After week-long critical care, Telangana excise constable Gajula Sowmya passes away at NIMS

Gajula Sowmya, a 25-year-old Telangana excise officer who was seriously injured in an alleged attack by ganja smugglers in Nizamabad, passed away at the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad on Saturday night (January 31).

“All necessary medical interventions and advanced life support measures were provided by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. Despite continuous and best possible efforts, the patient could not be resuscitated and was pronounced deceased at 9.41pm on January 31, 2026. NIMS extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and extends its heartfelt condolences in this hour of deep sorrow,” NIMS said in a bulletin issued late Saturday night.

Sowmya was first brought to NIMS on the morning of January 25 and admitted to the Emergency Department before being transferred to the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit. An earlier health bulletin published on January 28 stated that he was on respiratory support. At admission, his Glasgow Coma Scale score was E3VTM1 and he was under sedation. While receiving noradrenaline support, the pulse rate was 140 beats/minute and the blood pressure was 60/40 mmHg.

In the bulletin dated January 28, it was stated that while Sowmya’s critical condition continued, some clinical improvements were noted over time. A medical bulletin later issued on January 30 stated that his condition remained critical. He was unconscious and on life support; liver function was significantly affected, leading to very high ammonia levels. His blood pressure remained unstable and required increased medication support. He continued to receive renal support through dialysis and remained on mechanical ventilation although his oxygen levels were satisfactory.

In the last health bulletin published on the morning of January 31, doctors stated that his condition had become extremely critical. He was hemodynamically unstable due to persistently low blood pressure requiring very high levels of medication support. Despite maximum medical efforts, blood pressure was still difficult to stabilize.