Satpal Singh, the 26-year-old man attacked in Takanini on August 14, has been woken from an induced coma in Auckland Hospital and is recovering slowly. Photo / Supplied
Satpal Singh, the 26-year-old man attacked in Takanini on August 14, has been woken from an induced coma in Auckland Hospital and is recovering slowly. Photo / Supplied
Satpal Singh, an Indian man who was brutally attacked in South Auckland on August 14, is recovering slowly in Auckland Hospital.
26-year-old Singh was attacked with a baseball bat on Great South Rd in Takanini and left severely beaten on the footpath.
He was taken to Auckland Hospital in a critical condition and placed in an induced coma for four days.
Singh's friend, Rahuldeep Bawa, said he is now awake and making the slow journey to recovery.
"He can talk and stuff, but he is still not that good at it.
"He has some problems with his eye and ear which is due to brain damage, otherwise he is doing quite okay and now everyone is just waiting through the recovery."
Bawa said Singh has no recollection of the attack, but has survived the scare of long-term memory loss.
"He can remember everything from the past, such as friends and family and their names, but he can't remember what happened that night.
"He can remember having dinner and then being on the phone and outside walking, but when he woke from the induced coma it was only then he realised it was days later."
That Tuesday evening Singh had been out with friends to celebrate his newly acquired New Zealand work visa and was just five minutes from his Takanini home when he was brutally attacked.
Police had to appeal to the public to identify Singh, and it wasn't until two days later that he was identified by Bawa and friends in Auckland Hospital.
Bawa told the Herald in an earlier article that when he found out a man had been attacked in Takanini, he didn't expect the victim to be his friend and neighbour.
"I was shocked to see how bad his injuries are, this is not just an ordinary attack," he said.
"Nobody walks around with a weapon, so whoever did it must be out to kill him."
The Punjab-based family of Singh have had to rely on friends and extended family to visit him because they do not have passports.
Singh's father, Ajmer Singh, is a police officer in Malout, Muktsar, and is said to be "very upset" and "wondering how something like this can happen".
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Sanjiv Kohli, visiting Satpal Singh in Auckland Hospital.
The Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Sanjiv Kohli, has been in contact with the family and helped to expedite the visa process for Singh's brother-in-law.
The Indian Weekender reported that Kohli paid a visit to Singh on August 20, to enquire about his wellbeing and get an update on the recovery process.
