1993 blast victim speaks: 22 yrs, 40 operations, but no compensation yet

The glass shards from the bomb blast near the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) pierced through Ajmera’s face, arms and broke his ribcage, tearing his life apart forever.

Like many in Mumbai, March 12, 1993, is a day Kirti Ajmera will never forget. The glass shards from the bomb blast near the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) pierced through Ajmera’s face, arms and broke his ribcage, tearing his life apart forever.

The-glass-shards-from-the-bomb-blast-near-the-Bombay-Stock-Exchange-BSE-pierced-through-Kirti-Ajmera-s-face-arms-and-broke-his-ribcage-tearing-his-life-apart-forever-Vidya-Subramanian-HT-photo

“I can’t work the way I used to. The mental and physical torture has taken a toll on my family. I have lost 22 years of my life. The government has forgotten the blast victims. I have undergone over 40 operations and need many more,” said Ajmera, a stockbroker.

The government is yet to provide compensation to Ajmera. “The [officials] had visited last year. Nothing happened after that. I continue to pay for my operations,” he said, at his Malad residence.

“I am not a beggar. I am only asking for what is my right. I am ready to work with the government, so others don’t suffer similar fate. Many victims have given up hope, but I will continue to fight.”

Ajmera’s wife Raksha feels their children – Ami, 28, and Rushabh, 27 – have suffered the most. “My children were quite young then. They missed out on their childhood. We cannot turn back the clock. The least the government could do is give us the compensation, so we don’t suffer in our old age,” she said.