Father of four, Matibool worked day and night

NEW DELHI: Matibool’s family regrets missing the call he made two days ago. They had last seen him two months ago. On Wednesday morning, Matibool’s father saw his son’s photographs on television – hit by a tempo in Delhi and lying unconscious, while cars passed by without bothering to take him to a hospital.

“I wish I had taken my son’s last call. We were not at home. A relative said he had called,” said Matibool’s father, Badruddin,60.

Around two months ago, Matibool had left his village in Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal, promising to return with money.

The father of four — two sons and two daughter— worked as an e-rickshaw driver earning around ` 200-`300 a day. By the night, he worked as a security guard at his employer’s garage, for which he was paid a ` 100 per night.

Most of the residents of the WZ gali of Tihar village, where Matibool lived, are migrants who come to Delhi and work for six months every year. Imran, who lives in the same building said, “Most of us are farmers. Our families work in the fields, while we work double shifts here. Whatever we earn here, we take it home and buy seeds.”

Mohammed Sahil, who lives next door to Matibool’s room, said, “He came to the room to change clothes or take a bath. In the afternoon, if he found time, he came home to sleep for an hour or two.”

Matibool’s friends said he had been coming to Delhi twice a year for the past 15 years. He shared a room with his friends — mostly migrants from West Bengal — who work as rickshaw-pullers or e-rickshaw drivers.

On Thursday, Matibool friends contributed to send his body via road to West Bengal. Around Rs 2,000 had not been paid and it delayed the journey by around 10-15 minutes. A man in his mid-30s, who said he was a friend, paid the balance.

Sahil said that a local politician also helped them. “The ambulance charged ` 20 per kilometre. We have all contributed what we could,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Uttar Dinajpur, Badruddin has another worry. Every week, Matibool – his oldest son sent at least Rs 1,000 for his family of 10. “What is going to happen now?,” he told HT over the phone.