‘Everything was destroyed in seconds’, lightning attack survivor recalls incident

Shiv Dutt was among the four men who were injured when lightning struck a tree under which they were taking shelter from the rain in Gurugram’s Sector 82 on Friday evening

“I don’t remember what happened to me and how it happened. In a matter of seconds, everything was destroyed, I have heard from people here,” said 43-year-old Shiv Dutt, who was among the four men who were injured when lightning struck a tree under which they were taking shelter from the rain in Gurugram’s Sector 82 on Friday evening.

The incident was captured by CCTV cameras and footage circulated widely on social media. (File photo)

Dutt, who was discharged from a private hospital in Manesar on Sunday, said that while he has been informed about the events that transpired on Friday, he does not remember much about the incident. “The four of us had just wrapped up our work for the day when it started drizzling. Since our work was over, we decided to take shelter under the tree, hoping that the rain would stop in some time. Lightning must have hit us at a tremendous speed… we didn’t realise what happened. I don’t know anything. What happened and how it happened, I remember nothing,” said Dutt, recapping the moment just before lightning struck him.

Four persons, identified as Lali (32), Anil Kumar (32), Ram Prasad (38) and Shiv Dutt (43) were injured when lightning struck a tree they were taking cover under during rainfall in Sector 82 on Friday evening. Prasad was severely injured and died during treatment late Friday. The incident took place in the Vatika India Next residential township and the four men were attached with its horticulture department.

“When I regained consciousness, the chain of events was narrated to me. I learned that the staff came to us and got us admitted to the hospital,” said Dutt.

He said that he was having difficulty using his left hand properly since the incident. He also complained of chest pain. “My left hand is not moving efficiently since it was affected by lightning. Starting from the neck to the chest, there is pain and stiffness,” said Dutt, a native of Etah in Uttar Pradesh.

His wife, Pushpa, said that while Dutt was under the doctor’s watch, she had not left his bedside fearing the worst. “My heart skipped a beat when we got to know about the incident and saw the video. My daughter was crying uncontrollably. Since we reached the hospital, I have not left his side even for a moment. We are poor people. I have no idea what to do now and where to take him next,” said Pushpa.

Expressing his gratitude for not suffering a fatal injury, he said that he was thankful to everyone who helped him following the strike. “I am thankful for everything. No one can control or predict a natural occurrence. I was wearing shoes and gloves, but this was destined to happen, so it happened,” said Dutt, who only regained consciousness on Friday night, a few hours after being admitted to a private hospital in Manesar.