Kushinagar accident: They said TaTa before leaving, didn't know it was final adieu, says mother who lost three kids

" Humka TaTa karke gain rahe teeno, humka ka pata tha ab kabhau laut ke naa ahiyye” (all the three had waved TaTa at me, I did not know that itwas adieu and they would never return), wailed mother of the three school children and wife of former Gram Pradhan Mishrauli in Kushinagar, Amarjeet.

At the mortuary in Kushinagar district hospital, Amarjeet fainted after seeing bodies of his three children. When he regained, he cried loudly and hugged blood-soaked bodies of his sons Santosh and Ravi and blow kisses on the forehead of seven-year-old Ragini.  

His all three children died in the collision and the entire next generation gone due to negligence of a careless earphone wearing school van driver. “Who will I live for now after losing all my three children. What answer will I give to my wife who had warned me not to hire services of already overloaded school van,” he cried.

Back home, his wife is in trauma. She is surrounded by relatives and wailing women from neighbours. Whenever she regains little senses, she mutters: “Itna bara anyaya humre saath kaheka bhagwan…kaune paap ki saja humre bachcho ko dehla….humka utha leauta…ab hum kahike liye jiye…(why this injustice to me God…why punish my children for any sins…I should have died instead…what will I live for now…).

It was a heart rendering scene at mortuary. Bewildered parents and relatives were frantically pulling the white sheets from each body to identify their wards. Their shrieks goes louder once dead face of their loved ones popped out from blood stained white sheet.  

Doctors, nurses and para-medics had difficult time dealing with parents and relatives. “We had to admit two or three parents in emergency when they started losing pulse and blood pressure after seeing body of their child at mortuary,” said a doctor on duty. Like Amarjeet, Jaheer, Haider Ali, Hasan and Mainuddin too lost their two kids in the accident. “Who would call me papa now and render twinkle twinkle little star with her ammi,” sobbed profusely Hasan who lost both his daughters Sajida (11) and Tamanna (10). Zaheer’s two sons Arshad (9) and Anas (8) too died and Mainuddin’s only son and daughter Meraj (8) and Muskan (7) will never play with him again.

Relatives of these parents and villagers vent their anger when the Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited mortuary and the district hospital. “We will give you five lakhs to get our children back. Who is responsible for their death? they shouted and raised ant-railway slogans. The Chief Minister has assured a manned crossing at Duduhi and action against those responsible. But it will too late and too little after 13 more school student and future of many families succumbed to human negligence and railways apathy to close unmanned crossings.