New Delhi: After getting alerts about a blast near Red Fort, Ranjana Jaiswal made frantic calls to her brother. Shiva, who runs a clothing store in UP’s Devariya, had gone to Chandni Chowk to stock up on supplies for his shop.
None of the calls went through.
Worried, and desperate for more news, Ranjana switched on the TV, and there he was—on the screen, in a hospital interacting with Home Minister Amit Shah, hours after a car exploded near Red Fort in central Delhi Monday.
It was only then that the family breathed a sigh of relief.
Shiva’s uncle told ThePrint that the 28-year-old had reached Chandni Chowk by 6 pm. After 6.50 pm, when the blast occurred, he was untraceable.
“The family was looking for him. We assumed his phone won’t be functional. We started watching TV news, and then in one of the videos, we saw Home Minister Amit Shah speaking with him,” the uncle said.
According to the family, Shiva was 200 metres from the blast site. “He doesn’t remember what happened. Or how he fell. His condition is stable,” the uncle said.
Shiva, who sustained multiple fractures, and injuries to his neck and right hand, is among dozens admitted to LNJP Hospital after the blast ripped through the bustling Delhi street. At least 12 others were brought dead to the facility.
On Monday evening, Mohammad Farrukh’s family too scrambled for news of his whereabouts. They rushed to LNJP after learning about the blast, and scattered at different entry gates of the hospital to get whatever news they could.
The 55-year-old runs a refrigerator shop in Daryaganj, and was in Chandni Chowk to buy some goods.
Finally, a hospital official confirmed he was among the injured. Farrukh, who sustained leg injuries, is stable and is under treatment.
“We were tense. We just wanted to make sure he is alive and well. This has been a tough situation for the entire family,” said his nephew Mohammad Hufaiza (15).
A flurry of politicians
Along with the Home Minister, several political leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, visited the hospital to meet survivors of the blast and their families.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj went to LNJP on Tuesday morning and alleged that family members of some of the blast victims told him they got little to no assistance.
“Sympathy has no value if the government cannot even provide an ambulance for families to retrieve the bodies,” he said. “This is heartbreaking, and wrong. We met the injured and spoke with the doctors. We pray they will recover soon.”
BJP MP from Chandni Chowk, Praveen Khandelwal, who visited LNJP on Tuesday, said the government has offered assistance to all blast survivors and their families.
“I met everyone. They expressed satisfaction that their treatment is being done properly… I express my condolences to those whose family members passed away,” he said.
He added, “Whoever is responsible for this (the blast) will receive the strictest punishment. The Home Minister is keeping an eye on this entire matter. The investigation is ongoing.”
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