Had destiny not taken an ugly turn on Friday, Ayesha, 24, would have been married in a year now.
The daughter of M Z Khan, a Junior Warrant Officer, Electronics Training Institute, Defence Wing, she was on the way to Ooty with her grandmother Naseem Khan and aunt Farah Khan when the accident occurred. While Naseem and Ayesha died in the accident, Farah escaped narrowly and is being treated at a private hospital in Bengaluru. The three were set to return to Bengaluru on Monday after holidaying in Ooty, their family members said.
When Ayesha’s father booked a cab for her early on Friday morning, he had no idea he was seeing her alive for the last time. Hours later, he was stunned to know about her death.
“I arranged for a cab to pick them up at 5 am. After boarding the train, she called me up and complained about the compartment,” he recalled. “Everything was almost set. Even her wedding jewellery had been purchased. Her fiance was waiting for a family member to arrive from Dubai, after which the dates for marriage were to be decided upon,” her father said.
Ayesha was studying M Tech (Electronics) at the CMR Institute of Technology. Her family hails from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Much before the bodies arrived, her friends had reached the spot.
“We have come here for our friend Ayesha. We are told there were two people by the same name travelling in the train and all we can do is to hope our friend is not the victim,” said one of her classmates.
Ayesha’s mother found it tough to come to terms with her death. The victim’s younger brother was unconsolable too when her body arrived at the Victoria Hospital late in the evening. “We are contemplating airlifting the body to Ranchi,” the father said.
Naseem was married to a retired DGP in Kolkata, her relative said. “Even he passed away recently,” said Baseera who was accompanied by Naseem’s daughter. The family is based in Delhi. “We are contemplating airlifting the body to Kolkata,” she added.
