UAE: Indian couple from Kerala forgives driver after 22-month-old son’s death in freak Sharjah accident

A child named after a tragedy that once moved the world has now become the centre of another heartbreak. Nearly a decade after the image of Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi shook global conscience, a Kerala-born Indian expat in the UAE chose to honour that memory by naming his son Alan Rumi — a name inspired by loss, faith and hope. Last week, in a cruel twist of fate, 22-month-old Alan Rumi died in a freak accident in Sharjah’s Muwaileh area, leaving behind grieving parents who have chosen forgiveness over blame, the Khaleej Times and Gulf News reported. ## A name born of memory It was in 2015 when the lifeless body of a Syrian toddler, washed up on the shores of Turkey, sent shockwaves worldwide, his name was Alan Kurdi. The image affected Dubai resident Sherafudheen so deeply that, when his son was born almost 10 years later, he named him Alan. “We named him Alan Rumi after Alan Kurdi and the mystic poet Rumi,” Khaleej Times quoted Sherafudheen as saying from India. “He was the light of our life, but we were only destined to have him for a short time.” Alan, who was one year and nine months old, was killed in a freak accident in a sandy parking lot near the family’s residential building in Muwaileh, Sharjah. ## ‘It wasn’t anyone’s fault’ In an extraordinary act of forgiveness, the grieving parents, originally from Kerala, have pardoned the driver, also an Indian expat, whose car struck their only child. “He messaged me last night to check on me,” Sherafudheen said. “He was released from lock-up, but his passport was retained as a guarantee on the day of the accident, when we didn’t file complaints. He is now awaiting some court paperwork. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was an unfortunate incident in which there were lapses of attention from all sides. Punishing the driver will not bring back our son. We are now trying to move on.” Speaking to Gulf News, the father added, “When we got to know that he (the driver) was taken into custody for interrogation that night, I informed the police that we do not want to complain against him. We have also given it in writing.” “Our loss is our loss. We cannot replace it, but we do not want to put another family in grief over something that happened unknowingly.” Sharjah Police confirmed that the accident took place after 7pm and said the case has been referred to Public Prosecution. The police urged parents and drivers to exercise greater caution to avoid similar accidents. ## How the accident happened On the day of the tragedy, Sherafudheen was working in Dubai Investment Park and Al Quoz. His wife had taken their son downstairs to dispose of garbage in the sandy lot where trash bins are kept. “The waste bin is at one end of the sandy parking area,” he said. “There is also a footpath where kids play. One of our neighbours came down with their son, who was the same age as Alan. The boys were playing together when they spotted a cat and ran after it. “My wife called out to stop them. The other boy stopped, but when my son turned around and saw my wife running after him, he thought she was playing with him. He squealed with laughter and ran full speed into the incoming car. The driver was taking his car out of the parking lot to pick up his wife. It was a terrible accident that was nobody’s fault.” The devastated mother recalled the moment to Gulf News, “I couldn’t catch hold of him. He was too close to the car. The driver couldn’t have seen him. It was all of a sudden. Neither of us could do anything.” “I couldn’t believe what happened. I broke down and cried.” The same driver rushed them to a nearby private hospital instead of waiting for an ambulance, she said. Doctors later referred the child to a government hospital, but despite being transferred by ambulance, he succumbed to internal injuries. Alan was buried in Dubai the following day. The couple returned to India the same day. The visit was meant to be special. It was the family’s first Ramadan together in the UAE. “We had intended to go for Umrah in Saudi Arabia during the last ten days of Ramadan,” Sherafudheen said. “After that, we had plans to visit India for Eid Al Fitr.” The couple had also planned to settle in the UAE permanently after Eid. “My company was ready to give me a family visa,” he said. “I also asked to be assigned to Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah so we could live there, which would have been more affordable. We had all these plans, but then God had other plans for us. We’re trusting Him and trying to move forward.” ## A plea for vigilance “He would have turned two on April 23,” the father said. Even in grief, the father hopes their tragedy will serve as a lesson. “It was a momentary lapse of attention that brought our whole world crashing down,” he said. “I hope people pay more attention to the roads.” The couple say they are slowly coming to terms with the reality. “We have no other option,” he said.