‘My mother often complained about busy, narrow road… it claimed her life’: Kin recall final moments of Kurla accident victims

Anaam Shaikh: Back home after work, she stepped out on an errand

Anaam Shaikh, 20, reached Kurla railway station from work on Monday night and was picked up by her father Muzafar Sheikh, a makeup artist in the Hindi film industry. The father and daughter reached home and then stepped out to get a pressure cooker repaired.

“They returned home for a second time but then they realised they needed to get a glass plate for the microwave so they went out again. That’s when the accident happened…Who would have thought that this would be her last ride with her father?” said Navid Khan, Anaam’s cousin.

Relatives gathered at Bhabha Hospital spoke about how Anaam was a graduate and had a job.

“I met him at our building when he was on his way to pick up Anaam from Kurla railway station. Suddenly, around 10 pm, I received a call from a family friend saying there had been an accident. My uncle’s bike was also found at the scene,” said Zakir Beig, Muzafar’s nephew.

“When Muzafar regained consciousness, the first thing he asked was about Anaam. He told us they were on their way back home when a bus came from behind and rammed into their bike. Anaam fell from the bike and landed up under the wheels of the bus,” a relative added.

Anaam is survived by her parents and elder brother Faham.

Afreen Shah: She called home, asking if somebody could pick her

Afreen Shah, 19, reached Kurla railway station from work and called her father.

“Unable to locate an autorickshaw, she called her father from the railway station to ask if someone could come pick her up. However, since no one was home and her father was busy with chores, he advised her to walk back on her own,” Afreen’s uncle Mohamed Yusuf said.

Afreen was hit by the BEST bus. Around 10 pm, someone who found her phone at the scene dialled the last number she had called, which turned out to be her father’s.

“We rushed to the hospital and learned that she had passed away from severe head and face injuries,” Abdul Rashid Shah, Afreen’s relative, said. “We stay in a joint family but everyone who could drive was out working,” Abdul added.

Shivam Kashyap: He had stepped out to have a snack

A first-year student at Guru Nanak Khalsa College in Matunga, Shivam Kashyap, 18, often helped his father Budhraj Kashyap manage their clothing store on LBS Road in Kurla.

On Monday evening, after reaching home from college, Shivam left his house in Dharavi to visit the store. At LBS Road, he stepped out to grab a snack from a roadside food stall. “He came out onto the main road to have a snack when this happened,” his mother Sudha Kashyap told The Indian Express.

Shivam was alive when he was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment. He is survived by his parents and two younger brothers.

Kaneez Ansari: Walk down a usual route ends in tragedy

A 55-year-old resident of Balaji Temple Road in Kurla West, Kaneez Ansari worked as an ayah at Desai Hospital in Kurla (West). She was returning home via LBS Road when the accident occurred. Ansari died on the spot and was brought dead to Bhabha Hospital.

Officials found her mobile phone at the scene and contacted her family by calling the last dialed number, which turned out to be that of her younger son.

“It was my mother’s usual route and she often complained about the busy and narrow road. Unfortunately, it claimed her life today,” said Abbas Ansari, her elder son. Abbas was at the Kurla West police station near Bhabha Hospital for some personal work when he received the news. He rushed to the hospital, only to learn that his mother had
died.

“I urge the authorities to address the issues of mismanaged parking and hawkers on the street. That would be the only justice for those who died,” he said.

Mohamed Islam Ansari: Was on his way to police station for documentation

Mohamed Islam Ansari, 49, who was working as a driver with a private company, was on his way to the police station to get some documents stamped when the accident occurred.

According to his son, Irfan Ansari, Ansari left home around 8 pm, informing the family that he had some work. When he did not return after a few hours, the family tried calling him. After their calls went unanswered for nearly two hours, they were concerned.

The family soon learned about the accident on LBS Road and decided to search for him at the spot. Irfan went to the scene and discovered that his father was one of the victims taken to Bhabha Hospital.

“As soon as I heard he was at Bhabha Hospital, I rushed there. After a lot of effort and inquiries, I finally found him at around 12:30 am,” said Irfan.

At the hospital, Ansari was alive but in critical condition. Doctors at Bhabha advised transferring him to Sion Hospital for better treatment. Despite efforts to save him, Ansari died during treatment at around 5:45 am on Tuesday.

Vijay Gaikwad: Borrowed a phone from a local and informed family after the accident

Vijay Gaikwad, 70, a Kurla resident, had stepped out to run errands when the accident occurred.

Despite being severely injured and experiencing heavy blood loss, Gaikwad remained conscious after the accident.

With the help of onlookers, he borrowed a phone to call his wife and son, informing them about his condition before being rushed to Bhabha Hospital.

At Bhabha Hospital, he was admitted to the ICU. Doctors later advised the family to transfer him to another hospital for advanced treatment.

Gaikwad was taken to Criticare Asia (Kohinoor Hospital), a private facility in Kurla, where he was declared dead
before admission.

Aejaz Khan, Medical Superintendent of Criticare Asia (Kohinoor Hospital), said, “After we implemented code yellow, three patients were brought in critical condition, out of which one (Gaikwad) was dead before admission.”

Gaikwad is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.