Many are still living in the shadow of Masaipet tragedy that claimed the lives of innocent ones. The victims’ relatives are traumatised and those who escaped with injuries are still trying to come out of shock.
For 80-year-old Sharifa Begum who lost her grandson and granddaughter in the accident in which Kakatiya School bus was hit by a train at a level crossing, life hasn’t been the same.
There is a huge behavioural change in her grief-stricken daughter-in-law and on the other hand, her son left the house for a job to pay her medical bills.
J. Yadagiri and Santoshi, residents of Venkatayapally, lost two of their children in the same accident after which they left the village and settled in Toopran. They have admitted their only daughter in a school there.
Many such families who lost their children in the accident are yet to come out of the shock. They are being financially assisted by the Central and State governments and are getting free treatment at Yashoda Hospital even now. But those who survived the tragedy are haunted by certain images or references to the accident.
“My son loses control of himself whenever someone refers to the accident and sometimes even complains of chest pain. We are making sure that no one talks of the incident in front of him,” say Pushpa and Swami Goud, parents of one of the survivors, Darshan.
Many children are scared to get into a school bus and hence their parents have admitted them in nearby schools or send them by auto-rickshaw.
On the other hand, Ruchita and Varun Goud, who lost their sister Shruti, are as normal as any other children. Ruchita, who saved the lives of two children, has been instrumental in making her brother come out of the shock.
Another child Nitisha from Islampur has put on weight post-accident. Her hand shivers continuously. “We hope that she will be normal in a year, say her parents B. Naresh Goud and Manjula.
