A year after Mumbai 13/7 blasts: No posters, silent grief

Mumbai: Mumbai today quietly mourned its dead on the first anniversary of 13 July triple blasts last year that claimed 27 lives and left over 100 wounded. There was no huge posters and cutouts of the victims, no show of collective public grief and anger that have become a ritual on every anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, as victims’ families try to come to terms with the loss. The bustle is yet to return to ‘Khau Galli’ in Zaveri Bazaar, lined with stalls selling snacks, which attracted huge crowds before the blast that brought back shocking memories of 26/11 carnage that left in its bloody trail 166 dead and many more injured. ‘Khau Galli’, where a scooter packed with explosives went off that fateful day, now scares many in Zaveri Bazaar, the city’s diamond and jewellery hub. [caption id=“attachment_376933” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] “We still remember the scene after the blasts…It took the life out of us…cannot forget the horrific incident. People lying in pools of blood and others running helter skelter,” says Ramesh Pandit, a trader, with the scene of moments soon after the blast firmly etched on his mind. “Khau Galli brings back those shocking and sad memories. I have stopped going there now just because I don’t want to be reminded of what happened that evening,” says another diamond merchant. Traders complain that despite their repeated demand for setting up a police picket in the locality, police have not taken steps in this direction. “So, we continue to live in perennial fear,” a trader said. Zaveri Bazaar, with its narrow lanes and bylanes, had also been targeted by terrorists on  25 August, 2003 when two taxis exploded there and at Mumbai’s landmark Gateway of India, killing 54 and wounding 244. The explosions were believed to have been triggered in retaliation for the Gujarat communal riots the year before. “We are going about our jobs but there is always this fear on the back of our minds that anything can happen any time,” says Paresh Thakur, a shopkeeper. CCTV cameras have been installed at various locations in Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House and security has been tightened including at the nearby famous Mumbadevi temple, which is visited by thousands of devotees every day. Police patrolling was intensified at Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House a fortnight ago as a precautionary measure ahead of the first anniversary of the triple-blasts that rocked Kabutarkhana in Dadar besides these places. A police van is stationed in the locality since last couple of days and beat marshals are making the usual rounds. The streets which once used to be chock-a-block with people and vehicles are far less crowded as roadside parking has been banned. The place has also been cleared of hawkers. Balwant Singh, brother of Sundar Singh Bisht, who lost his life in the Zaveri Bazaar blast, says his family is still trying to come to terms with the loss. “Sundar’s wife got some compensation from the government but how long will it last?” asks Balwant, who is worried about his brother’s son Rohan. Chetna Vankar, who lost her husband Chandrakant in the Opera House blast is still hunting for a job to raise her family. Meanwhile, the trial in this case is yet to begin. Police have arrested five accused - Naquee Ahmed, Nadeem Shaikh, Kanwar Pathrija, Haroon Naik and Mohammed Qafeel, and filed a charge sheet in the case. Six others, including alleged masterminds Riyaz Bhatkal and Yasin Bhatkal, are still absconding. Ujjwal Nikam, who has been appointed special public prosecutor in the case, said he cannot tell when the trial would commence. PTI