Families mourn daughters lost in Khandwa accident:Mother of one says, ‘she left without goodbye’; priest’s 2 kids drown with idol

I was in the tractor-trolley with my three daughters and one son. The idol of the Mother Goddess was also with us. The driver didn’t ask anyone anything and drove the tractor directly into deep water. In no time, the trolley overturned and everything sank. Saying this, priest Pyar Singh of Padarfata village breaks down crying. Pyar Singh’s two daughters, 18-year-old Sharmila and 16-year-old Aarti, died in this accident. Pyar Singh asks, who will take care of my home now? This is also the question of Urmila, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Sangeeta. Urmila says, “She was my only support.” Every person who lost their life in the Khandwa accident has their own pain. Everyone is remembering the moment when their children boarded the tractor-trolley for the idol immersion. Let us tell you, 11 people lost their lives in Khandwa on Thursday when a tractor-trolley overturned in the backwater of a dam during Durga Visarjan. About 30 people were in the trolley along with the idol of Durga. Among those who lost their lives were an 8-year-old girl and a 25-year-old woman. Bhaskar spoke to selected families to understand their pain. “My daughter had gone for Mata Rani’s visarjan” Our team first reached the house of 14-year-old Sangeeta. There was a crowd of people outside the house and the sound of her mother Urmila Bai crying was coming from inside. She was almost unconscious, with her eyes closed, repeating only one thing, “My daughter had gone for Mata Rani’s visarjan.” “The tractor overturned in the water and she was gone,” Urmila said. “The driver forcibly drove the tractor into deep water, which is why it overturned. I don’t have a husband, only a small son is left.” Sangeeta’s maternal aunt said that her sister-in-law (Urmila Bai)’s husband had died in a road accident seven years ago. Now this daughter was the only support for her old age. Sangeeta was bright and studying in 10th grade, living in a government hostel in Khandwa. She had come home for the Dussehra holidays. She had observed a fast for all nine days and had prepared with great enthusiasm to go for the immersion. Who knew that this would be her last day. Six pyres lit in different fields The priest who had worshipped for nine days, lost his two daughters, and they were cremated. Meanwhile, another ambulance arrived, carrying two bodies. These were the bodies of the daughters of the village’s tribal priest, Pyar Singh: 18-year-old Sharmila and 16-year-old Aarti. Pyar Singh was the same person who had worshipped the idol of the Goddess established in the village with full devotion for nine days. As soon as the daughters’ bodies were brought out, the women started wailing loudly. Pyar Singh, who himself was riding in that tractor-trolley, recalls that horrific scene in a trembling voice, “I was in the tractor’s trolley with my three daughters and one son. The idol of the Goddess was also with us. The driver didn’t ask anyone anything and drove the tractor directly into deep water. In no time, the trolley overturned and everything sank.” “My daughters died crushed under the trolley” His voice choked. “My two daughters died crushed under the trolley. Aarti was sitting right in front of the idol of the Goddess, and Sharmila was standing next to it, holding the idol. I, my other daughter Durga, and son Deepak somehow survived because we were not crushed under the trolley. People from the nearby Jamli village pulled us out.” Remembering his daughters, he broke down crying, “My daughters took great care of me. They made the whole house a heaven. They cooked food for me. Now who will do all this?” Saying this much, Pyar Singh sat on the ground, holding his head in his hands. Goddess enshrined for 9 days For nine days, the Goddess was enshrined at this very place in the village. In the village, where the idol of the Goddess was kept, about two kilometres away, three houses are built on a hill amidst the fields. Tragically, this accident snuffed out the lights of these three homes. All three families have lost one son each. The father of the 8-year-old deceased, Ayush, works in Aurangabad and had come home for the Dussehra holidays. He said with teary eyes, “My 8-year-old son had gone to immerse the idol of the Goddess, riding on a village tractor. I didn’t even know about this. I found out an hour and a half after the incident occurred.” His pain deepens when he says, “I have one daughter and two sons. One son doesn’t have fingers on his hands. Ayush was the only one who was physically completely fine. God took him away from me too.” Eyewitnesses describe the tragedy According to eyewitnesses and survivors, about 30 people, including children and women, were riding in the tractor-trolley. All were going for immersion, singing and dancing. When they reached near the river, the driver allegedly showed negligence and drove the tractor directly into the water without estimating the depth. The water current was strong, and the ground was marshy. The tractor lost its balance and the entire trolley overturned. Those who were sitting in the trolley were trapped underneath and did not even get a chance to get out. By the time people nearby arrived to help, it was too late. Biers rose together, entire village wept In Padarfata, the last rites of seven children were performed simultaneously, while the last rites of two daughters took place in Gorakhpur. When so many biers rose together, the entire village broke down in tears. Even the sky seemed to share the village’s sorrow. The village, which once resonated with the joyous cries of children, was now enveloped in the silence of death. This was a loss that could never be recovered.