The family of the two-year-old child, who died on Thursday in the car accident which also injured actress-turned-politician Hema Malini, said that while the actress and the MP got star treatment, they were left to suffer.
Speaking exclusively to The Hindustan Times, a family member of Hanuman Khandelwal said, “Two kinds of treatment are being given to victims of the same accident. Hema Malini was immediately taken to the Fortis Hospital, while our family-members were sent to Sawai Man Singh Hospital, where treatment was given very late.”
The Times of India quoted Hanuman as saying, “Agar woh doctor meri gudia ko bhi Hema malini ke saath hospital le jate, to shayad woh zinda hoti (had the doctor, who took injured Hema Malini to hospital, taken my daughter along with him, she would have been alive).”
Two-year-old Sonam Khandelwal who died in the accident. Image courtesy: Facebook
Late on Thursday, Hema Malini’s Mercedes crashed into a Maruti Alto, near Rajasthan’s Dausa killing the child and injuring one other. Hema Malini’s driver was arrested after an FIR was registered against him. Senior police officer Rajinder Tyagi told NDTV from Dausa, “I am being told the Mercedes was speeding. It drove over the divider.”
The 66-year-old actress was rushed to Fortis Hospital, 60 kilometre from the accident spot in Dausa and received a stitch on her head and was reported to be fine, according to her close aides. TV footage on Thursday showed the actress bleeding on the forehead above the right eye.
According to reports, there were five occupants in the Alto — 2 women, 2 children and a man — a Dausa district official said. “Five people were injured and out of them Sonam died. Sonam’s mother and brother have been referred to SMS (Sawai Man Singh) hospital,” Dausa Superintendent of Police, Anshuman Bhomia told NDTV.
The Khandelwal family alleged that while the MP was immediately taken to the hospital by road, they were left behind. “Our only pain is that the treatment is not of the same quality that is being extended to the MP,” Khandelwal’s relative, Rajiv Gupta told The Hindustan Times.
Gupta added that Hanuman was the sole bread-winner for the family and after the accident it would easily take him more than 8 months to recover fully. “The government should provide compensation as per rules,” Gupta added.
Social media attacked the MP for not staying on the accident site and reaching out to the car crash victims who had lost a daughter.
Hema Malini, the BJP MP from Mathura, was proceeding to Jaipur from Mathura in her Mercedes Benz while the other vehicle was proceding to Lalsoth from Jaipur.
One eyewitness, who said he took Hema Malini to Jaipur in his car, said she told him to drive fast as she was in great pain. “She was hurt on the back, on her legs and on the forehead. Doctors checked her for internal injuries,” he told PTI.
Another eyewitness said the Alto entered the bypass road from a side road on the highway when the collision occurred. Besides the driver and Hema Malini, two other persons were reportedly in the Mercedes with her. Dr Shiv Sharma, physiotherapist in a private hospital, brought Hema and three others to Jaipur in his vehicle from the accident site.
Pali MP, PP Chaudhary, said the actress was alright and fully conscious. “She has received a minor injury and there is nothing to worry. It is a minor injury on the forehead. Doctors are going for all sorts of medical examination, including CT scan, they don’t want to take any sort of risk,” Chaudhary told PTI on Thursday.
With PTI inputs
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