Eyes of six of the 11 family members found dead in Delhi donated

The eyes of six of the 11 members of a family found dead in a north Delhi home were donated to a city hospital on Monday even as the eyes of the other five members were found unusable because of the time taken to perform the autopsies.

Sujata, a relative, said no will was left by any of the deceased family members and it was a collective decision taken by the relatives. “God did not help our family, but we decided to help people whom God neglected,” said Sujata.

According to Shailendra Tripathi, a senior counsellor at the Guru Nanak Eye Hospital, the relatives did not take much time to consider the hospital’s request for donations.

“When we got to know of the deaths and that the autopsies were being performed at the Maulana Azad Medical College’s mortuary, we approached the family. They sought some time to consider the request as some of their relatives were yet to arrive,” said Tripathi.

“They got back to us in less than 90 minutes with a confirmation. The decision was taken even before the relatives reached Delhi. They offered to donate the eyes of all the 11 deceased members,” said Tripathi.

But only six pair of eyes could be used as only their autopsies were completed by the early hours of Monday. The donors included two 15-year-old cousins, Dhruv and Shivam, their mothers Savita and Tina respectively, and Dhruv’s sisters Nitu and Monu.

“We checked the condition of the eyes of the others, but since their autopsies took a lot of time, their eyes were unusable,” said Tripathi.

It was a rare occasion when the hospital received so many donations in one day. “On an average, we receive around 25 donations every month. The waiting list runs into 300-400 hopeful beneficiaries. As usual, children without sight will be given preference for receiving cornea transplants from the latest donations,” said Tripathi.

In the grief-stricken neighbourhood of Sant Nagar, relatives of the family found help and warmth from the local residents. More than 60 relatives have turned up in the city from states like Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, but had no place to stay.

“Around 15 houses have offered us accommodation. They have ensured that we receive timely food, water, tea and necessary transportation. They have also helped us by arranging mattresses, chairs and items needed for the last rites of our dead kin,” said Devendra Singh Hada, a relative.

Meanwhile, the investigating team visited the house to collect more evidence and clues for their probe. The officers also met neighbours, local shopkeepers, relatives and friends of the dead people to find out if they had noticed any unusual event or behaviour.