Jaipur: Family members of a toddler who died in an accident involving MP Hema Malini’s vehicle in Rajasthan’s Dausa, on Friday accused the administration of lavishing all their attention on the VIP while ignoring the other injured.
Two-year-old Sonam died when the MP’s Mercedes car hit an Alto in which she was travelling with her parents and siblings late on Thursday night.
Sonam’s father Hanuman Khandelwal (31), his wife Shikha (26), son Somil (4) and sister-in-law Seema (45) also suffered injuries of varying degrees in the accident which left actor-turned-politician Hema Malini with injuries on her nose and forehead.
While the MP, 66, is undergoing treatment at the Fortis Hospital in Jaipur, 60 km from Dausa, the others were shifted to the SMS Hospital, also in the state capital.The father of the two-year-old girl who died in a road accident involving Hema Malini has said she could have been saved if she was rushed to the hospital along with the BJP parliamentarian immediately after the fatal crash in Rajasthan’s Dausa district.
On Friday morning, police arrested the driver of the BJP MP Mahesh Thakur on charges of rash driving and causing death by negligence, besides others.
The MP was returning to Jaipur after a visit to the Mehendipur Balaji temple in Karauli district when the accident took place at the Lalsot bypass on the highway.
Relatives blame delay in treatment for death of Sonam
“My little girl died in the lap of her mother in the car. It is sad that her mother is also struggling for survival. . .and she does not know that Sonam is no more,” Hanuman Khandelwal, the father of Sonam, told reporters as he lay injured at SMS Hospital.
Sonam was killed and her father, mother Shikha, brother Somil and Khandelwal’s sister-in-law Seema were injured when their car and Hema Malini’s Mercedes collided on Thursday night.
Khandelwal said for about “20 to 25 minutes our family of five” lay bleeding on the road in the smashed car as a doctor took Hema Malini and others in his car to Jaipur’s Fortis Hospital.
“We all were attended by Dausa Police, and the hospital (was in a) poor condition to tackle our injuries,” he said.
Khandelwal said though his wife had gained consciousness, she had not been told of her daughter’s death. He said, “We convinced her that both girls were being treated.”
Shikha and Seema are being treated in the poly-trauma ward while Somil is in a serious condition in the intensive care unit.
VIP Culture – Differentiation in treatment by govt. and media
Sonam’s uncle Shirish Gupta said: “Hema Malini was taken to a hospital in Dausa by a doctor immediately after the incident. He then took her to Fortis Hospital while Sonam was lying at the spot for 15 to 20 minutes. Nobody asked about her. “Had she (Sonam) been taken to the hospital along with Hema Malini, she would have been saved,” Gupta added.
“Two kinds of treatment are being given to victims of the same accident. Hema Malini was immediately taken to the Fortis Hospital, while our family-members were sent to Sawai Man Singh Hospital, where treatment was given very late,” said Rajiv Gupta, a relative of Khandelwal.
“Our only pain is that the treatment is not of the same quality that is being extended to the MP,” he said.
Sunita Koolwal, a relative of Shikha, too echoed the same sentiments saying that they were disappointed by “step-motherly treatment” extended to the injured family.
She alleged that while the Mathura MP was taken by road immediately after the accident, the other five were left behind.
Relatives of the family said they could afford their treatment and are not looking for any compensation from the government.
The media has been focussing on the injuries of Hema Malini while no one came to us, they said.
“The actress’s car was being driven on the wrong side (of the road and) that led to the mishap. Had all five of the injured been admitted to a private hospital, they would have been better now,” a relative said on condition of anonymity.
Khandelwal has filed a complaint at Kotwali police station in Dausa against Ramesh Chand Thakur, who was driving Hema Malini’s car when the accident occurred in Dausa, 60 km from Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur. Thakur was arrested and later granted bail by a court.
Hema Malini expresses sorrow – but is it enough?
BJP leader Hema Malini expressed “deep sorrow” over the death of the child, hours after she was accused of not showing concern. She said that the news of the infant’s death left her “very sad and in a distressed mind.”
“I can realise the hard time the family is facing after her death. I pray to God to give them strength to bear this loss,” she said.
The 66-year-old actress-turned-politician underwent surgery for her wounds at Fortis Hospital and is doing fine, doctors attending to her said. She was also treated for a minor fracture on her nose.
Ministers visit and promise help, but dont close the treatment gap
SMS hospital medical superintendent Man Prakash Sharma said four of the injured were brought to the hospital at different time of the night –11:30pm on Thursday, and 3am and 4am on Friday.
State health minister Rajendra Rathore paid a visit to the hospital on Thursday night while chief minister Vasundhara Raje called on the injured on Friday morning.
Sources in the hospital said she directed the hospital authorities to provide the “best possible treatment” to the injured family-members.
Compensation demanded
Gupta, a relative of the family also said while the priority at the moment was recovery of the injured, he added that the government must also provide compensation to the family.
“Hanuman is the sole earning member and he runs a business. It would take at least 6-8 months for him to lead a normal life. The government should provide compensation as per rules,” he added.
