Parents of 3-yr-old Odisha boy donate his eyes after accident death

Rourkela: In a gesture of courage amid tragedy, the bereaved parents of a three-year-old boy who was killed in a road accident in Sundargarh town on Tuesday donated his eyes.The child was run over by a tractor on Tuesday morning. His father, Sanjit Kumar Sinha, 32, said on Wednesday that the family decided to donate their son’s eyes so that “through his eyes, someone else can see the world”.Sanjit, a bakery worker and a resident of Sunaripada locality, said the accident occurred around 10 am when he was taking his son to the market on his motorcycle after the child wished to eat idli. “Another motorcycle crossed us at high speed. As I changed direction to avoid it, a tractor coming from behind hit our motorcycle. My son fell onto the road and the tractor ran over him,” he said.The critically injured child was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Town police reached the spot and initiated an inquiry.While the body was taken for post-mortem examination, Prabhasini Swain, a technician from the Drushti Dan Eye Bank, Sundargarh, requested the family to consider eye donation. After discussing with his wife and relatives, Sanjit agreed, and the child’s corneas were retrieved.“I lost my son in front of my eyes. We are completely shattered. But through his corneas, two people will be able to see the world,” an inconsolable Sanjit said.

He alleged that the tractor driver was drunk, did not possess valid documents and demanded strict punishment for his son’s death. Police arrested the tractor driver, Dileswar Sunani, 45, on Tuesday evening.Sources said the tractor had been hired by a contractor for municipal cleaning work. The vehicle was allegedly being driven under the influence of alcohol and lacked valid insurance and fitness certificates.