Nidhi Saxena (50) is a mother in mourning. Her only child, Abhishek (23), who was injured in the blast at German Bakery on Saturday, passed away on Tuesday.
Abhishek was the 10th fatality of the blast.
In shock, Nidhi, who lost her husband 27 years ago, did not visit Inlaks-Budhrani Hospital, where Abhishek breathed his last, nor was she at Sassoon Hospital where the post-mortem was done. She stayed at a relative’s home in Koregaon Park.
Abhishek had gone to the German Bakery with a friend for coffee when the bomb went off. His friend, Sumit Singh, sustained minor injuries.
Despite being injured, Abhishek, a last year mechanical engineering student at Pimpri’s D.Y. Patil College, did not lose his presence of mind. He SMSed friends, asking for help as he was being admitted to hospital, said college registrar B.S. Jadhav. Several college students camped at the hospital, Jadhav said.
His friends were too grief-stricken to speak to the media. “Please leave us alone. We don’t want to say anything,” was all they would say. Several of them broke down as his body was taken to the airport.
Professor N.A. Shinde recalled that Abhishek was outgoing, sincere and studious. Shinde said he was a popular student because he participated in several extra-curricular activities. He had recently given an exam and was awaiting his results.
{{/usCountry}}Professor N.A. Shinde recalled that Abhishek was outgoing, sincere and studious. Shinde said he was a popular student because he participated in several extra-curricular activities. He had recently given an exam and was awaiting his results.
{{/usCountry}}Abhishek wanted to join the merchant navy, added his friend, Nikhil Shrivastav.
A resident of Aliganj in Lucknow, Abhishek lost his father when he was only five years old, said his maternal uncle Arvind Kumar, who rushed to Pune from Lucknow.