Rajani Das, who lost her son, daughter-in-law and grandchild. (Amit Datta)

When Pradip Das left his Entally home on Friday afternoon for Rajgarh in Andul to attend the marriage ceremony of his cousin, he had promised his mother that he would take her to the marketplace on Saturday evening and buy a new deity for her puja corner.

On Sunday afternoon, Rajani Das’s gaze was still fixed on the main door of her 100sq ft room on the ground floor of 24A Suresh Sarkar Road, hoping to see her son walk in with his wife and seven-month-old daughter.

“He always keeps his word. He promised me he would take me to buy a new idol,” the grey-haired mother has been telling her neighbours every time they have tried to break the news of Sunday’s bus accident on Bankim Setu having wiped out her family.

Pradip, 27, along with wife Sukorna, 20, and infant daughter Pooja had boarded the Sankrail-Howrah minibus that lost control while trying to overtake another bus on the same route and plunged 35 feet to the rail tracks below.

Pradip and Sukorna died on the spot. When rescuers realised that little Pooja was still breathing, they rushed her to RG Kar Hospital. But she died there a few hours later.

The three were earlier supposed to return home on Friday night. “But Pradip’s cousin’s family requested them to stay back and leave on Saturday afternoon, instead, with a group of four other relatives who were also heading back to Calcutta. So, Pradip changed his return plans,” said neighbour Gautam Dutta.

The four who had boarded a bus just behind the ill-fated one alerted Pradip’s neighbours in Entally, following which Dutta and some others rushed to the accident spot.

Pradip, the sole earning member of the family, worked in a shoe-manufacturing unit in the locality. He had married Sukorna in January 2007.

“He had not studied beyond Class VIII but he was very good at his work. So, he managed to earn a decent amount every month and support the family. One callous act in a lawless state has finished an entire family and left an ageing mother to fend for herself,” said Dutta.

Till Sunday afternoon, Rajani Das remained in denial. “My son is keeping aside a portion of his earnings to rent a spacious room. He does not want his daughter to grow up in such a small room,” she mumbled.

By evening, the heartbroken mother’s tears had begun to flow.