Vihan Shrivastav, 11, died after a tree fell on a school bus he was travelling in on Tuesday. Hours after the incident, his mother still sits clutching his cricket bat, certain that her son will return and go play the sport, just as he did every day after school.
Vihan was killed and four other children were injured after the tree collapsed onto their bus when they were on their way home from Universal School in Chembur
In a video, his mother, Juhi, is seen clutching a cricket bat and sitting with a vacant expression as someone tries to console her.
Raji Malhotra, Juhi’s neighbour and a friend, said Vihan was a bright child and would often approach her son, Dev, to teach him cricket.
“Only Juhi can describe the immense grief that has befallen her. Vihan used to visit our home often and tell me, ‘Aunty, I want to play cricket professionally.’ He would say, ‘Please ask Dev to teach me cricket.’ He was a very sensible, bright child with good values, and his dream was to become a cricketer,” Malhotra said.
“Vihan’s mother doted on him. He was her whole world. She worried about him constantly. Whenever Vihan was out of the house, she would video call him throughout the day to check on him. Even now, she is sitting there holding his cricket bat. It has become very difficult for her to accept that Vihan is no longer in this world. She still keeps saying that Vihan has to go play cricket,” the neighbour added.
There were 13 children on the bus when the tree fell on it on Tuesday afternoon. Quick action by the bus conductor and passersby ensured that the children were swiftly rescued.
Five students, including three boys and two girls, were rushed to the nearby Zen Multispeciality Hospital, where Vihan was declared dead. Hospital authorities said the other four injured children sustained minor injuries and are currently in stable condition.
“Two of the injured children have undergone further medical examinations, including CT scans, and are currently receiving treatment. The remaining two children have also been examined, and their condition is stable,” Dr Roy Patankar, the hospital’s director, said.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde visited the hospital to meet the victims’ families.
“This was painful. I came here as a mother. The parents were speechless. The Universal School bus had 13 children, of which 12 are safe. Unfortunately, one died,” she said.
(With inputs from Akshay Kudkelwar)
