New Delhi: She was the sole caregiver for their 21-year-old son suffering from blood cancer, says vegetable vendor Ved Prakash, grieving for his wife Tina who was killed when a stage collapsed at south Delhi's famous
Kalkaji Temple and wondering just how he would manage without her.
Tina (49), a resident of Tughlakabad extension, used to daily visit the temple at 4 am to pray for her ailing son's better health, he said.
On Saturday night, she had gone to the temple to attend a jagran' (religious function) but became victim of a tragedy when at 12.30 am an elevated wooden platform at the venue collapsed, killing Tina and injuring 17 others.
According to police, Tina was close to the platform when the incident happened.
"When I used to be busy with my work, my wife took care of our son who is suffering from blood cancer," Prakash said. The couple has three sons Varun (21), Vikas (24), and Balraj (29).
"Varun is suffering from blood cancer and my wife was the only one who was taking care of him. His medicines, food... everything was handled by Tina," Prakash told PTI.
Recalling events of the tragic night, he said, "It was around 12 am when I returned home and got to know that Tina had gone to Kalkaji temple with some women of our locality to attend a jagran."
"Balraj called her at around midnight and Tina told him that she would return by 12.30, but later we got a call from the police informing us about her death," Prakash said, adding that they were waiting outside the mortuary to get her body.
"Soon after getting the call, my son Balraj and I reached the temple, where we saw people in injured condition. We visited Kalkaji police station, where we got to know about her death," Prakash said.