Released from hospital yesterday, Holi poisoning victim Hrithik Trishul couldn’t wait to be reunited with his playmate Vikas Valmiki, having no knowledge that his friend had not survived the tragic incident
The veil of darkness has finally lifted, but their lives are far from bursting with colours. After battling for their lives in the ICU, 12-year-old Hrithik Trishul and 17-year-old Suman Ganeshan both victims of the colour-poisoning debacle on Thursday were finally discharged from hospital last morning.
While Suman and Hrithik are back in the pink of health and were both released from hospital yesterday, Holi has claimed the life of their friend and playmate Vikas Valmiki
For Suman however, the grand homecoming was anything but cheerful, as it coincided with the discovery that the poisonous dye which almost claimed his life, spared him, but instead snatched away one of his best friends forever 13-year-old Vikas Valmiki.
Hrithik, Suman and Vikas were playmates. The three teenagers have been the closest of friends for four years now, and before Thursday’s tragedy, any ordinary evening in their locality would find them engaged in carefree, cheery games of cricket, hollering at each other from their hiding spots in a game of hide-and-seek, or racing each other on their cycles in the bylanes.
While Suman is still in a state of shock from the discovery that he has lost his friend, Hrithik is still blissfully unaware of the loss, believing that Vikas has simply gone on a trip to his native town.
An ecstatic Hrithik wore a broad smile as he left KEM hospital with his family members at 11 am yesterday. The Trishuls, who reside in the Railway Colony in Kurla, appeared ecstatic at the miraculous recovery of their 12-year-old son. Suman’s parents too were overjoyed when their son was released from the Byculla Railway Hospital.
Sanjay and Sneha, Hrithik’s parents said, “We feared that we had almost lost him, and the family was completely shattered. Now we are rejoicing, as we see him run around the house like he used to earlier. We have strictly forbidden him from playing Holi in future.”
E Ganeshan and Kamala, Suman’s parents, said, “Doctors at Byculla hospital told us that our son’s condition was critical, and he had to be admitted to the ICU.
We were speechless with grief. When the hospital doctors informed us that we could bring him home, we were relieved. He is our youngest son, and the fear of losing him weighed heavily on our minds all these days.”
Unaware that the shadow of death has passed irrevocably over his close friend, a buoyant Hrithik appeared impatient to play with Vikas again. He said, “Vikas, Suman and I have been friends for almost four years.
We used to play hide and seek every evening. Every Sunday, we played cricket in grounds near the colony. We would also ride bicycles every evening. We are very close friends and we had loads of fun on Holi.
But something happened and all of us fell ill. Now Suman and I are better, and Vikas has gone to his native place. Once he comes back, we shall play together again.”
A shocked Suman, shaken by the news of his friend’s demise, recalled, “We used to play almost 24 hours a day. When I was busy studying, Vikas would whistle from below the building as a signal. Hrithik and I would then sneak out of our homes and go play with Vikas. We rode bicycles and played cricket.
We even caught a pigeon together a few days back, and we used to take care of it. I still cannot believe that Vikas is no longer with us. I will always miss his company, and will make sure that I never play Holi with colours, ever again.”
Autopsy Results
Vikas’ autopsy results were inconclusive, with the forensic doctor attributing the cause of death to the consumption of an unknown poison. The details about the nature of the poision would be determined once the viscera samples are examined, for which they have been sent to the Forensics Science Laboratory in Kalina.
Samples have also been sent to for a histopathology test to JJ hospital, to determine if Vikas was suffering from any other ailment. Meanwhile, the Nehru Nagar police have registered an accidental death, and are probing the matter under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.