Slain attendant’s kin struggle for a living

The family of deceased Umesh Kumar Pandey is distraught and struggling hard to make ends meet.

The family of deceased Umesh Kumar Pandey is distraught and struggling hard to make ends meet.

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Hindustan Times spoke to the victim’s family in Baghoi of Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh and found out their plight.

“Umesh was killed for Rs. 27. We both were living in Gurgaon and used to send Rs. 20,000 every month to our family. After he was killed, I left Gurgaon to take care of my parents. My father Rajkishore Pandey (70), is a farmer. My younger brother is physically challenged,” Rishikant Pandey, elder brother of deceased Umesh, told HT on Wednesday.

He said though they had received compensation from the toll operator, it was not enough to run the family.

“From earning Rs. 20,000 per month, I now make Rs. 4,000. My father is sick and my brother is physically challenged. I don’t have any other source of income. We are entirely dependent on farming. Rs. 4,000 is too less to sustain the entire family,” he added. “We don’t have any hope for the future. I don’t even know whether the accused has been punished or not. My brother is gone,” said Rishikant.

Six months after Umesh got married, he decided to move to Delhi to earn a living.

He has left behind an 18-year-old wife, Sushma, two brothers and parents.