‘Ab kya hoga mera. Teen bacche hai mere’: Wife of man crushed to death by tree during Delhi rain

Priya is also injured and is admitted to the hospital with a hip fracture.

“Ab kya hoga mera. Teen bacche hai mere. (What will I do now? I have three children to look after),” cries Sunita. A homemaker, she and the children primarily relied on Sudhir’s income.

The incident took place at 9.50 am in Southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji. “An old roadside Neem tree suddenly fell in front of the HDFC Bank near Paras Chowk in Kalkaji. As a result, two people on a motorcycle were trapped beneath the fallen tree,” said police.

The impact left father and daughter critically injured, and they were rushed to Safdarjung Trauma Centre. Sudhir died during treatment.

Several vehicles parked in the vicinity were also damaged in the incident. “Local police responded swiftly to the PCR call, and rescue operations were initiated by the IO/SHO Kalkaji and staff, with support from ACP Kalkaji and the Traffic Inspector, who also arrived promptly at the location,” said police.

Back at the hospital, Sunita gets up and tries to pass by her relatives. “Mera pati hai. (He is my husband). I want to see him. At least let me see my daughter,” she pleads as her nephews and nieces hold her back — partially because they don’t want her to see Priya, who doesn’t know her father is dead. (Express Photo)

A hydraulic crane was deployed to remove the tree and clear the road, they said. Municipal authorities were alerted to assess the damage and carry out necessary pruning in the area to prevent further incidents, officers added.

Back at the hospital, Sunita gets up and tries to pass by her relatives. “Mera pati hai. (He is my husband). I want to see him. At least let me see my daughter,” she pleads as her nephews and nieces hold her back — partially because they don’t want her to see Priya, who doesn’t know her father is dead.

“Abhi unko bataya nahi hai (We haven’t told her yet). The doctors said she (Priya) is stable. She wasn’t speaking for hours. Now she is muttering a little. She is constantly asking when she can meet her father. I don’t think she is ready to hear the news now,” says Ajay Singh Raghav (42), Priya’s cousin’s husband.

“I even asked the investigating officer to come out and talk,” he tells The Indian Express as he stands outside Emergency Ward No. 1, where Priya is being treated, flanked by two policemen.

Amid talking to the police — about the paperwork needed to be done to shift Sudhir’s body to the mortuary — and doctors, Ajay says he was the first to find out about the incident.

“They arrived at the hospital by 10.30 or 11 am; I think the only number Priya remembered was mine, so she gave that to the nurse. I then received a call about the accident. By the time I got here, it was noon… doctors told me Sudhir had died on the spot,” he adds.

Sudhir worked as a caretaker at DUSIB Rain Basera No. 49 near an open-air theater and community hall at Turkman Gate.

The family says his elder daughter, Shivani (27), was to be married in November. Several wedding ceremonies were already held in their hometown in Aligarh. His youngest child, Mayank (18), is studying at a polytechnic college in Aligarh.

Ajay says that every day at 9 am, Priya would leave their house in Tughlakabad and head to Amar Colony, where she worked with an NGO.

“Today, Sudhir ji had the day off, so she asked him to drop her off on his bike. Usually, she takes the bus.”