‘Who will take care of the children?’ On way to Haridwar, four of Haryana family killed in accident

Mid-June, the dates were finalised and their place of stay booked. The family’s annual trip to Haridwar unfolded as per plan as it usually happens. But before the journey could culminate this time, catastrophe struck. An innocuous drive, almost a tradition in the family, ended in lives being torn apart.

A total of 13 family members embarked on their journey to Haridwar Friday. On the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, a speeding SUV rammed the car carrying seven members of the family, killing four, including an eight-year-old and injuring three — among them a two-year-old. The rest were in a separate car. They were an hour away from their destination.

The victims have been identified as Shivansh (8), his grandmother Sudhesh Devi (65) and uncle and aunt Praveen (42) and Preeti (33), police said. According to Satyadev, son of Sudhesh, the whole family was split into two cars.

“We left home at noon, and around 3 pm, I got a call from my sister-in-law that their car had met with an accident. When we reached, they had already been taken to a hospital,” he said.

Five years ago, the family had shifted to Bahadurgarh from Sonipat. Praveen, who was killed in the accident and his brother Jaidev, who is undergoing treatment for grievous injuries, ran a transport business.

Satyadev said, “Doctors told us he is in shock. After running a CT scan, they said his condition is not stable. It will take a long time to recover, now who will take care of our family?”

Praveen and Preeti have left behind their children aged 10 and 13 years, who were in the second car that day. “They were with me at the crematorium…” he said, sobbing on the phone. Jaidev has not been told about his son’s death since he is in the hospital, he said.

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“There are four to five children in the family… the entire family was dependent on Praveen and Jaidev. How are we going to survive?” he said, urging Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to help the family.