‘Lay there for 30 mins till help came’

Noida: Rakib, his brother Sajid, and Asif used to take an auto early morning from their home in Rabupura to the vegetable market in Phase II every day. Tuesday morning was no different for them. They boarded the auto of Naresh, their usual companion from the village, and set out for the mandi before 5am to get the freshest produce.
But fate had other plans for them. Javeed, who was also in the auto but escaped with a fracture in the leg, said the day had started a little earlier for them because of Ramzan. "I got up at 3am and had sehar, and then got ready for work. The vegetables arrive early morning in the mandi. I contacted the others and boarded the auto," he said.
He said that all was well till they had reached Greater Noida. "We suddenly spotted a dumper speeding from the opposite side. The driver of the dumper was zigzagging. To avoid a speed bump, he came on the wrong side and crushed the auto. We fell on the road unconscious and the dumper driver fled," Javeed said, adding that he lay on the road for half an hour before help arrived.
As news of the accident spread, Rabupura village wore a deserted look throughout the day. Rakib and Sajid's grieving father, Mehrab Khan, broke down while talking about his sons. "Sajid had got married six months ago. Rakib is survived by his wife, and two children aged five and three," he said.
Asif was the only child of his parents. Anees Khan, Asif's father, fainted several times, unable to cope with the loss of his 20-year-old son. The scenes at the house of the auto driver, Naresh, were similar. He is survived by his wife, Sunita, and three children – Shivani (12), Raju (8) and Manish (6).
Asif was the only child of his parents. Anees Khan, Asif's father, fainted several times, unable to cope with the loss of his 20-year-old son. "Asif had started going to the Sabzi Mandi to work only recently. He wanted to support the family. Early morning he had seher and left for work. At around 5 am, we received a call from police about the accident. We reached at the spot and found him dead. I am broken," Anees said. The scenes at the house of the auto driver, Naresh, were similar. He is survived by his wife, Sunita, and three children – Shivani (12), Raju (8) and Manish (6).