Mother donates organ so that son can look killer in the eye

Hina Rohtaki

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, April 18

The life was lost but the desire of a mother that her son remains a witness to the incidence of nemesis catching up with his killer made her resolve to donate his eyes even in that hour of tragedy.

Pushpa Devi, whose 31-year-old son was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Ramgarh, decided to donate her son’s eyes barely an hour after the mishap so that precious time was not lost and her son’s eyes could find a donor.

While organs being donated immediately after death are not uncommon, the equanimity displayed by the mother even as tragedy struck, not just underlined her maternal instincts but also her resolve to see the killer being brought to book.

Pushpa Devi’s son, Deepak, a resident of Barwala, was parking his bike near a turn in Ramgarh to meet a doctor when he was hit by an unidentified truck. The truck driver fled the spot after the incident. Deepak, the sole bread earner of his family, is survived by his pregnant wife.

“My innocent son was killed for no fault of his. I have donated his eyes so that they can see the killer being arrested,” said Pushpa Devi, and added, “I will try to find out who gets those eyes, so that I can request that person (the donee), get him here and show that the accused is behind the bars.”

Dr Sunil Gambhir, in charge of the Post-mortem Department, said, “The eyes have been donated and we have sent them to the eye bank.” The hospital maintains the details of the donor and the donee.

Deepak was going to a see a doctor in the morning to get the reports of his pregnant wife when he was hit by a truck. The incident took place close to the Ramgarh police post. A policeman heard the cries of Deepak and rushed. He saw him lying in a pool of blood. Deepak was then rushed to the General Hospital and at 8.40 am, a communication was received by the police that he was dead.