FIR won’t bring my son back, says father of boy who died in jam on Noida expressway

Arjun, 25, a farmer and a resident of Nangla Gulela village in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh told HT that his son, Luv Kush, was suffering from a high fever and was being shifted in an ambulance from a hospital in Firozabad to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

The father of the seven-year-old boy who allegedly died in a vehicle that was denied passage by protesting homebuyers on the Noida Greater-Noida Expressway on Saturday said that an FIR cannot bring his son back.

Arjun, 25, a farmer and a resident of Nangla Gulela village in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh.

“A police complaint cannot revive my child. Expressways are lifelines, which help people travel in minimum time. People should understand their responsibilities as a citizen. I hope that no one else has to face such a situation,” the man said.

He said that he had pleaded the protesting homebuyers to let him pass but no one paid heed to his request.

Arjun, 25, a farmer and a resident of Nangla Gulela village in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh told HT that his son, Luv Kush, was suffering from a high fever and was being shifted in an ambulance from a hospital in Firozabad to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

“We left Firozabad at 2pm but were stopped by the protesters on the expressway, around 5pm. For half an hour, we remained stuck. As I saw a huge gathering of people, I got down and requested them to allow the ambulance to move, but they were all angry and did not budge,” said Arjun.

Arjun said that in the meantime, his son had stopped showing signs of life. He again got down and cried for help, but it did not move the protesters. “A person saw me crying and got down from his car. I told him that my son was not well. He checked him with a stethoscope and said that my son was dead. We could only return home,” Arjun said.

Seven-year-old Luv Kush had fallen ill on May 18 with high fever and had fainted. Arjun procured medicines from a chemist but the fever did not subside. The boy was then admitted to a hospital in Firozabad on May 19, and the doctors, seeing his deteriorating condition, had advised Arjun to shift the boy to AIIMS on May 20.

The police booked 250 protesters for allegedly hampering vehicular movement on the expressway on Saturday evening. A case was registered under sections 147 (punishment for rioting) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) at the expressway police station.

Senior superintendent of police, Love Kumar, said, “We are in touch with the family and have extended our support, in case they want to register a complaint. Their statement will be added to the FIR that has already been registered.”