Police and rescuers close to mangled stays of automobiles after a bus carrying devotees collided with a truck close to Sihora, Jabalpur, Tuesday (February 11, 2025)
| Photograph Credit score: PTI
Within the quiet, winding bylanes of Hyderabad’s Nacharam, grief sat heavy within the air on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) night time with solely muffled sobs and deep sighs breaking the silence. The dimly lit parking zone of an residence constructing in Karthikeya Nagar changed into a quiet area for mourning the place B. Suman Kumar sat immobile, his head buried in his arms, unable to course of the load of what had simply occurred. His brother, 47-year-old B. Santosh Kumar, was lifeless — one of many seven individuals killed within the Jabalpur accident. His cousins, Anand Kumar and S. Shashikant, had additionally perished, whereas his brother-in-law, S. Naveenacharya, lay injured.
Round him, relations and neighbours gathered, some coordinating journey to carry the our bodies residence, others making preparations for the ultimate rites, and some making an attempt to consolation him. The information got here to the household on the time after they have been getting ready for an additional second of remembrance—Santosh’s spouse’s first dying anniversary, arising on March 6. Now, as an alternative of getting ready for a memorial, they have been dealing with one more funeral.
However of all of the burdens urgent down on Suman, one loomed heavier than the remaining. How was he supposed to interrupt the information to Santosh’s two boys—B. Varun and B. Praneet, simply 13 and 10 years previous. The brothers, finding out in school 8 and 5 at Shantiniketan Vidyalaya in Shameerpet, had no thought their world had simply modified ceaselessly.
“I dropped them off at their hostel on Monday morning,” Suman stated, his voice barely above a whisper. “Since we bought the information, we simply… we couldn’t inform them. I don’t understand how I’ll. I’ve to select them up tomorrow. I’ll watch their faces mild up after they see me and in a single second, I must take away the life they knew.” His phrases trailed off, the truth of what lay forward.
For Suman, the reminiscence of his final dialog together with his brother is now frozen in time, a second he retains replaying in his thoughts. It was round 9:30 p.m. on Monday when he final spoke to Santosh. The group had simply completed their pilgrimage and was getting ready to start their lengthy journey again to Hyderabad. “I needed to test on him, so I referred to as up. He advised me they’d taken the holy dip, that every part was going nice. He sounded joyful… at peace,” he stated.
The household had been anticipating the group to return residence by Wednesday morning. As a substitute, what arrived was the unthinkable—the information of their deaths. Relations and associates have been seen shifting between the properties of different deceased, that are only a few meters aside.
The final experience
On Saturday (January 8), 9 males set out on a journey they’d dreamed of for years. Santosh, his brothers, his brother-in-law, and some shut associates from their neighborhood — together with Mallareddy, Ravi Kumar and T.V. Prasad — had deliberate this journey. It was a once-in-a-lifetime expertise to have a dip within the sacred Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, an occasion that drew thousands and thousands in search of religious renewal.
They boarded the mini bus, owned and pushed by Raju Errakunta. Their households, although somewhat anxious concerning the lengthy street forward, have been joyful for them — understanding how a lot this journey meant.
By Monday morning they reported information concerning the holy dip and darshan on the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati rivers. As night time fell, they ready to go again residence. The return journey started late Monday night time
However as daybreak broke on Tuesday morning, destiny had different plans. At round 8 a.m., close to Sihora—800 kilometres away from their hometown— a truck, barreling down the flawed aspect of the street crashed into their car. The crash was sudden, violent. “I spoke to our brother-in-law Naveen,” Suman recalled. “He stated he was jolted awake by the sheer power of the impression.” Naveen has sustained fractures in his legs and is presently present process therapy within the Authorities Medical Faculty in Jabalpur together with Balakrishna Shriram.
Straight away, their pilgrimage was dropped at an unexpected and tragic finish. The our bodies of the victims are prone to be introduced by street to Hyderabad by Wednesday night.
Printed – February 12, 2025 11:51 am IST
