India Reaches Out To US Over Visa For Injured Student's Family: Sources

1. The External Affairs Ministry's Americas Division reached out to the US to raise the issue formally and ask for assistance. Sources said travel permits for medical emergencies are normally given quickly. It is unclear what led to the delay in this instance.
2. Ms Shinde - a student at California State University - suffered serious injuries, including fractures, after she was mowed down from behind by a four-wheeler on February 14.
3. Her family applied for a visa 48 hours later, but the application has been pending since. Ms Shinde's uncle, Kadam Shinde, told NDTV the earliest available date is for next year.
4. Ms Shinde's family said the crash left her with fractures in both arms and both legs, and required emergency brain surgery, for which consent had been sought from the hospital administration. The young woman has been in a coma since the surgery, reports indicate.
5. A statement from the university - issued February 16 - said Ms Shinde "is in critical condition with an uncertain prognosis and is receiving care in the Intensive Care Unit". The university added its appeal for travel permits to be issued for the family.
6. "The patient's father must assist the UC Davis Medical Centre care team with making Ms Shinde's medical care planning decisions. Ms Shinde is not able to communicate due to the nature of her injuries and because she is currently intubated, on life support..."
7. The tragic situation made headlines only this week, after NCP MP Supriya Sule flagged Ms Shinde's condition and the despair of her father, brother, and uncle; her mother died of brain cancer last year. "This is an alarming issue, and we need to get together and resolve it," she told NDTV, calling on the External Affairs Ministry for help.
8. Ms Shinde's family told NDTV Thursday afternoon that they had since been contacted by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' office.
9. Local police are investigating the accident and the driver of the vehicle that hit Ms Shinde is in custody. However, given her medical condition, it is understood there are legal challenges to the filing of a case without a blood relative present.
10. Nilam Shinde, a Master of Science student, has been in the US for four years.

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