‘Instead of helping, teen started making calls’: Daughter stands before father’s pyre, sends message to accused in Goa Thar crash case

BHOPAL: The air in the Samardha neighbourhood in Bhopal's Misrod was heavy with grief, as the last rites of 65-year-old Bhagat Ram Sharma, who lost his life in a road accident while holidaying in Goa, were performed on Friday.

His wife, Leela Sharma, who sustained critical injuries, including a fractured pelvic bone and severe rib and back injuries, was brought back to the city after a 30-hour ambulance journey before being admitted to a hospital in Misrod.

Sharma is survived by daughters Deepika and Ruchika and son Atul. Deepika and Atul are software engineers working with an MNC, while Ruchika, an MBA, is employed with a company. Ruchika resides in Faridabad and works in Noida.

Speaking to TOI, Sharma's daughters alleged that the youth, who was driving the Thar which rammed their father, was overspeeding on a narrow stretch leading to the accident. He jumped speed breakers and did not reduce speed, the daughters alleged, claiming that the accused showed no remorse after the incident as, instead of helping the injured, he started recording a video on his mobile phone and making calls. The kin, however, thanked the locals in Goa for all the support they received in the wake of the incident. The locals prevented the driver from fleeing from the scene after the incident, the family revealed.

Deepika said it was her father's first air journey. "He spent most of his life and earnings on our upbringing. He never discriminated between daughters and son," she said. Deepika added, "My father couldn't even get a proper funeral. He was cremated after 5 days. His body turned black. We struggled to bring him back in air cargo."

Standing before her father's pyre, Deepika posted a video message to the accused driver, stating that she had full faith in the judiciary and that he would receive the rightful punishment.

Claiming the accused was released on the same day after being briefly detained, she vented her ire, saying, "Why do such people have to sit behind the wheel if they can't drive safely?" She urged people to stand with the family in its fight for justice. Ruchika's husband, Tushar Uniyal, said the family was distressed over statements suggesting Bhagat Sharma suffered a heart attack when the post-mortem clearly shows accident injuries.