Delhi blast: Last rendezvous with loved ones

The air was thick with grief as friends and family of those who died in Wednesday's bomb blast at the Delhi High Court slowly came to terms with their loss and waited to receive the bodies of their loved ones outside the Sucheta Kripalani Hospital mortuary here Thursday.

The bodies were shifted to the Sucheta Kripalani Hospital late Wednesday night from the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where the injured are being treated.

Teary-eyed relatives recalled fond memories as they braced to conclude in a few hours the relationships built over years.

“This is just the beginning of our hardship and we are preparing for the worst,” said 18-year-old Damini Sharma. She lost her father, the sole bread winner for family of five.

According to the Dwarka resident, her father Ashok, 58, was in the courthouse because of a case against the management of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan, his former employers.

“He had lost his job four years back because of some issues with the management, so he had filed a case against them,” Sharma told IANS. “It was impossible to console my mother and elder sister. Hence, we did not bring them here,” Damini said.  

As journalists asked for details like her phone number and home address, Damini's 14-year-old brother, Rishabh, hesitantly urged them to not bother their mother. “If you visit our home, please don’t talk to mummy; she would not be able to control herself,” he said. 

Similar was the case with Surjit Singh, whose elder brother, Inder Singh, died in the blast. "Since childhood, he had been guiding me and it would be impossible to forget him," Surjit Singh told IANS. "Life is so unpredictable."

As time passed, the number of visitors kept on increasing. So did the number of ambulances. Only two relatives of each deceased were being allowed in the main compound. The rest remained stationed outside.

Naresh Kumar, neighbour of 50-year-old Vir Pal Singh, was very saddened by the news and accompanied Vir Pal's two sons to the hospital.

“They did not allow me to enter, so I am waiting here since 8 a.m. for his body,” Kumar told IANS with moist eyes. “He was a dear friend.”

According to Kumar, the family had suffered another tragedy hours after Vir Pal's death.

“Vir Pal's younger brother was suffering from jaundice for a long time and he passed away late Wednesday night," Kumar said. "It is so unfortunate. Maybe, he could not endure the news of his elder brother’s death.”