Hyderabad: On the anniversary of Gokul Chat blasts, survivors of the incident gathered at Gokul Chat to commemorate the tragedy that took place 11 years ago.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) exploded and broke the peace on the night of August 25, 2007. Two blasts, one in Lumbini Park and the other at Gokul Chat, went off within seconds, one after the other. Forty-two people were mercilessly killed in the combined blasts, leaving 50 people fighting hard for their lives.
Eleven years later, the road in front of the chat shop has no trace of the blast even as the people who have frequented this location claim to have an eerie feeling. Passers-by walk briskly in front of the chat shop, now closed for a day of observance, a few stop, look at the candles and flowers strewn in memory of lost lives and injured people whose suffering continues to this day. The pavement vendors have a distant look in their eyes as they recall the events that ensued after the explosion. Raheem and K Shankar, victims of the blast, said, “Every year we come back to this spot but the only thing we feel is gripping pain and fear, our lives have moved on, but the explosion, the screaming, the blackness that swallowed us in seconds, will never fade away. We fear that if it happens again, will it take another 10 years, to get closure.”
The duo claim they often reach out to other victims but get less response as the families are still not ready to face what happened that life-altering day. With the verdict of the blasts only days away, tension among those who survived the unimaginable is on the rise, and the once shattered building stands in silence.
While these blasts changed the life many people, the situation could have been more terrible as, following the blast, the frenzied police scoured the city and discovered around 19 bombs that were destined to go off. The bombs were strategically placed in frequented locations in the city.
Meanwhile, Papalal Ravikanth and his wife recall how they found their now adopted daughter at the blast sight. Papalal said “My wife and I found little Sania crying out “Ammi” just metres from the blast sight, lost and abandoned.” Papalal took the child to the hospital and waited for police to locate her parents. As the wait continued, a bond between Papalal, his wife and Sania grew. Eleven years later, Papalal recalls the night in which a blessing was bestowed on him amongst the chaos and loss of life. He points to the irony that the verdict for that night should fall so close to his daughter’s birthday, which is being celebrated every year on the date of the blast.
It is but a mere coincidence that all the evidence, arrests of seven persons and case trials will come to an end this Monday, two days after the 11th anniversary of the blast, as the verdict will be announced by the Cherlapally prison.
