A day after 24 engineering students from the city are feared to have drowned in the River Beas, their families are yet to come to terms with the tragic news. Many of them are unable to believe that their children had met such a fate, and are hoping for a miracle.
In the Mudiraj household at Rahmathnagar in Yousufguda, all eyes are hooked on to the television sets. For, there is no news about Jagadish Mudiraj a second year B. Tech student who went to the excursion-cum-industrial tour along with his friends on June 3. “He spoke to us on Saturday night and told that he will be coming shortly after visiting Shimla,” his father N. Mudiraj said. His mother Bhargavi was anxious over the developments.
Double blow
The scene is no different at the house of Macharla Akhil at Dilsukhnagar. The 20-year-old left the house a week ago along with a pair of new clothes. “He planned to celebrate his birthday along with his friends,” a family member said. It is a double blow for the family of Ashish Mantha of Secunderabad. His father, M V N Murthy died in September last reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. Ashish’s elder brother Bharadwaj left for the US and the former stayed with his mother.
B. Veeresh, father of Sandeep Baswraj, regrets admitting the boy in the VNR Institute of Engineering and Technology. “Had I not obliged to his demand of taking admission in this college, he would have been amongst us,” says Mr. Baswraj, who blamed the college management for the incident.
Many of the parents and relatives refused to talk to the press personnel. “Please leave us alone,” was their reply to journalists visiting their homes.
