Athira Sasikumar and Athulya Nair still don’t know that two of their beloved friends are no more. That the accident, which confined them to hospital beds along with another batchmate Gudiya S. Lal, had taken the lives of their friends.
Of the five B.Tech. IT final semester students of the Cochin University of Science and Technology’s (Cusat) School of Engineering (SoE) who were in the car that met with a fatal accident at Varapuzha on Monday, Akshay Sasikumar and Jijisha Jafar lost their lives.
Athira and Athulya, with fractures, cuts and bruises, have been moved to wards. They keep on asking about their friends. Gudiya, who had to undergo multiple surgeries, has been kept under observation at the Intensive Care Unit.
“We could not bring ourselves to tell them the sad news even though they keep on asking about their friends who were in the car. All three had a close bonding, especially with Jijisha,” their batchmate Samir Dayal Singh told The Hindu from the hospital.
Classes have already begun at the School of Engineering after the Christmas holidays. But student turnout at the final semester B.Tech. IT classes continues to be very low.
“Obviously the students are in a state of shock. It may take them a while to recover,” said M.R.R. Panicker, Principal of SoE, who visits the hospitalised students almost daily.
Treatment expenses
The teachers and employees of SoE have so far mobilised close to ₹1.50 lakh towards the treatment expenses of the students. While Athira and Athulya have insurance coverage, Gudiya’s family is finding it difficult to meet the expenses running into lakhs.
Students are also taking initiatives to mobilise funds through various ways. (Phone : 94961-81866).
