For three families in Bulandshahr’s Sarbhanna village, the journey to Gurugram was paved with dreams of building a better future.
Bijender Singh, 58, had moved to the city with his son Ram Kumar, 28, after his wife’s death, while their relative Pappu Singh, 55, was working to secure his daughter’s future. Their cousin Satish Chand, a civil contractor, had spent years building a livelihood in Gurugram so his four children could receive a good education.
Bijender, Pappu and Satish were killed, and Ram was left critically injured, after a speeding car allegedly driven by a 20-year-old rammed into them as they were installing a metal fence on Dwarka Expressway early on Thursday. Their families said they were the primary breadwinners.
Moved to Gurugram after wife's death
Bijender had lost his wife about a year ago. After spending some time in the village, he moved to Gurugram with Ram. Gautam Kumar, Bijender’s cousin, rushed to the city after receiving news of the accident. “The father-son duo had started to work for Satish Chand, who was a civil contractor from our village already working in Gurugram,” he said.
Bijender had begun saving money to get Ram married. “But fate had other plans,” Gautam said.
{{/usCountry}}Bijender had begun saving money to get Ram married. “But fate had other plans,” Gautam said.
{{/usCountry}}Ram, who was also among those hit by the car, remains critically injured. The family is pooling money and borrowing from others to fund his treatment, he said.
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Gurugram shift driven by children's future
For Satish, 43, the move to Gurugram seven or eight years ago was driven by his children’s future. His childhood friend Chaman Lal said Satish had struggled initially before establishing himself as a civil contractor.
“He struggled a lot in the initial days and slowly established himself as a civil contractor. He was now earning well and had ensured that all four of his children received quality education in private schools. That was the sole reason for which he had shifted to this city,” Lal said.
Satish leaves behind his wife, Dolly Devi, and four children -- sons Amol and Nitin and daughters Shalu and Priya. All four are minors.
“Now with Satish gone, there’s no one to take care of his children and his wife. He has some savings but I know they will get exhausted soon. His wife may be forced to return to the village and, in that case, the children may be forced drop out of school,” Lal said.
Satish had also helped several villagers move to Gurugram in search of better-paying work, Lal said. Bijender, Ram and Pappu were among those who followed him.
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Father was looking to get daughter married
For Pappu, the 55-year-old father of three, the priority had been his children. His two sons, aged 24 and 28, work in farming in the village, while his 18-year-old daughter helps her mother with household chores. Pappu had been looking for a suitable groom for her, his cousin Gautam said. “He was planning to take both his sons to Gurugram and later shift his wife too for the future. Now, all his plans are gone with him. We will have to ensure that his daughter gets married. The family is going to suffer from a severe financial crunch,” he said.