Mistry died of head injury, says doctor; last rites to be held on Tuesday

The doctor, who attended to Cyrus Mistry, said that the former Tata Sons Chairman had received a head injury when his car rammed into the divider and he was "brought dead" to the hospital.

Palghar (Maharashtra):The doctor who attended to Cyrus Mistry after he was brought to a government hospital in Kasa following a road accident on Sunday said that the former Tata Sons chairman had received a head injury when his car rammed into the divider and he was "brought dead" to the hospital.

Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident near Mumbai on Sunday. According to Palghar Police, Mistry was traveling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai when his car hit the divider. Four persons were traveling in the car, two of whom died on the spot including Mistry, and the other two were shifted to the hospital.

Dr Shubham Singh said, "At first, two patients were brought which included Cyrus Mistry and Jahangir Dinsha Pandol. Both of them were brought dead. The locals who brought them told us that Cyrus Mistry had died on the spot. Jahangir Dinsha Pandol was alive on the spot, however, he died during the transit. We declared him dead around 5 pm."

"After 10 minutes, the second ambulance came carrying the other two patients. Both had injuries. Both of them were given first aid treatment and shifted to a higher center. Their relatives shifted them to Rainbow hospital, from where they were airlifted to Mumbai," he added.

The doctor informed that the postmortem had to be done in the government hospital, however, they received a call from the district collector which stated that they have to be shifted to JJ Hospital for "expert opinion". "Cyrus Mistry had a head injury and Jahangir Dinsha had a left leg fracture and head injury. Their postmortem was to happen here, but we received a call from the district collector and SP that they have to be shifted to JJ Hospital for expert opinion," Dr Shubham said.

According to the Superintendent of Police, Palghar, Balasaheb Patil, the accident happened due to the driver's loss of control due to overspeeding. "Primarily it seems that the accident happened due to the driver's loss of control. More details will be revealed only after the investigation, but prima facie it seems that the accident happened due to overspeeding and the driver not getting the right judgment. There were 4 people in the car, one of whom was a woman and the woman was driving the car. At present, the woman is injured and is undergoing treatment," the police official said.

The official noted the presence of "blind spots" at various places on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway and stated that the subject has been placed before the Blind Spot Eradication Committee. "Efforts are also being made by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to eliminate these blind spots," the SP said.

The official said that there is a necessity to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident. "A detailed investigation is necessary for the context of the incident that happened today. DCM has also ordered a detailed inquiry, and an investigation is also being done as per his instructions," Patil said.

Mistry's final rites shall be held on Tuesday morning at 11 am, at the Worli Crematorium here, as informed by his family. The rites are purportedly being deferred because of the absence of his son and wife, who are currently in the UK, gone for a family function.

A brief announcement by the family said: "Beloved husband of Rohiqa, father of Firoz and Zahan, son of the late Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry and Patsy Mistry, son-in-law of Iqbal and Roshan Chagla, brother of Laila Rustom Jehangir, Aloo Noel Tata, and Shapoor Mistry."

"A friend to many, loved by all. A life well lived," the family added, requesting, "No condolence visits please."The young tycoon Mistry's abrupt departure stunned the country and left the Indian corporate world shocked on Sunday.

A forensic examination of the car involved in the accident is also underway. The Mercedes-Benz GLC 220d 4MATIC, the SUV Cyrus Mistry was riding in on Sunday, comes with various safety features to protect passengers but just like other high-end cars, it has no airbags for rear seats. Mistry's friend Jahangir Pandole who was also killed was aboard the car.

According to the police, there was no CCTV camera at the spot of the accident, and no cameras were installed in his car either. The exact circumstances and reasons for the accident are being investigated.

Mistry, who was the sixth chairman of Tata Sons, was ousted from the position in October 2016. He had taken over as the chairman in December 2012 after Ratan Tata announced his retirement. N Chandrasekaran later took over as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons. He was killed in a road accident in Palghar on Sunday afternoon. (With Agency Inputs)