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Cycle girl Jyoti’s father dies of cardiac arrest
PATNA Mohan Paswan, father of Jyoti Kumari, the 15-year-old girl who shot into national spotlight after she carried him on a bicycle for about 1,200 kilometres from Gurugram to Darbhanga during the Covid-19 nationwide lockdown last year, died of cardiac arrest at their village in Darbhanga district on Monday
PATNA
Mohan Paswan, father of Jyoti Kumari, the 15-year-old girl who shot into national spotlight after she carried him on a bicycle for about 1,200 kilometres from Gurugram to Darbhanga during the Covid-19 nationwide lockdown last year, died of cardiac arrest at their village in Darbhanga district on Monday.
Darbhanga district magistrate SM Tyagarajan confirmed Paswan died at his native Sirhulli village in Singhbara block of the district and said the block development officer had been sent to the village to visit the family.
Paswan was an e-rickshaw driver in Gurugram. After the announcement of nationwide lockdown last year, both he and his daughter were stranded in the city and ran out of money. The father, whose one of the legs had suffered injuries, also needed treatment.
Since no transport facility was available amid lockdown in May 2020, Kumari bought a bicycle and pedalled her way, carrying her father as pillion, from Gurugram to her native village Sirhulli, a distance they covered in 12 days.
Jyoti Kumari’s feat drew worldwide admiration, including a tweet from Ivanka Trump, daughter of the then US president Donald Trump.
Later, the Cycling Federation of India offered a training opportunity to Kumari but she turned down the offer, citing her priority for studies.
In January this year, she was also selected as the brand ambassador for an anti-drug abuse programme in the state.
She also received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for showing sheer determination and courage, and had a virtual interaction with Prime minister Narendra Modi on January 25.
She has also signed a film titled, Aatmanribhar, in which she will play herself.
