Usha was saved by a turn of fate

Had Usha gone straight down Gali No 42 on Saturday evening, she might have ended up in the list of dead. Neelam Pandey reports.

Had Usha gone straight down Gali No 42 on Saturday evening, she might have ended up in the list of dead. Like her father-in-law Ganga Prasad.

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The 25-year-old, who is eight months pregnant, still can’t believe her luck.

Usha recalls how her father-in-law was going out to run an errand on Saturday evening. Her two children, Vijay (5) and Arti (4), were clamouring to go out with him. “My father-in-law asked me to take the children and buy them some toffees from a nearby shop. I turned left and passed behind the tree under which the bomb was placed. At that very moment, the bomb exploded. My children and I were somewhat shielded by the tree, but my father-in-law died on the spot,” said Usha.

Usha, Vijay and Arti sustained splinter injuries but were discharged on Sunday after treatment. Gangaprasad (50) was reported missing after the first bomb blast near Gaffar Market. His body was later found by relatives at Loknayak Jayaprakash Hospital.

“This blast has taken everything from us. But just see how the survivors are being treated. My daughter has been lying like this for hours and no one cares. We don’t even have money to buy medicines,” said Ram Singh, Usha’s father.