Sanjeev dreamed of providing his kids with a quality life and education.
Working hard to fulfil his ambition, the 25-year-old was driving his auto-rickshaw late night on January 27 when a speeding Audi Q7 rammed his vehicle at the Hindon Canal in Ghaziabad. Sanjeev and his three passengers were killed on the spot.
Three years ago, Sanjeev had moved from Etah district to Khora Colony in Ghaziabad with his wife and daughter. The auto driver was the breadwinner in the family.
Pregnant wife
“He was hard working. His sole dream was to give quality life to his family. To meet his dream, sometimes he used to work for 24 hours straight. He is survived by a pregnant wife Madhu and a three-year-old daughter,” said Sanjeev’s cousin Sudesh.
Sanjeev was one of six sons of Ram Raees: “My son usually does not drive at night. This must have been his last trip for the night”.
On Friday night, when his wife Madhu, who is seven months pregnant, called on his mobile phone, a police officer answered.
“He told her to give the phone to a man. A relative who lives next door spoke to the officer, who informed him about the incident,” Mr. Raees said.
“Sanjeev was not only looking after his wife and daughter, but also his brothers and parents. He regularly sent money to his family back home,” Sudesh said.
“Initially, Sanjeev used to ply an auto rickshaw on rent, later he got financed for an old auto rickshaw for ₹1,10,000. The auto rickshaw, which is badly damaged now, was the main source of revenue for the family. Now, the family has no idea how to earn money. His wife and daughter have returned to his native place,” Sudesh said.
Madhu has studied till second year of a BA course.
“She is the most educated person in the family. We demand from the government to arrange a job for her so that she can stand on her own and earn money to ensure a better future of her kids,” added Sudesh.
‘Disappointed with police’
Meanwhile, the family is deeply disappointed with the police. “In the initial days, there was media pressure and hence the cops were listening to us, but now their behaviour is rude. They did not even want to talk to us. The cops misbehave with out family. A person was recently produced in the court and it was claimed that he was driving the SUV. We do not believe this theory. He is a ‘dummy accused’ to protect the real accused,” said Sudesh.
The other victims
Apart from Sanjeev, Vishal Singh (25), a BTech engineer from Kanpur; his cousin Yajuvendra Singh Sengar (40); and their family friend Rinku Yadav (38), an IT professional with HCL, Noida were killed in the accident.
Recently engaged
Vishal was recently engaged and had come to Ghaziabad in search of a job.
He was accompanied by Yajuvendra and Rinku, who had arranged the interview, when the accident happened.
Vishal was trying to secure a job before the date of his marriage could be fixed. He had several rounds of interview and the final decision was awaited, his family said.
Vishal had completed his BTech (electronics) and had also worked with Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation.
But he left his job and spoke to Rinku to help him get a job in Delhi-NCR. As she is working with HCL, Rinku arranged for his interview and they both came to Ghaziabad on January 26.
Yajuvendra ran a mattress shop in Kanpur. He is survived by his wife and two sons, aged 8 and 12.
Rinku was the second of three sisters and had completed her MCA. Her mother had expired a month before on December 28, 2016.
