It was only two months ago that 19-year-old Mordhaj from UP’s Guretha village married a woman from a village 5 km away. The family was looking forward to receiving his bride at their home in the coming months. On Sunday night, he and his wife’s 14-year-old brother Anil were mowed down by a speeding Range Rover. “It has barely been two months since the wedding, and she is already widowed,” said Rishi Pal, a relative. While Mordhaj, the second of four brothers, was a street vendor in Gurgaon, his brother-in-law, who had three more sisters apart from Mordhaj’s wife, was studying at a government school in UP’s Hamupur village. “Anil had come to Gurgaon around 10 days ago to meet Mordhaj. He usually stayed with us in Tikri village. On Sunday, he decided to accompany Mordhaj to work,” said Mordhaj’s brother Devendra, also a street vendor. “We are from a poor family. Our father is a farmer in UP and our mother died when Mordhaj was young. Our golgappa stalls were the main sources of income for our families. My earnings will have to see us all through until I can teach our younger brother this work.” From Anil’s family, an uncle arrived at the post-mortem house in Gurgaon to take the teenager’s body home. “His parents and sisters are back in the village. in complete shock. He was their only son and was supposed to be returning home in the next few days,” said the uncle.
