Dushyant Vyas was teaching his elder son how to ride a bicycle in an open ground near a civil hospital in Ahmedabad’s Asarwa area when he saw several injured people being brought in ambulances on July 26, 2008.
A lab technician in a cancer medical facility on the hospital campus, Dushyant decided to help the injured and as soon as he reached near the trauma ward, an explosion occurred. Both he and his elder son died on the spot.
To this day, Dushyant’s wife, Gitaben, is overcome by emotion each time the memories wash over.
“My husband was teaching my elder son to ride a bicycle in an open ground near the hospital campus when suddenly, there was a rush at the hospital after a series of blasts had hit the city. My husband went to help and at that time, an explosion took place in the hospital. I lost my son and husband in the blast,” Gitaben, who works in the cancer department of the hospital, told HT over the phone.
The couple’s younger son, Yash, was also present at the spot but escaped with burn injuries and spent more than two months undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
As many as 21 explosions ripped through the city within a span of 70 minutes that day, killing 56 people and leaving over 200 others injured. At least 37 were killed in the explosion in the hospital premises. Several others died in a similar blast at L G Hospital in Maninagar.
On Friday, when a special court in the city awarded death penalty to 38 convicts and sentenced 11 others to life imprisonment in the case, families and relatives of the victims heaved a sigh of relief.
{{/usCountry}}On Friday, when a special court in the city awarded death penalty to 38 convicts and sentenced 11 others to life imprisonment in the case, families and relatives of the victims heaved a sigh of relief.
{{/usCountry}}“The scars are still fresh. We waited for 14 years for this day. The government has been very supportive, be it paying for my younger child’s hospital expenses or getting me a job in place of my husband who also worked at the hospital. Justice has taken time but it is finally done. The court sentence will give some peace to those who lost their lives in the attack,” Gitaben said.
“I am happy that the court awarded death penalty to 38 persons responsible for killing innocent people, including my father and brother. Even the 11 who were given life imprisonment should have got the death penalty. There should be no mercy for such people,” Yash, 22 now and a second-year B.Sc student, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Mahesh Solani, who works as an assistant at the cancer centre, was among those receiving patients when the blast tore through the hospital. The 51-year-old, who sustained injuries on his face and hands, said: “I suffered a lot for about five years or so. Being the sole breadwinner of the family, I could not stop working. I gradually recovered.”
Dakshesh Mehta, chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Hospitals Committee, was visiting L G Hospital and had parked his vehicle next to a Maruti 800, which exploded minutes after he left the parking lot.
“I turned numb as I watched my vehicle go up in flames. It was a matter of a few minutes. I was lucky to have escaped. This is a historic judgment by the court and we salute the police officials for their efforts,” Mehta, a former corporator of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Isanpur, said.
The family of Ankit Modi, who died after an abandoned cycle exploded in Raipur Chakla area, in the old city area of Ahmedabad, also welcomed the special court’s verdict.
“I lost my son in the terror attack. There are many like me who lost their near and dear ones on that fateful day. We went through a lot in these 14 years. We wanted the death sentence for the attackers so that such activities are discouraged in the future,” his 64-year-old mother, Daxaben Modi, said.