- Nine families lost their loved ones in the deadly blast near Delhi's Red Fort
- Pankaj Saini, a 22-year-old cab driver, was the sole earner for his family. So was Ashok Kumar
- The bodies of six victims have been identified. Several bodies are mutilated, making identification difficult
The deadly blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort, which shattered the national capital's peace and set off alarm bells in India's security establishment, turned the world upside down for nine families who lost their own and must now pick up the pieces.
Pankaj Saini, originally from Bihar, was a cab driver who had just dropped off a passenger at Chandni Chowk. Noman from Uttar Pradesh's Shamli was in the area to pick up supplies for his cosmetic shop. And Ashok Kumar, who worked as a conductor with the Delhi Transport Corporation, was in the crowded area to meet another victim. It was just another day for them, till it wasn't. A white i20 car, probably driven by a suicide bomber, exploded, and death ripped through several other vehicles.
Pankaj Saini, 22, was his family's sole earner. "What do I say? Pankaj had just dropped off a passenger at Chandni Chowk when this happened. We demand justice from the government, we hope justice will be served," his father told the media at Delhi's Lok Nayak Hospital, where he came to collect his young son's body.
Ashok, too, was the only earning member of a family of eight. Originally from Amroha, he lived in Delhi's Jagatpur with his wife and four children. A Delhi Transport Corporation employee, he was in the area to meet Lokesh Kumar Gupta, also from Amroha, when tragedy struck.
Hours after the blast, Ashok's cousin saw his name on the list of the victims. "I read his name in the list and said, 'He is my cousin.' I called around to confirm. He also had a bike, which is missing."
"His mother, Somwati, lives in the village with her elder son, Subhash. Ashok single-handedly shouldered family responsibilities because Subhash is often unwell," Pappu said. Ashok also worked as a security guard at night for some extra income, he said.
A relative of Lokesh Gupta said he was supposed to meet Ashok at Chandni Chowk. "Lokesh Kumar Gupta is my relative. We left Sir Ganga Ram Hospital together. Lokesh boarded the metro to Chandni Chowk, where Ashok was to meet him," the elderly man said.
Also among the victims is Noman from Shamli, who went to the wholesale market in Chandni Chowk to buy cosmetics for his shop. The 22-year-old died on the spot, and his cousin Aman was injured.
Noman's uncle, Furqan, said his death has devastated the family. "The ones who died were hardworking people. We lost our son. The government should give such a response that they don't dare to do something like this," he said.
Outside the Lok Nayak hospital, an elderly man was seen howling. He is the father of Amar Kataria, a 34-year-old who owned a medicine shop and was returning home when the blast struck. Kataria's shop is at Bhagirath Palace, about 600 m from the Red Fort, and he lived in Sriniwaspuri.
Among the victims is Dinesh Kumar Mishra, originally from Uttar Pradesh's Shravasti. The father of three worked at a shop selling invitation cards and lived in Delhi with his three brothers and son. His wife and two daughters live in Shravasti. His wife, Reena, said she has lost everything. Dinesh's father, Bhure, said he saw on the news that there had been a blast in Delhi. "I called up all my sons. Dinesh did not pick up the phone. I later came to know the blast killed him."
Such was the intensity of the blast that many of the bodies have not been identified yet. Outside the Lok Nayak Hospital, there is an eerie silence punctuated by family members' wails as they try to make sense, in vain, of how their world was shattered.
