19 February,2014 06:46 AM IST | | Richa Pinto
Son left for Mumbai in a huff from Chennai, after a bitter argument; fearing for his safety, his parents travelled here, but met with an accident in Vashi, resulting in the father’s death
A farmer couple, who arrived in the city to persuade their runaway son to accompany them back home, were knocked down by a speeding BEST bus, as a result of which the father succumbed to his injuries, while the mother is battling for her life.
Chennai native Katai Kaundal suffered head and leg injuries, while her husband died after a BEST bus knocked them down. They were in the city to convince their runaway son Srinivas to return home; the spot where the accident occurred
The tragic incident took place at Vashi bus depot, where the bus rammed into them while they were crossing the road on Monday night. The accident occurred a few hours after the couple arrived from Chennai, while they were on their way to spend the night at a relative's home in Vashi.
Srinivas Kaundal
The deceased has been identified as Nadesan Kaundal. His wife Katai (50) was gravely injured. This was their first visit to the city, to where their 22-year-old son, Srinivas, had come after a bitter argument with them. "Srinivas is their youngest son and they were very worried after he went away.
They were concerned about his well-being since he did not know any language apart from Tamil. They felt someone might take advantage of this fact and hence decided to travel to Mumbai," said their relative, L Chandrashekharan.
The couple had boarded a train on Sunday from Chennai and alighted at Kalyan railway station on Monday night. At 10 pm they reached Vashi after taking a bus from Kalyan.
They decided to spend the night at a relative's home and had planned to meet their son the next day. However, after they got off the bus and went to cross the road, the BEST bus number 521 knocked both of them down. The duo was rushed to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Hospital in Sector 9, Vashi.
Dr Prashant Jawade, medical superintendent of the hospital, said, "The husband had suffered serious injuries and died after he was brought into the hospital. His wife has suffered head and leg injuries. Their relatives have, however, taken the woman's discharge, going against medical advice. The man's body has been sent for a post-mortem."
Srinivas was deeply pained by the turn of events. "We got my mother discharged because we do not know the local language. It would be difficult for us to keep her here; we will admit her to a hospital in my hometown," said Srinivas. The driver of the killer bus Sambhaji Kashinath Shinde (39), a Kalyan resident, has been arrested and was produced in court yesterday.
He has been charged under sections 304A (death by negligence), 279 (rash driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life of others) of the IPC and section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, 1988.
