Victims spent Valentines’ day with challenged children

Nagpur: Divya Paku (23) and Dhiraj Pathade (20), among the seven students of Hislop college who died in an accident on Friday on Amravati Road, spent the Valentine’s Day trying to bring cheer to some disabled children. They did not know they would leave their families in ever lasting grief even before the week was out.
Another victim Maitraiy Awale had transmitted on Instagram a live video of the entire group taking what turned out to be fatal joyride in the car. The 9.45 minute clip has the group in happy mood with peppy music playing. Some conversation in Bengali, probably between Evhana Parveen Khan (22) and her mother, reflected the realities of our times when youngsters often mislead parents about their whereabouts. Evhana, daughter of an Army officer, is heard telling her mother she was heading to purchase a book and telling her about her tuition class from 3pm.

Apart from Divya, Dhiraj, Maitraiy and Evhana, others who died in the accident are Vishal Ratwani (22), Nisha Nikam (21) and Satyanand Singh (20).

Shahbaz Jafar Alwi (22) is the lone survivor. Nisha was daughter of former Mumbai crime branch officer RD Nikam currently heading the specialized cell dealing with the cases of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic substances (NDPS) in city.

The friends, who were studying in different streams, had decided to enjoy a car trip before heading to celebrate Atib Khan’s birthday. Atib too would have been with them but he chose to stay back for Namaz. It is learnt Shahbaz too had offered his Namaz before joining the friends. Shahbaz was driving the car in the first half of the trip. He changed places with Vishal shortly before the accident took place.

Divya was known as ‘Bhaiyya’ among his peers for her daring personality, her mother Padmavati too proved her courage. Divya’s father Udaykumar, working with a financial loan company, said his wife actually could not stand site of blood but she would not be stopped from visiting the mortuary. “She is shattered but not willing to leave her daughter’s body behind at mortuary,” said a sobbing Udaykumar.

The trailer of Bombay Haryana Roadways that the car of the victims had rammed into has been seized. Wadi police, who had already registered an offence against driver of the parked trailer, are also set to write to RTO for a technical inspection of vehicles.