Delhi blast: Cabbie, cosmetics shop owner among victims

A day after the deadly Red Fort blast shook Delhi, the scene outside Lok Nayak hospital’s mortuary was one of quiet devastation. Grief hung heavy in the air as families of the victims waited in disbelief, their faces marked by excruciating pain.

Inside the locked gates lay the bodies of those killed in the explosion. At least 13 persons lost their lives while over 20 were injured.

“The bodies of almost everyone who had died were collected in pieces,” said a hospital guard, his voice low. Ambulances stood in a row inside the mortuary, their engines off, yet their presence spoke of the tragedy within. One by one, the relatives of the victims, Pankaj Sahni, Nouman and Jumman, walked out.

Pankaj (22), a resident of Samastipur in Bihar, worked as a driver with cab services Uber and Ola. He was near the Red Fort area on the day of the blast, having gone there to drop off a relative at the railway station.

When his father, Balak Ram, walked out of the mortuary, his face was etched with grief. “I am unwell,” is all he could speak, his voice trembling.

Pankaj’s family learnt of his death from a photo of a damaged car shared on social media. That’s when the family realised he was among the victims.

As the next ambulance prepared to exit, relatives of Jumman walked out. Jumman was an e-rickshaw driver and his last mobile phone location was traced to the stretch near the blast zone. His family from Seelampur was searching for him in hospitals, when they got to know about his death. Jumman is survived by his wife and three sons, and was the sole breadwinner of his family.

Nouman Ansari (23), who had a cosmetics shop in Jhinjhana in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh, had come to Delhi to collect supplies for his shop. As his father walked out of the mortuary, he could barely stand on his own. He seemed to be desolate and completely inconsolable.

Other identified victims of the blast included 40-year old Ashok Kumar from Amroha, who was a DTC bus conductor. He was the sole breadwinner in his family of eight. Amar Kataria, a 35-year old pharmacist, also lost his life.

Near the entrance, several men stood motionless, staring blankly at the mortuary door. Police personnel moved in and out of the building even as the entry for outsiders was restricted. But the grief was visible even from across the barricades.