‘The rubble I cleared held my father’ says son:Searches for mother in debris; recounts Anuppur lodge collapse grief

“I didn’t know my father was trapped under the rubble I was clearing with the JCB…” Hemraj Yadav broke down in tears. He said, “This morning, my father had told me he was collecting mahua in the village and wouldn’t go to work. In the evening, the lodge building collapsed, and I went with a JCB to remove the debris. During the rescue, the hospital called to inform me that my father’s body had arrived. He had died trapped under the rubble.” Hemraj’s voice trembled as he spoke. His father, Hanumandeen Yadav (55), was trapped under the debris of the Agrawal Lodge in Kotma on Saturday. Also killed were their relative Ramkripal Yadav (40) and Radhabai Kol. Radhabai’s body was recovered a day later from the brick-and-cement heap, while her only son sat near the debris, distraught. The three were cremated on Sunday afternoon. Father said he wouldn’t work, was found at site Hanumandeen Yadav lived in Lodhi village, around 15 km from Anuppur headquarters. His elder son, Hemraj, said his mother had passed away 19 years ago. The family consists of two sons and a daughter. Hemraj drives a municipal vehicle and a JCB, while his younger brother is a mason. Both brothers lived with the family in Ward No. 4 of Kotma. Their father managed farming alongside masonry work, commuting daily between the village and Anuppur headquarters. Son said that he didn’t know that father was working at lodge Hemraj said that on Saturday, around 7:30 pm, he went to clear the debris with a JCB. The first body was recovered and taken to the civil hospital. At 8 pm, he received a call from Councillor Rajju Soni informing him that the body found matched his father’s Aadhaar details. Hemraj said, “I couldn’t believe my father was here. When I reached the hospital, seeing his body, the ground seemed to slip beneath me. I realized he had been working on the fourth floor of the lodge laying tiles. He had been coming here for the past two weeks, but I had no knowledge of it.” Had left home in the morning, said I would come late Ramkripal Yadav, Hanumandeen’s relative from Bangwa village, also died under the lodge debris. His only son, Durgesh Yadav, said that their household consisted only of grandparents, mother, and himself. The family was financially weak; his father was a bell-drawer earning Rs 300 daily and used to cycle 22 km to work. Hanumandeen had left home at 8 am, saying he would be delayed due to payment collection. By 8:30 pm, he hadn’t returned. Hemraj called but found his father’s phone switched off. Later, he was informed about the lodge collapse and his father’s death. The body was recovered around 11:30 pm. He was the sole earner. How will the household run now? When he did not return by around 8:30 pm and his phone was switched off, the family grew worried. Shortly after, they were informed about the collapse. His body was recovered from the debris around 11:30 pm. He was the sole earning member of the family. The family has so far received ₹5,000 from the gram panchayat and ₹1 lakh from the Red Cross. Durgesh said his mother has undergone three operations in the past two years and the family already has a debt of about ₹1.25 lakh. “Now I don’t know how the household will run,” he said. Mother used to ask when you would bring a daughter-in-law home? Radhabai Kol (42) also died after being buried under the debris. Her body was recovered on Sunday afternoon. She lived in Damki Tola of Ward No. 4 in Kotma and worked as a labourer at the building. Her son Akash said his father had passed away earlier and both of them were living at a relative’s house. His mother did not want to depend on others, so she worked as a labourer to run the household. On the day of the incident, she had gone to work as usual but did not return. Later, the family received news of her death. Akash said, “My mother used to ask me when I would get married and bring a daughter-in-law home.” The collapse also caused damage to nearby shops. ₹9 lakh assistance to families of deceased Collector Harshal Pancholi has announced ₹9 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and ₹2.5 lakh for the injured. This includes ₹4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Voluntary Fund, ₹4 lakh under the Sambal scheme and ₹1 lakh from the Red Cross. Superintendent of Police Moti-ur-Rahman said a case has been registered at Kotma police station against landowner Rajiv Garg and lodge owner Lallu Lal Agarwal under Sections 290 and 106 of the BNS. Both accused are absconding and will be arrested soon.