2-year-old Chinni, who was killed in a car accident involving Hema Malini's Mercedes
At a hospital in Rajasthan, the father of the two-year-old child killed in an accident with Hema Malini's car responded bitterly to tweets by the actor-politician accusing him of violating traffic rules.
"My daughter was flung on the road according to eye witnesses. She could have helped my child at least. Anyone could have taken pity on a two-year-old child, she could have taken my daughter with her," said Harsh Khandelwal, who is still in hospital with a fractured leg. He and his family have been in hospital since Thursday, when the accident took place.
Hema Malini has been criticised for leaving the accident site in Dausa without reaching out to the family or offering help. The 66-year-old BJP parliamentarian, who was injured in her forehead, was driven away soon after the crash and taken to a private hospital.
The Khandelwals allegedly had to wait. By the time they were taken to a government hospital, their youngest, little Chinni, had died.
Hema Malini's tweets today have incensed her critics even more.
"My heart goes out to the child who unnecessarily lost her life and the family members who have been injured in the accident. How I wish the girl's father had followed the traffic rules - thn this accident could have been averted & the lil one's life safe!" the lawmaker posted this morning.
Mr Khandelwal said it was Hema Malini's Mercedes that had been speeding. His wife's legs were crushed and she has stitches on her face. Their six-year-old son is also in hospital with a fractured leg.
"I had my indicator on. I saw the road was clear and then took a turn. What traffic rule did I break? Was I speeding? Her car was at 150 plus speed. She is a big name but must at least think before speaking," he said.
Last week, Hema Malini's daughter Esha Deol said her mother would provide financial help to the family. "Nobody contacted us, nobody has helped us," said Mr Khandelwal's wife Shikha, who was the last to be informed about the death of their daughter.