‘Aapka packet gir gaya hai’

Rajesh Khattar can never be frivolous about life again. He saw nine-year-old Santosh Kumar’s body blown away in front of his eyes in Saturday’s blast, reports Swaha Sahoo.

Rajesh Khattar can never be frivolous about life again. He saw nine-year-old Santosh Kumar’s body blown away in front of his eyes in Saturday’s blast.

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Before he could understand what was happening, glass shattered through his shop and adjoining shops. His uncle Baldev Raj Khattar has serious abdominal injury and is fighting for life at the AIIMS trauma centre. His cousin Vinod Khattar escaped with minor injuries.

Vinod clearly recalled what happened. “I saw a child calling out ‘uncle aapka packet gir gaya hai’ (you dropped a packet) outside my shop. Just then, two men sped off on a black motorcycle,” he said.
“The boy was about to pick up the packet when people saw smoke coming out of it and warned him to stay away. But it was too late and the packet exploded.”

The Khattars own three electronic shops and the shops suffered maximum damage. “The TV screens and glass counter tops shattered with the impact of the blast,” said Rajesh.

Madan Lal, 57, was playing cards when the bomb exploded. “By the time I reached there was thick smoke all over and people were running. We immediately rushed the injured to the hospital,” said Lal, Baldev’s brother.

With inputs from Atul Mathur