Guwahati: He survived the crash that claimed 26 lives, but the three-year-old boy is still waiting for a familiar face to return.Too young to understand the tragedy, the child has been crying for his mother and repeatedly calling out “maa” as nurses hold him close and try to comfort him. More than 24 hours after the fatal Kaziranga road accident, no family member or guardian had come forward to claim him, leaving his identity and future uncertain.If no relative or guardian comes forward, the district child protection unit (DCPU), Golaghat, will initiate the process of taking him into its custody once doctors certify that he is medically fit.For the hospital staff, the most distressing sight has been the child’s desperate search for his mother. Unable to settle on his hospital bed, he cried through Friday night, prompting nurses to take turns carrying him in their arms and on their shoulders to soothe him.“He kept calling out ‘maa’ and refused to sleep on the hospital bed. He seemed frightened and kept looking for someone familiar. The nurses took turns holding him close and comforting him, trying to make him feel safe,” a nurse said.The circumstances in which the child was travelling in the ill-fated vehicle remain unclear. An injured passenger told the media that the boy had boarded the vehicle with a man and a woman believed to be his parents. Their identities, however, have not yet been established.“Three adults injured in the accident, including a woman, remained unidentified,” a doctor said.Officials have not ruled out the possibility that the woman undergoing treatment in the ICU could be the boy’s mother, although this is yet to be confirmed.“His identity has not been officially established. However, there are indications that the woman undergoing treatment in the ICU could be his mother. We are waiting for confirmation,” an official said.“If the child’s health condition is stable and a medical board issues a fitness certificate, the District Child Protection Unit will take him into its custody if no family member or guardian comes forward to claim him. He will then be produced before the District Child Welfare Committee, Golaghat, which will decide on the next course of action,” said Pallabi Saikia, in-charge district child protection officer, Golaghat.The boy, who suffered minor injuries in the accident, is under observation at Swahid Kamala Miri Civil Hospital in Bokakhat, Golaghat district. Doctors have advised 72 hours of observation after a CT scan of his brain was conducted at Golaghat Civil Hospital on Saturday.“He has sustained injuries near one of his eyes and some scratches on his head, but his condition is not considered serious,” a doctor said.
