NEW DELHI: At the mortuary of Lok Nayak Hospital on Saturday, relatives of the four people who lost their lives when a container fell on the autorickshaw they were in couldn’t contain their shock and grief at the sudden loss.
It was tragic that teenaged Tata Prakash died while on his first ever visit to Delhi. “He had lost his father a few years ago in Punjab. He wanted to see Delhi, so he tagged along with his uncle, Komal Singh, when they left home in UP,” revealed Neeraj, nephew of Komal Singh who also died in the horrendous accident on Saturday.
According to Diwan Singh, another relative, Singh was the sole breadwinner in his family. “His wife, Gangashree, and his three daughters and one son, all of them minors, live in Agra. Only a few days ago, he had gone and met them,” Gyan Singh, another relative, added. Singh, having worked as a professional cook, was to have joined the police force soon as a cook. “After reaching Delhi, he was coming to Seelampur to meet us when the accident took place,” revealed Neeraj.
Autorickshaw driver Surender Yadav, who also perished in the accident, lived in a rented accommodation with his relative in Shastri Park in northeast Delhi. A native of Bihar, he was the father of four children. “Two months ago, his four-year-old son had a heart operation in Haryana,” disclosed Vishal Yadav, a relative. Another kin, Deepak Yadav, said, “He was working day and night to ensure that his son got good medical treatment and a better life than his own.” He said Surender had taken the autorickshaw on rent and was earning a living as a driver for eight-nine years now.
Some people who regularly hired Surender’s three wheeler and his fellow auto drivers were also present at the mortuary. “Usually in the morning, he used to drop a hospital worker from Dilshad Garden to a hospital in Shastri Park. But today, that person didn’t call him so Surender carried on elsewhere,” said Janeshwar Yadav, a pharmacist.
Pradeep Nagar, who claimed to be a nursing staffer and a regular customer of Surender, said the auto driver was always helpful and trustworthy.
Surender’s nephew, Jai Yadav, the fourth casualty, was the father of two children aged six years and eight months. He too was the sole earner in his family. "He used to make purses at his home to sale. This work was affected by the pandemic,” said Deepak Yadav.
Investigators claimed the accident site was a known risk-prone zone. "It's a steep turn and prone to mishaps,” a police officer said.
