Former Indian Sprinter Sangeeta Kumar’s home damaged by fallen tree during thunderstorm

Delhi’s weather took a sudden turn on Friday morning when a fierce thunderstorm wreaked havoc across the city, causing significant distress for the general public, including former Indian sprinter Sangeeta Kumar.

Sangeeta Kumar, a former 100m sprinter who represented Delhi in the Junior State Championships in 1997 and 1999, faced an unfortunate incident when a large tree fell on her house in Shahpur Jat. Fortunately, her family had already evacuated the premises before the destruction occurred, but the incident left them stranded on the road in the aftermath.

Kumar, who had also competed alongside the legendary PT Usha in her junior career, was visibly shaken by the disaster. The fallen tree, which had been planted inside a government school in front of her house, had been tilting toward her home for some time, having suffered significant damage from termites.

"I had given an application for its removal, but the school principal said they wouldn’t touch a leaf," Sangeeta shared. "I think the house won’t survive."

Despite her efforts to seek assistance from local authorities, Kumar faced a lack of support from BJP MLA Shikha Rai. “We approached a lot of people, including the local MLA, but she said it’s not her job to remove the tree,” Sangeeta told PTI.

Fortunately, her husband Krishan Kumar, who had briefly stepped outside to inspect the situation, was unharmed, despite narrowly dodging the falling tree. Sangeeta and her two children managed to escape the house moments before the tree crashed down. “He was shocked. He thought we had been hit by the tree, and we thought that the tree had fallen on him,” she recalled. “Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it seems my house has been severely damaged.”

The situation was dire as the Kumar family, living in a joint household of 16-17 people, was forced to take refuge on the road. “We were all on the road, not sure what to do, how to respond to the situation. People gathered around, but no one knew what to do,” Sangeeta said.

The family received some hope when former AAP MLA Sourabh Bhardwaj responded to their distress call, sending a team to assist with the situation. “They came around 1:00 pm, and a few friends helped in getting BSES officials to our house. They are trying to fix it and also remove the fallen tree. I do not know how much damage the house has suffered,” she said.