Updated: October 11, 2020 12:28:05 pm
Khan (second from left) was on guard 24×7. (Photo Express)
For more than six months, Aarif Khan slept in an ambulance parking lot 28 km from his home in Seelampur, northeast Delhi, and kept in contact with his wife and four children by phone. Khan was available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, transporting Covid-19 patients and taking their victims to their last rites. On Saturday morning, the 48-year-old ambulance driver succumbed to the disease at Hindu Rao Hospital.
Employed with Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, who provides free emergency services at NCR, Khan used to collaborate with money for the last rites if a family needed it, or help with rituals if close relatives of a deceased were not around, say the colleagues.
“He made sure everyone got a goodbye, but his own family couldn’t give him that. They saw his body from afar for a few minutes, ”said Jitender Kumar, adding that Khan would have transported about 200 bodies since March.
On October 3, Khan became ill and took a test for Covid-19, which came back positive. He died the day after being admitted to the hospital.
Khan’s son, Aadil, 22, said they had only seen him during his brief visits home since March 21. “We met when he came to pick up something, like clothes… I used to go check on him sometimes. We were always worried about him. But he never cared about Covid, he just wanted to do his job well, ”said Aadil, the youngest of Khan’s children, adding that the last time Khan returned home, he was already ill.
Khan’s other son Asif said, “I couldn’t even say goodbye to him … How will we survive without him?”
Khan, who earned Rs 16,000 a month, was the only member of the family making money. The monthly rent for her house is Rs 9,000. Aadil said he and his brother did odd jobs from time to time, but the job had run out of late.
“Pariwaar ke liye dukh ka pahaad toot gaya hai (It is a great blow to the family),” said Kumar, who was present at Khan’s funeral.
“These have been extraordinary times, and although he was a conductor, Khan also often assisted with the last rites. Woh Muslim tha par Hinduon ke bhi daah-sanskaar karaata tha (he was Muslim but even helped with the cremations of Hindus) … He was very dedicated to his work, ”said Jitender Singh Shunty, founder of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa. Dal, adding that Khan worked 12 to 14 hours a day, answering calls even until 3 a.m.
Khan was also present when Shunty and her family tested positive for the virus. So when Khan got infected and got worse, he tried to kindly return her. However, the deterioration was sudden. “Aarif had no other health conditions, but had trouble breathing for the past few days,” he said.
Anand Kumar, 32, a fellow Sewa Dal driver who also stays in the parking lot for fear of bringing the virus home, said when he joined a year ago, “Aarif was a great help. He treated me like a brother and guided me ”. Conversations between them often revolved around how much they missed their families, Kumar said.
Founded in 1995, Sewa Dal provides free and accessible emergency services to those in need in and around the capital, including ambulances and blood donation, and Khan had been working with them from almost the beginning.
Shunty said that not only hospitals, but also RWAs and police stations go to them. Khan was one of his 12 employees. Last month, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital had written a letter of thanks to the organization for transporting more than 300 bodies from the Covid patient hospital and assisting in its final rites, even in cases where relatives had not shown up. . The East Delhi District Magistrate Arun Kumar Mishra had also written a letter noting his contribution during the pandemic.
Giving an example of Khan’s dedication, Shunty said: “On September 30, a hospital refused to release a person’s body because his family couldn’t pay the bill … Khan stepped in. He was a man who really cared. for others”.
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