AHMEDABAD: Uttarayan, meant to fill Surat’s skies with colour and joy, turned fatal on Wednesday evening when a family of three was killed after a kite string sliced across their path on a flyover, sending them plunging nearly 70 feet to the road below.
Rehan Sheikh, 35, was riding his motorcycle with his wife Rehana Banu and their seven-year-old daughter after visiting Subhash Garden to celebrate Makar Sankranti. As they climbed the Chandrashekhar Azad Flyover, also known as Jilani Bridge, between Wade Road and Adajan, a deadly kite string suddenly snapped across their path.
Trying instinctively to pull it away with one hand, Rehan lost control of the bike. The vehicle skidded, hit the divider and, in a split second, all three were thrown off the flyover, plunging nearly 70 feet onto the road below.
An eyewitness, still shaken, described the moment. “We heard a very loud noise,” he said. “When we ran, we saw three people lying there. The father and little girl were on the road. The mother had fallen onto a rickshaw. The father and daughter were not moving at all.”
The child and her father died on the spot. Rehana Banu, critically injured and barely conscious, was rushed by locals to hospital. “With everyone’s help, we took them to Smeemar Hospital,” the eyewitness added. “There, two were declared dead. The woman’s condition was very serious, she died on Thursday.”
According to the family, Rehana Banu was later shifted to another hospital, where crucial hours were allegedly lost. A relative, Sharif Malik, filed a written complaint at Athwa police station, accusing the hospital of gross negligence.
“The doctor demanded ₹2.5 lakh and refused to start treatment,” Malik stated. “This was the golden hour. Even after we paid ₹1.5 lakh, she was not treated for hours.”
Another acquaintance of Rehan alleged, “Only primary treatment was given. They kept asking for money. Blood was arranged very late at night. On a day meant for charity and merit, the hospital showed no humanity.”
Rehana Banu eventually succumbed to her injuries during treatment, turning one accident into the death of an entire family.
As grief spread through the neighbourhood, anger followed close behind. Locals said the flyover itself is a death trap. “This bridge is very high. Accidents happen often,” a resident said. “Two years ago, a young man also fell from here and died. We have been demanding a grill or barrier, but nothing has been done.”
The demand is now louder and more urgent. Residents have appealed directly to the Mayor and the Municipal Commissioner of Surat to install safety grills on the flyover to prevent vehicles and people from being thrown off.
Three lives have been lost. One festival has turned into mourning. A city is left asking how many more deaths it will take before safety, accountability and humanity come first.