New Zealand resident Ivan D’Souza is in town to get his wisdom tooth extracted. Twelve years ago, D’Souza met with an event which left his lower jaw broken in 14 places, apart from other injuries. He’s here to consult Dr Kali Kapadia, a dental and maxillo-facial surgeon, who fixed his broken jaw then.
While he’s at it, D’Souza will also try and meet the man responsible for it: bomb blast accused Abu Salem.
“If I could just get a few minutes with him, I would ask just one question: What would you do if your relative or loved one was grievously injured in a bomb blast?” says the 42-year-old businessman, who suffered major injuries in the 1993 bomb blasts at Bombay Stock Exchange.
D’Souza also lost his right eye. He’s still grappling with the horror of Black Friday, as doctors keep discovering and extracting newer glass shards from his body. The latest was removed from the ridge of his nose a few years ago.
“The memories are vivid. When I heard about blasts in Mumbai — whether on BEST buses, trains or at the Gateway of India — there was just one thought: what drives these people to cause so much destruction and pain. Is it money or plain revenge?” he asks, rubbing his lower jaw.
The news of Salem’s extradition has brought hope for D’Souza and others like him seeking justice. While he believes it is a right step, he thinks the don will get away with a light sentence.
D’Souza recently mustered up the courage to visit the blast site. “A lot has changed since then. There is so much security and hawkers have been deterred by a sturdy iron railing,” he says.
His case was so serious that his surgeon remembers him even after all these years. “When I called Dr Kapadia to fix an appointment, his first reaction was ‘Mr Bomblast’, how are you doing?”
