One Noida sister dies,other critical

Anuradha,along with her sister Sonali (40),was brought out of Flat No 326 on Tuesday,after police and rescue teams forced open the door. Both were found to be suffering from acute dehydration and starvation; they were admitted to Kailash Hospital.

Sonali’s condition,too,has been steadily deteriorating. “Sonali’s blood pressure dropped since afternoon and she is very critical now. Though her pressure has been stabilised through medication,blood reports of her nutrient levels,including sodium,potassium,protein and albumen,are all below normal,” said Dr Anup Agarwal,ICU in-charge at Kailash Hospital.

Anuradha’s brother Vipin,meanwhile,went to claim his sister’s body from the hospital mortuary in Sector 93.

“How can I tell you what Anuradha was for me? After my mother’s death,she was the one who raised me. She was a second mother to me,” he said.

Seven years younger to Anuradha,Vipin said she had given up her job as a chartered accountant in Dehradun to bring up her younger siblings after their mother’s death in 1995.

Vipin works as a engineer at the American Express in Gurgaon.

“I got married (in this house). Anuradha was the one who planned my wedding,” he said. Vipin has requested the doctors to not tell Sonali about the death of their elder sister.

“Sonali was happy to see me. She recognised me and smiled when she saw me,” he said.

Sister-in-law to the siblings,Neelam Virmani,who claimed she shared a “close friendship with Anuradha”,told Newsline,“She designed Vipin’s wedding entirely. She would call me often for advice on the wedding plans. We cannot believe she is suddenly no more.”

After the wedding,Anuradha reportedly sent pictures to relatives who could not come. “I was in London. She sent us pictures there,” said her aunt Neerja Virmani.

After Vipin’s marriage in 2007,he stayed with his sisters for a “few months”. “We mutually decided to move out and I shifted to Sector 50,which is not even 15 minutes away. I rented an accommodation and left the house to them,” said Vipin.

Vipin said he last met his sisters in October 2010.

“I told them to forget the past and that this distance between us is ridiculous. I tried my best. But even then,I could never think things would come to this,” he added.

He added that though his sisters looked “thin”,he did not notice anything unusual in the house.

At the hospital,doctors said Sonali is fully conscious and does not require any respiration support. “She does not remember if it’s winter or summer… She also asked us what the time was,” said a doctor.

“She is coherent at times. She drifts off and rambles at other occasions,” said a doctor. “When she came (to the hospital),she said she was hungry and asked for biscuits and tea.”

Vipin now plans to ensure good care for Sonali. According to hospital authorities,he had deposited Rs 30,000 for her treatment and said he would pay for his sister’s treatment.

Meanwhile,District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal said an inquiry would be constituted under the city magistrate to establish the circumstances that led to the incident. “We are starting an open investigation — looking at all aspects. We have set a tentative deadline of 15 days,” he said.

National Commission for Women has already initiated an inquiry into the case.