Justice a Far Cry: Kovolou

No Justice Yet for a Northeast Boy Who Died in Accident

WHILE WAITING for the final judgment, he passed away just 22 days before his case could be resolved. He is D. Ng. Kovolou, who worked in a BPO and met a fateful accident one early dawn in the national capital, which led to the end of his life.

Kovolou

The Northeast Today visited Kovolou’s sister, Sunny Paotei (33), and her husband Robinson Paotei (35), at their rented residence in Safdarjung Enclave, South Delhi, on 25 April 2014. Sunny is a simple housewife who looks after two little children: a 3-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old son, while her husband, Robinson Paotei, has been working a night shift in a BPO in Noida (UP) for the last eight years.

Here is the brief tale of Mr Kovolou according to his sister, Sunny. It was on the lovely day of 11 September 1979 that he was born into a humble family of Mr D. Ngaorai and Mrs L. Tholue of Phuba Thapham village, Senapati district, Manipur, as the youngest among eight siblings – six girls and one brother (who is unfortunately born deaf and dumb), who had welcomed him with open arms affectionately. Being the youngest, he was showered with love right from his birth, they said. When Kovolou was only four years old, his father passed away in 1983, leaving the family distraught and hapless. Kovolou grew up with many memories of his father. His siblings made sure that he got all the love and care throughout his childhood.

He was an intelligent boy from his school days, and his school teachers would fondly speak of him till today, says Sunny. Kovolou’s early schooling days began in KT Higher Secondary School, Kangpokpi (an hour's drive from Imphal), where he studied from Nursery to Class V while staying in the hostel. He then shifted to Savio School in Tungjoy, Senapati, where he matriculated in 1996. Blessed with good health, he developed a passion for sports and actively participated in various extracurricular activities from his school days. After matriculation, he moved to Bangalore in 1996 to pursue his pre-university course at Baldwin Boys PU College and successfully graduated in 1999. His friends from his Bangalore days still speak fondly of him with love while he was in his sick bed.

In 1999, he came to Delhi to pursue his BA in English from Jamia Millia Islamia University. His three-year graduation course was completed with fun and joy. Upon graduating in 2004, he soon joined Convergys as a Customer Care Officer to support the family, becoming the main breadwinner in the household.

He joined IBM as a Specialist Care Service in 2005 and was subsequently promoted to Team Leader due to his excellent performance. In 2009, he joined Mortimer Infotech Pvt Ltd as a Senior Travel Consultant. Later, in 2010, he joined Touram IT Pvt Ltd as a Sales Executive. At the time of the fateful accident, he was working at Onkar Infotech Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon, Haryana, as a Supervisor, which he had joined in 2011. Wherever he worked, he was praised for his sincerity and honesty. He maintained a cordial relationship with all his colleagues, and wherever he went, he was admired for his faithfulness.

On the fateful morning of 15 September 2012, while travelling in an office cab ‘Tavera Car’ with his colleagues, a Toyota Innova car recklessly hit their vehicle at Sanjay T-Point, Mahipalpur in South Delhi at around 4:30 am. Four of his colleagues were also injured, and Kovolou was critically injured, with his left leg almost completely fractured. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre, New Delhi, where he received medical treatment until 2 December 2012.

“His injuries caused him a cent per cent (100%) disability, and since then, he was lying in bed in a vegetative state. He was paralyzed due to his injuries. He was merely surviving on Jejunostomy feeding, a Tracheotomy breathing pipe, Caspofungin and Imipenem injections, with follow-up care in a confined vegetative state, before he died,” Sunny told The Northeast Today during the visit to her residence.

From day one, he was in a vegetative state, and his condition worsened daily following the accident. He was observed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of AIIMS Trauma Centre for 15 days and another 14 days in the ICU of AIIMS for Gastro & Ortho Surgery until 2 December 2012, before being moved to their rented accommodation in Safdarjung Enclave, where he was looked after with special care by his family members.

On 31 July 2013, Kovolou's condition suddenly deteriorated and he was brought to AIIMS Emergency. However, the following day, 1 August 2013, he was declared dead at around 2:30 pm. Despite all the enduring efforts of his sisters and relatives, death could not be averted. His family members dedicated everything to nurse him back to health, but due to his extremely critical condition, nothing more could be done. After more than 10 months of struggling to keep him alive, he finally succumbed to eternal sleep, from which there was no awakening.

The hope of his family turned into despair soon after the fateful accident. Sunny Paotei shared that they had spent more than 30 lakhs on Kovolou’s medical treatment from that fateful morning until the last ritual of his death. Over the past years, the financial resources of Kovolou's family have been exhausted. The family had no alternative source of income, which created a big headache for them. Eventually, they borrowed Rs 18 lakhs in loan, with an interest rate of 4% per month. But justice for Kovolou’s family seems a far cry.

Condolence Meeting for Kovalou's Passing.

“Kovolou’s death was an extremely difficult time for our family. It shocked every heart when the news of his demise spread. Death is an inevitable fate that all human beings have to face, one day or another. Life and death are only in God’s hands. He gives, and He takes it back,” shared Robinson Paotei helplessly.

Kovolou was staying with his sister and brother-in-law while he was working in a BPO until he met with his tragic death. He was cared for and looked after by them.

As the youngest son and beloved child in the family, his parents had sent him to Delhi for higher education, investing a significant sum of money with great expectations. They hoped that one day he would look after his ageing mother and also support his six sisters and one brother.

Ironically, Kovolou’s employer – Onkar Infotech – refused to give him his salary for the month of September 2012 and other dues until now. When Sunny approached his employer to enquire about his salary, she was shockingly told, “He [Kovolou] had left the company.” But he had not left or resigned from his job when the tragic accident occurred while he was returning from his night shift work.

Sunny, distraught, wrote a letter to Onkar Infotech requesting payment for her brother’s salary and other dues, clearly mentioning that her brother was no longer in a position to talk, write, or return to work since he was completely (100%) paralyzed. However, her humble request was turned down. Since the incident, nothing from the employer has been forthcoming.

Sunny & her family.

Sunny further stated that what was even more shocking and inhumane was Onkar Infotech’s total negligence towards its own employee, Mr Kovolou, who met with the accident while on duty. Not only did Onkar Infotech refuse to pay his salary and other dues, but it also advised other employees who were injured along with Kovolou to approach the lawyer hired by the family, claiming the lawyer had been hired by Onkar Infotech. The next hearing will be held in the District Court, Dwarka, on 3 May 2014.

“My brother Kovolou did not receive any aid from his office after the accident. We have approached his employer for medical reimbursement and pending salaries, but they refused to listen to us. Two of Kovolou’s colleagues, who were also injured during the accident, had already received their medical reimbursement and pending salaries. This is how they neglected us,” said Sunny, wiping her tears.

~ Bruce K. Thangkhal
Special Correspondent, New Delhi
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