Two decades on, scars of 2005 Delhi blasts still fresh for survivors

“I have not seen my son ever, and he is 20 years old now,” said Kuldeep Singh, a 2005 Delhi bomb blast survivor who lost his eyesight while saving dozens of passengers of a DTC bus near Govindpuri.

As Delhi marks 20 years of the 2005 serial bomb blasts on Wednesday, survivors and families of those killed still live with memories of that fateful evening which fell just two days before Diwali.

The blasts had ripped through busy markets on October 29, 2005, killing 62 people and injuring 210.

Singh, who was a bus driver with the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), recalls that day vividly. “I was driving from Kalkaji Depot when a few passengers raised an alarm, saying there was a bomb in the back seat. I immediately drove the bus towards a quieter place and asked everyone to get down,” he recounts.

“When I checked, there was indeed a bomb in a bag. I carried it and placed it near a tree, away from the bus. As I walked away, it went off. I lost my right hand, hearing in my right ear and eyesight in both eyes,” he said.

A month-and-a-half after the incident, Singh’s son was born — a child he has never seen. “But I am proud that I could save 80 to 85 passengers,” he added.

For some, the day changed the course of their lives forever.

Surendra Yadav, brother of 20-year-old Kaushlendra who died in the Sarojini Nagar blast, still remembers every detail. “My brother had moved from Bihar to earn for our family. He worked at a bag shop in Sarojini Nagar. That day, I met him and left the market barely 10 minutes before the explosion,” said Yadav.

“After losing him, I couldn’t continue my studies as all the responsibilities fell on me. He wanted us to live better but that Diwali changed everything. It was Dhanteras that day and even now, every Dhanteras brings back those painful memories. Festivals don’t feel festive anymore,” he says.

An eyewitness, Ashok Randhawa, who is also the president of the Mini Market Association at Sarojini Nagar, recalls that he narrowly escaped death.

“I had stepped out to call the police to disperse the crowd when the blast took place. Within minutes, I heard the sound and rushed back. The scene was horrifying — body parts were strewn across the market,” he recalled.

“It was Dhanteras and the market was packed. The blast occurred near Shyam Juice Corner. The owner, Lal Chand Shaluja, had just called me to bring police help as the area was getting overcrowded,” he said.

Randhawa later founded the South Asian Forum for People Against Terror to support victims and survivors of terror attacks. “Every year, on October 29, we hold a memorial at Sarojini Nagar to pay tribute to those who lost their lives. Families gather here to remember their loved ones,” he said.

This year, the group has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging a two per cent reservation policy for the victims and families affected by the 2005 blasts.

The 2005 Delhi serial blasts targeted three locations — Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and a DTC bus in Govindpuri — just ahead of Diwali, leaving behind scars that remain even two decades later.

While the city has moved on, for survivors like Kuldeep Singh and families like Yadav’s, time has only deepened the memories — of courage, loss and a Diwali that never came again.