Sharjah: Friends and faculty members held a two-minute prayer Tuesday at Manipal University in remembrance of two university students who were killed after they were fatally hit by a speeding motorist on Monday in Sharjah.
Friends of the two Indian students, Mitthi Singh and Mariam Ahmad, ages 21 and 19 respectively, said they fondly remembered the girls, who were filled with joy and ambition, after their lives were tragically cut short in a horrific traffic accident.
Singh, who was in her final year at the university studying media communications, was remembered as a cheerful character who touched everybody's hearts.
"She was my sister's best friend and was always nice to people and polite to everybody she came across. It is so sad that she had to leave at such a young age, and I wish I could go back in time and change what happened," said a student.
Devastated by the sudden death of his daughter, Devendra Singh, the father of Mitthi, said she was to finish her degree in June.
"What can we say, maybe her time had come," said Singh who works in editorial department of Gulf News. The victim also did her internship recently with Gulf News.
Best friend
"Mariam was my best friend and one of the first people I knew on campus," said Mohammad Abdul Hanaan, a first year engineering student. According to friends, Mariam was a first-year student studying bio-technology engineering, who was going to turn 18 years old soon.
"She was a very straightforward person who was very beautiful, honest and most of all, talkative. She didn't have her bus pass on Monday and was worried about getting home early because she had to get another bus. The last thing I told her was not to worry and that she will reach home soon," said Abdul Hanaan, who last spoke to Mariam at 4pm on the university's premises.
Too late
"I knew them both and they were wonderful to be around. As soon as I heard the news, I rushed to Kuwaiti Hospital [Sharjah] in the hope that I would see Mariam, but it was too late. When I arrived, the nurse told me that she had already passed away. My prayers go out to her and her family," said Mohammad Amir Khan.
The victims' families received condolences at their home and Mitthi's father said that they would not take the body to India but cremate her here, while the funeral of Mariam was carried out yesterday afternoon at Al Shahda Mosque near Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Dr B. Ramjee, director of Manipal University at Academic City in Dubai, told Gulf News they were deeply grieved by the deaths of the young students. "The worst experience for a parent is to see the death of their child, it's a terrible tragedy. We closed down the departments of Bio-technology and Communication and postponed all classes and examinations yesterday," said Dr Ramjee.
The university has taken the responsibility to provide counselling for grieving friends of the victims.
— With additional inputs from Shveta Pathak, Staff Reporter
