Sitapur tragedy snuffs out dreams of a better future

The alleged poisonous gas leak at Jalalpur village in Biswan area of Sitapur district on Thursday snuffed out many hopes and dreams, the next of kin of the victims said.

Seven people, including three children, died in a carpet manufacturing factory allegedly due to the gas leak from a chemical unit nearby, the police said.

Just a few days before the tragedy struck, 12-year-old Ayesha and her uncle Mohd Rafique had held an animated discussion on how to become a doctor.

Little did Rafique know then that in a matter of days he would have to wait outside a mortuary to collect the bodies of Ayesha, her father Atiq, 45, mother Saira, 42, and siblings Afroz, 8, and Faisal, 18 months old.

Two others, Anwar alias Motu, 75, and Pahalwan, 70, also died in the same incident.

In fact, it was an irony of fate that Rafique, her father’s cousin, had promised to meet Ayesha on Thursday after gathering all information about her query.

“I kept meeting the family as I used to live near the carpet factory,” he said, adding, “I had promised to meet her today, but not like this.”

“Ayesha and Afroz used to study in a madarasa at Chandanpur,” he added.

Villagers recalled that Atiq wanted to give a better education to the children but financial constraints grounded his plans.

“He was working as a guard at the carpet factory for years. His financial condition was grim. He tried to look for some other work, but in vain. Still, he was hopeful that he would be able to give a better education to his children,” said another cousin Anwar Hussain.

Saira’s brother Munnawwar said, “Someone from the village called and informed me about the incident. I know life and death are in God’s hand, but they did not deserve this.”

“Saira had held Faisal and Afroz tightly, when we saw the bodies,” he added.

Some locals said it appeared two of the victims tried to run away as their bodies were recovered from a ditch.

“They could not see the path. They plunged into the poisonous ditch,” said Asif Ali, a local, who was among first few to reach the spot.

Shaukat Ali, brother of 75-year-old Anwar alias Motu, said, “Anwar’s sons were forcing him to leave the job and stay home.”

“He has two sons, both of them are working in a factory at Panipat in Haryana.

“He had promised them that he would leave the job in the summer but God had planned something painful for him,” said Shaukat Ali.