Kavita Karkare, wife of slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare suffers stroke, critical in hospital

Six years after her husband's tragic death, Kavita Karkare, wife of the slain chief of Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad Hemant Karkare lies in a comatose condition at a city hospital. She was admitted to private-run Hinduja Hospital in Mahim on Saturday.

Kavita is suspected to have suffered from brain aneurysm, which may have lead to a brain stroke and haemorrhage causing her to be in a totally vegetative state.

Dr PP Ashok, Consultant and Head of Neurology at Hinduja hospital said, “She was admitted in an unconscious state. We tried to revive her heart and stabilize her. A brain scan revealed that there she had brain haemorrhage. Her brain is badly damaged and there is no blood supply to her brain.”

A cerebral aneurysm is a weak or thin spot on a blood vessel in the brain that balloons out and fills with blood. The bulging aneurysm can put pressure on a nerve or surrounding brain tissue. Doctors said that Aneurysms are not detected until they rupture. They are a developmental defect of the blood vessels. A minor rupture may cause mild bleeding and if detected on time can be treated before a fatal rupture occurs. It is preceded by a sudden, severe headache.

“In Kavita's case, there was no minor rupture. There was directly a major rupture which caused her brain damage,” said Dr Ashok.

Kavita Karkare is widow of slain Anti-Terror Squad chief IPS officer Hemant Karkare. Hemant Karkare was killed along with additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist of Mumbai police Vijay Salaskar in the lane adjoining the St Xavier's College in south Mumbai. Kavita Karkare lived in in Dadar. At an event of the second anniversary of dreaded 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Kavita had said, “I'm not feeling secure maybe because I lost my husband. I will never feel secure in this country.”