Actress and MP Hema Malini has placed the responsibility for the accident that led to the death of two-year old Sonam on the father, saying she wishes he had followed traffic rules. The accident occurred last Thursday when Hema Malini’s chauffeur-driven car collided with another vehicle at Dausa on the Jaipur-Agra highway. Hema Malini sustained minor injuries, and has received support and commiseration from her fans. However, it emerges that even though she was ‘asleep’ as per her daughter’s words, and even though preliminary findings indicate that her driver was speeding, Hema Malini felt it necessary to blame the father for the accident.
After the accident, the family of the deceased child had expressed their anguish over the difference in care received by their family, and that received by Hema Malini. Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Rajiv Gupta, a relative of the victim 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 the Sawai Man Singh Hospital, where treatment was given very late.” He added, “Our only pain is that the treatment is not of the same quality that is being extended to the MP.”
There have been allegations that the MP’s car was speeding. A Times of India report said that initial findings confirm that Hema Malini’s car was travelling too fast.
The impact of the accelerated speed was such that due to the collision with the Alto, the Mercedes turned in the opposite direction, skidded for almost 50 metres and jumped over the road divider before coming to a halt.
Speaking to the press a few days after the accident, Esha Deol, Hema Malini’s daughter said that her mother would do everything to help the victims, because “she is a good human being”. Esha also said that the MP was sleeping when the accident occurred: “When the accident happened she was asleep. She had told everyone to wear their seat belts. But achanak picche se jor ka dhakka laga (suddenly we felt a jolt from the rear side).”
The Indian Express also reported that Mahesh Chand Thakur, the driver of Hema Malini’s Mercedes, had been arrested.
Earlier today, Hema Malini finally spoke up on her Twitter handle @dreamgirlhema through a series of messages. She first thanked her well-wishers and supporters, saying:
I’m touched & overwhelmed by the many msgs & calls frm well wishers in India & frm the world over. I thank each one of u frm the bottom of..
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) July 7, 2015
my heart for ur genuine concern & prayers which have helped in my recovery frm the nightmare & trauma I’ve undergone. Love u all
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) July 7, 2015
Her subsequent messages criticized the media for casting aspersions on her:
As for the sensation-hungry media & a few members of the public who had a field day maligning me even when I was helpless &in deep trauma..
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) July 7, 2015
…who actually & unbelievably stooped to the lowest levels of human decency, I can only say “Shame on u” &”God Bless”!
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) July 7, 2015
Her final series of messages expressed commiseration for the child, while also holding the father responsible for the accident:
My heart goes out to the child who unnecessarily lost her life and the family members who have been injured in the accident. Contd
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) July 8, 2015
(Contd) How I wish the girl’s father had followed the traffic rules – thn this accident could have been averted & the lil one’s life safe!
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) July 8, 2015
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The father of the deceased child, Hanuman Khandelwal, immediately responded to the messages, and accused the MP of having “such a small soch [thinking]”.
“Big people can say anything from anywhere…If she has courage…she should come before me and say what she has to. I like to know from her one traffic rule that I violated…whether I was driving at very high speed, or whether I was on the wrong side, or I did not give an indicator..or I did not put seat belt”, he said.
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“My mistake was that I was driving at a very slow speed and her car was at high speed,” he said, adding, “Why was her driver arrested and released on bail. We have filed the case with the Kotwali Police Station in Dausa district“.
With a police investigation pending, and preliminary findings indicating that her own driver could have been at fault, Hema Malini’s public criticism of the victim’s father hasn’t gone down well with the public. What many readers are wondering is: how did a sleeping passenger who was “not in a condition to comprehend anything” when the accident happened, manage to conclude that the other driver was not following traffic rules?
It’s a shame that a serious accusation based on hearsay was made by a public figure and a politician in power.
Image Courtesy: The Hindu.