Why God is so cruel: Woman who lost 3 kids
SHIMLA/MANDI :The Kotrupi landslide incident shattered the life of 40-year-old Mohli Devi, who lost her three children and sister-inlaw in the massive mishap that washed away major part of the Mandi- Jogindernagar highway and claimed 45 lives till Sunday late evening .
Devi, who was waiting at the Kullu bus stand to receive her family, is still looking for her children and sister-in-law.
“I was waiting at the Kullu bus stand when a conductor told me about the accident,” she said. “I was shattered,” said the wailing mother.
Incidentally, Devi had lost her husband too in a road accident a couple of years ago. “I never thought it would be such a major accident. I hoped to see my children. But it has been hours and they have not been fouind under the debris,” she said.
Her children — Muskaan Sharma (14), Palak Sharma (9) and Armaan Sharma (7) along with her sister-in-law Geeta Sharma (26) were travelling in a bus from Chamba to Manali.
The bus was supposed to reach Kullu by 3 am. “I just want to see them. I have lost everything. How can god be so callous?” said the grief-stricken mother.
With her relatives trying to console her, Devi constantly wails and calls out her children’s name in hope of finding them.
“I don’t know where my children are,” she says repeatedly.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister (CM) Virbhadra Singh, leader of opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal, health minister Kaul Singh Thakur, rural development minister Anil Sharma met her and other relatives of the victims.
Meanwhile, although the rescue and search operation is mid-way and the exact number of the casualties will take time to be ascertained, the bodies recovered till Sunday evening show that majority of the deceased and injured belong to Jammu and Kashmir and district Mandi, Kullu and Shimla of Himachal Pradesh. Both the routes —Manali-Chamba-Katra— are also popular among the pilgrims who wish to visit Vaishno Mata Temple at Katra in Jammu and Kashmir. LAST SELFIE
Another deceased Sunny Kumar, whose dead body was found in the evening, had joined the army recently and was on way to Jogindernagar from Mandi when washed away in the landslide.
He had stopped at the accident site to have tea. It is said that he was taking a selfie when the landslide took place and he was washed away along with it. As fate would have it, it proved to be his last selfie.
DANGEROUS POINT
In 1997, the bridge at the Kotrupi nullah was also washed away in a similar flood and landslide mishap but no causality was reported then.
The area where buses were halted was prone to floods but the national highway authorities forgot to raise the warning signboard at the spot and remove the tea stall raised there, in violation of the norms.
On the other hand, realising the sensitivity of the spot as flood -prone area, as many as five families down the hill shifted to another place in the past, otherwise members of these families would also have been the victims of the tragedy.