TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- While protesting against the proposed unfair military pension reforms outside the Legislative Yuan Wednesday (April 25), a retired colonel lost his finger after a police officer cut it off with shears during the chaos that day, reported Apple Daily.

The man, who was identified as retired Army Colonel Chen Hsien-yueh (陳咸嶽), is currently recovering at National Taiwan University Hospital.

On April 25, Chen traveled from Changhua to Taipei with his wife to take part in the protests with a group of retirees called the "Eight Hundred Heroes" (八百壯士). During the chaotic melee that broke out that day between protesters and police, Chen saw that one of the steel barriers to keep protesters out of the Legislative Yuan was being pushed over with three policemen about to be crushed beneath it.

Chen then rushed to try and pull the barrier back up to keep protesters from pilling on top of it, but suddenly, a police officer cut his finger off with hydraulic shears. His wife soon rushed to try and find his severed finger, but was unable to find it in the chaos.

Chen said that when he felt the shears starting to cut into his finger, he tried to put it away, but in the process the finger was ripped clean off his hand.

Doctors later said that because the shears were dirty and the bone of the finger was badly shattered, it would not be feasible to reattach it, even if it had been located. Chen said that he is not thinking about applying for compensation from the government for the injury.

Photos of his mangled finger soon spread on the internet, outraging many Taiwanese netizens.