By Aggrey Baba
“Somebody help me!” That was the final, desperate cry of 35-year-old Rajiv Ruparelia, son of business mogul Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, as flames consumed him alive inside a wrecked car on a Saturday , May 3 morning on a dark stretch of road near Busabala.
The heart-wrenching moment was witnessed by Pastor Gerald Lutaaya, a born-again preacher who was in church for his routine overnight prayer. At that hour, most city dwellers had left town, the streets nearly empty. Only a few labourers, like boda boda riders and late-night drivers, were still working the roads.
“I was deep in prayer when I heard a loud, strange bang. I stopped immediately and ran outside. From my church, I could see it clearly. The car had just crashed.”
According to Lutaaya, the car had rammed into a metallic traffic pole after flying off the road at high speed. What followed was a massive explosion, and then fire. “It was not a normal fire. It was wild, fuel-fed. The car was torn, and the flames were like a furnace.”
Within seconds, the pastor and six men along with one woman from nearby rushed to the scene. They were the first on site. “We arrived as the fire was rising. And then we heard the voice. Loud and desperate.”
It was Rajiv. Still alive, conscious, and trapped in the burning car. “He was shouting from inside the car, ‘Somebody help me’ Lutaaya said, adding that his hand was reaching out from the window.
Despite their efforts, there was nothing the pastor and his group could do. “No water, fire extinguisher, or emergency team. Only smoke, fire, and pain. That boy was dying in front of us, and we couldn’t save him.”
Lutaaya said Rajiv then began to speak in what sounded like Hindi, possibly praying, as death drew close. “His voice got lower and lower, until finally it was gone.”
He confirmed that Rajiv was alone in the vehicle, despite allegations that he had another person on board. “The car windows had exploded from the heat. If there was another person, we would have seen them. But it was just him, one young man, one painful death.”
Rajiv, who was known for his passion for business and rally driving, served as Managing Director of the Ruparelia Group. He oversaw major ventures in banking, education, hospitality, and real estate. He was also a husband to Naiya Ruparelia and a father to a young daughter.
His sudden death has sent shockwaves across the country, but what pains Pastor Lutaaya even more is that it could have been avoided.
“There were concrete pavements, recently placed on that road, installed without any warning signs.”
He described the scene as one that will never leave his mind. “That car turned into a storm of fire. It flew, hit the pole, and within seconds it was flames. Even the traffic lights were not working. Everything failed.”
The deceased’s father, Dr. Sudhir, described him as more than a son. “He was my right hand,” Sudhir said at Rajiv’s send off, adding that his untimely death has left a hole that nothing can fill.
His widow, Naiya, was inconsolable, clinging to their little daughter who could not understand why people were crying or why her father was never coming home.
Lutaaya says he still hears the cries in his sleep. “It wasn’t just a fire. It was a young man begging for life. And we couldn’t help. That image, his voice, it will haunt me forever.”
Now, questions hang heavy in the air. Why were the pavements installed without signage? Why was the road poorly lit and unmarked? Why was there no fire emergency response? And why do we always act after lives are lost?
Rajiv’s death is more than a tragedy, but a lesson written in fire, and one the country can’t afford to ignore. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
