Three members of a Fatehabad family, who died in a road accident in Rajasthan, were laid to rest together in their native village, Matana, on Tuesday. The deceased — Om Prakash Suthar, his wife Sorma Devi, and their grandson Ronit — were buried side by side in accordance with Bishnoi traditions.
A pall of gloom descended on the village as hundreds of residents gathered to pay their last respects. The bodies reached the village on Tuesday morning, triggering scenes of deep grief among family members.
Om Prakash’s son, Surender, broke down repeatedly upon seeing the bodies of his parents and son. Villagers and relatives supported him and helped perform the final rites.
The tragedy occurred on June 15 when the family was returning from Mukam Dham in Rajasthan. Their car collided head-on with a dumper truck. The impact was so severe that police had to cut open the vehicle’s windows to retrieve the bodies.
Six family members — Om Prakash, Sorma Devi, their daughter Pramila, grandson Ronit, and granddaughters Yashvi and Khushi — died on the spot. Another granddaughter, Tanvi, who was critically injured, succumbed to her injuries during treatment on Monday night, taking the death toll to seven.
According to family members, the children had come to their maternal grandparents’ home during the summer vacation. Om Prakash had taken his wife, grandson Ronit, younger daughter Pramila, Pramila’s daughter Yashvi, and his elder daughter Bala’s daughters Khushi and Tanvi on a pilgrimage to Mukam Dham. Bala, who is pregnant, had stayed back at home.
Om Prakash had retired from government service just 15 days before the accident. A farewell function attended by more than 300 people had been organised in his honour near the Mini-Secretariat. He had been serving as a senior accountant in the District Development and Panchayat Department and had joined government service as a clerk in Chandigarh in 1992.
