brain surgery due to the severity of her injuries. Her uncle, Sanjay Kadam, told NDTV that both her hands and legs were fractured in the crash. “The police admitted her to the hospital, and her roommates informed us on February 16. They told us she had met with a huge accident. She is in a coma right now, and we need to be there,” he said.
NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule has stepped in to support the family’s request. She tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a post on X (formerly Twitter), urging his intervention to expedite the visa process. Sule acknowledged her political differences with Jaishankar but praised his efforts in assisting Indian students abroad. “My experience with the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) has been extraordinarily good. They always go the extra mile to help,” she said, adding that she has also reached out to the US Embassy in Mumbai for assistance.
The hospital has been providing daily updates on Nilam’s condition to the family. As they wait for a visa, the family remains anxious to be by her side during this critical time.
Sources By Agencies
