‘They dreamed of sending him abroad’: Kin remember soft-spoken teen killed with mother days after family's Manali vacation

NEW DELHI: Kushal was the child Vishnu and Sharda had long yearned for. After years of remaining childless, the couple had adopted him as a newborn from Vishnu’s younger brother, who already had two children. A soft-spoken boy, Kushal loved drawing, was interested in computers, and his parents dreamed of sending him abroad one day.

Only a few days before the murder of the boy and his mother, the family had returned from a vacation to Manali, unaware that it would become their last trip together. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, the family has been living in Delhi for more than three decades and moved into their current house in 2016.

On Thursday morning, this house in a narrow lane of Govindpuri was full of grieving relatives and neighbours. Kushal’s birth mother, Manju Sahu, cried inconsolably. Next to her was sister-in-law Gudiya Sahu — both struggling to come to terms with the loss. Javitri Devi, the boy’s grandmother, held Manju’s hands as she cried, "He was so tiny when I first held him."

Relatives described Kushal as a bright and soft-spoken child whom everyone in the neighbourhood loved. “He loved to draw. I often saw him making projects and trying new forms of art,” Gudiya said. “He had recently developed a keen interest in computers. He would often tell my son, 'Bhaiya, please computer chalana sikha dena’.”

Kushal’s family believed that his love for art and technology would one day turn into a career. While Sharda herself had studied up to Class X, relatives recalled that the couple was determined to provide Kushal with every opportunity. "Mamu and mami had so many dreams for him. They wanted to send him abroad for higher studies,” said his cousin, Yash Sahu. The couple was saving money for Kushal’s education and future, he added.

“If Kushal did not recognise a person, he would always ask his mother and only then open the door,” said Gudiya.

In what has now become his final interaction, Kushal had called one of his cousins on Wednesday evening, asking him to come over to play games. The cousin declined, saying he would visit later, unaware that it would be the last time they would ever speak or get a chance to play together.

Relatives remembered Sharda as a warm and caring homemaker who loved cooking for her family and often enjoyed experimenting with new dishes. Sitting among grieving relatives outside the house, her younger sister, Kamlesh Sahu, kept checking her phone for updates about the murders. “She was always taking care of others. We just want justice for her,” said Kamlesh.