Vinod Kumar, a hardworking mason, was away from home on Tuesday as usual, seeking work, when tragedy struck. He received the devastating news that all the women in his family, spanning three generations, had perished in a stampede.
Desperately trying to locate his loved ones, Mr. Kumar and his three sons visited multiple hospitals throughout the day. After a harrowing search, they finally discovered the lifeless bodies of his wife, Raj Kumari, 42, and daughter, Bhumi, 9, among the casualties at the government hospital in Hathras.
Overwhelmed with grief, Mr. Kumar lamented, “Why did you leave me so suddenly? Who will guide and motivate the children now?” His anguish was palpable as he knelt beside his wife’s body.
However, his anguish was not yet complete. His mother’s remains were still unaccounted for. As he prepared to bid farewell to his daughter, Bhumi, dressed in a yellow top with her hair neatly tied in a pink band, his son Nitin gently intervened, urging him to let her rest.
The heart-wrenching scene of a father saying goodbye to his daughter was just one chapter in the family’s unfathomable tragedy, a poignant moment amid the chaos and sorrow.
