A newsreader in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh has discovered that her husband was the victim of a car crash while reporting the story live on air.
Supreet Kaur, a journalist with channel IBC-24, was broadcasting on Saturday morning when a reporter phoned in with details of a fatal car accident in a central district of the state.
Indian newsreader starts reporting car crash, discovers on air her husband was victim- keeps broadcasting https://t.co/oFgZDVWIwr
— michael safi (@safimichael) April 9, 2017
Kaur, 28, was told that three of the five people travelling in the Renault Duster had died in the accident. Though the reporter did not identify the dead, Kaur’s colleagues said she had known her husband had been travelling the same route in the same vehicle with four colleagues.
Producers confirmed that her husband, Harshad Kawade, was among the men who died, but told the Hindustan Times they did not “have the courage” to tell her.
Nevertheless, Kaur had “got a sense” that her husband’s vehicle was the one involved in the accident, but continued broadcasting for another 10 minutes, the colleagues said.
“The moment the cameras were off she began calling her relatives and broke down. She left for the accident site after that,” one editor at the station told the Indian Express.
“It speaks volumes about her sense of duty and professionalism that she continued and kept her calm.”
According to the World Health Organisation, India’s roads are the among the world’s deadliest, with more than 200,000 fatalities each year.
Poorly maintained roads and lax enforcement of driving rules are often blamed, though drivers are also poorly trained and can easily pay bribes to secure a license.
