Ashok Kumar is one of the nine people killed in the car blast near Delhi's Red Fort on Monday evening. A native of Uttar Pradesh's Amroha, Ashok Kumar worked two jobs and was the sole earner for his family of eight.
It was a regular workday for Ashok, who was employed as a bus conductor with the Delhi Transport Corporation. He used to work on a cluster bus and cover the Old Delhi route.
When Pappu saw his cousin Ashok's name on the list of the victims of the Delhi blast, he was shocked. "I read his name on the list and said, 'He is my cousin.' I called around to confirm. He also had a bike, which is missing," Pappu told NDTV at the LNJP Hospital, where most victims were taken after the blast.
Ashok lived with his wife and four children - three girls and a boy - in Delhi's Jagatpur, nearly 15 km from the blast site.
What was Ashok doing near the Red Fort at the time of the blast? Pappu said, "He would be either returning from work or going somewhere. He used to take this route."
He added: "His mother, Somwati, lives in the village with her elder son, Subhash. Ashok used to single-handedly shoulder the family's responsibilities, as Subhash is often unwell."
Ashok supported his family by working as a conductor during the day and as a security guard at night.
READ | "We Do Not Feel Safe": Family Of Injured Says Red Fort Car Blast Was A Huge Shock
It turned out that Ashok had gone to the site to meet an old friend from Amroha.
As grieving families looked frantically for their loved ones, an elderly man was seen looking for one Lokesh Kumar Gupta, his relative.
The man revealed that Lokesh Kumar Gupta was to meet Ashok Kumar, who would have picked him up from the Chandni Chowk metro station.
"Lokesh Kumar Gupta is my relative. We both left Sir Ganga Ram Hospital together in the evening. Lokesh boarded the metro to Chandni Chowk, where Ashok was meant to meet him," the elderly man said.
While Ashok died in the blast, Lokesh remains missing.
Video: Delhi Red Fort Car Explosion Heard On Camera, Crowd Seen Running Away
Amar Kataria, a pharmaceutical businessman, also lost his life in the blast. A resident of Sriniwaspuri, 34-year-old Kataria was ready to return home after a full day of work. He shut his pharmacy in Bhagirath Palace, nearly 6 km from Red Fort, and was headed home when the blast occured.
Kataria's father was seen weeping outside the LNJP Hospital.
9 Killed, 20 Injured In Delhi Blast
Nine people were killed and 20 injured after a slow-moving Hyundai i20 exploded at a traffic stop near the Red Fort Metro Station gate number 1 on Monday evening. The blast occured at 6.52 pm and caused damage to nearby vehicles. Disturbing visuals from the ground showed mangled bodies.
The blast is being probed as a terror attack, with Delhi Police having invoked UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) sections after forensic evidence and intelligence inputs pointed to possible terror links.
Dr Umar Mohammad is suspected to be the suicide bomber who was behind the wheels of the white Hyundai i20 car. His mother and brothers have been detained for questioning in Jammu and Kashmir.
Apart from Umar, three more people are suspected of being involved in the Delhi 10/11 blast - Tariq Ahmed Malik, Aamir Rashid and Umar Rashid. The three suspects were arrested from Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night.
The blast took place on a day a massive haul of 2,900 kg of explosives was found just 50 km from the capital, in neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.
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