NEW DELHI: A single mother shuffles like a shadow in her house in Dwarka, hemmed in by the tangible manifestations of her son’s unfulfilled dreams — medals hanging on the walls and his handwritten quotes that bear a glimpse of a future that could have been. A deathly silence reigns in the house, one that has shrouded her since a fatal crash on Feb 3.Sahil Dhaneshra — Kabir to her — was in the final semester of his BBA course and had charted a promising path for his future. Having secured admission to a reputed university in Manchester, the 23-year-old was preparing to fly to the UK in Sept to pursue his master’s degree. Independent and focused, he managed his university applications on his own and even took up a part-time job at an insurance firm to help fund his education and ease the financial strain on his mother, Inna Makan.
Sahil had stepped out for work on the morning of Feb 3 . Around noon, Inna returned home and was about to call him to check where he was when her phone rang. Cops gave her the devastating news: Her son, who was on a bike, had been hit by an SUV near a college in Dwarka’s Sector 11. Sahil died instantly. A cab driver was critically injured in the collision involving the three vehicles.When Inna rushed to the location, she found her son lying motionless on the road. According to her, some bystanders had gathered but were recording videos even as he lay there dying.It later emerged the SUV was being driven by a teenager, who at 17 was not supposed to be behind its wheels. A case was registered at the Dwarka south police station for rash and negligent driving and causing death due to negligence. The minor was apprehended, produced before Juvenile Justice Board and sent to an observation home. He was later granted interim bail so that he could write his Class X exams.Inna had raised Sahil as a single parent, navigating financial hardship to keep his education going. When sustaining private schooling became tough, he completed classes XI and XII from a govt school before taking admission to the BBA course. Inside Sahil’s room, traces of his buoyant personality are still vivid. The quotes he wrote on the walls, including one that reads, ‘obsession is going to beat talent every time’, sit alongside medals in sports he earned over the years.Since the accident, Inna has turned to social media to seek accountability for his son’s death. On an Instagram handle titled ‘Justice for Sahil’, an online petition started by her has gathered more than 3,000 signatures, and her posts have drawn over a million views.“I will keep on posting till the day I am given an answer as to why action can’t be taken against someone who was not supposed to drive in the first place,” she told TOI.The petition outlines her demands: strict legal action against the underage driver, accountability of the vehicle owner who permitted the minor to illegally drive, and stronger implementation of traffic laws to prevent similar tragedies.
