Former 100m champion Sangeeta's plea ignored after tree destroys home
New Delhi: Former Delhi champion (junior) sprinter Sangeeta Kumar's residence in Shahpur Jatt in New Delhi, Friday, May 2 2025, after a huge tree fell on it, forcing the family to be out on the street after the early morning storm. (PTI Photo)
Former Delhi sprinter
Sangeeta Kumar and her family were forced out of their home in
Shahpur Jat
when a massive tree fell on their two-story house during a
thunderstorm
on Friday morning, causing severe damage to the structure and leaving 16-17 family members stranded on the road for help.
Sangeeta, who won the 100m event at the junior state championship in 1997 and 1999, initially feared her husband was buried under the tree when she heard the crash.
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Her husband had just stepped outside to check conditions during the early morning thunderstorm when the incident occurred.
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Sangeeta rushed out with her two children to find her husband
Krishan Kumar
visibly shaken but unharmed after dodging the falling tree.
"He was shocked. He thought we had been hit by the tree and we thought that the tree has fallen on him. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But it seems my house has been severely damaged," Sangeeta told PTI.
"I had been fearing this scenario. This tree is planted inside the government school in front of our house. Termites had badly damaged the tree and it was tilting towards our house. I had given an application for its removal but the school principal said they won't touch a leaf."
"I think the house won't survive," said the 42-year-old, who claims to have competed alongside
PT Usha
in a relay event in her junior days.
The family endured eight hours of uncertainty before
BSES officials
arrived at the site around 1:00pm.
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"We approached a lot of people, including the local BJP MLA Shikha Rai but she said it's not her job to remove the tree. We somehow disconnected the power supply of the house. Ours is a joint family. Around 16-17 people live in this house. We were all on road, not sure what to do, how to respond to the situation. People gathered around in some time but no one knew what to do," Sangeeta said, crying.
"My kids have not eaten anything, none of us actually have, since morning."
Relief came when former AAP MLA Sourabh Bhardwaj responded to their SOS call and sent help. BSES officials began working to remove the tree and assess the damage.
Sangeeta reflected on her challenging journey in sports without parental support.
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"I was on my own since my childhood. My parents were not in favour of me becoming an athlete. They kept saying 'nikkar pehan ke bhaagti rehti hai' (She keeps running in shorts). I used to get scholarship from the Patiala centre, that's how I survived," she said.
Her sporting legacy continues through her children - 17-year-old daughter Megha pursues 100m running while 11-year-old son Jityensh is an aspiring cricketer.
"I do not know how will I manage. Looks like the house won't survive," she said, expressing concern about repairing the damaged house while supporting her children's athletic aspirations.
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