Kin of Mumbai triple blast victims happy with verdict

They said their faith in the judiciary has been restored

Thirteen years later too, Nandkishor Salvi, 65, hasn’t forgotten March 13, 2003, the day he got the news that his brother Ramakant, a gazetted officer in the Bombay high court, was killed in a bomb blast.

Saquib Nachan, one of the convicted accused. (FIle)

“My brother was two years away from retirement. He was on his way home on a local train, but the blast changed it all,” said Salvi, who was among the many others present at the sessions court to hear the verdict.

With the conviction of the 10 accused, Salvi said his faith in the judiciary was restored. “No matter what their roles were, they all should get the same punishment. Each one of them is equally responsible for the blasts,” he said.

Salvi is proud of how his brother’s family has coped with the incident. “We are happy my brother’s son has turned out fine. His daughter is married. It was a long wait, but finally justice has been served.”

Darshan Banatwala, brother of Thane resident Pooja Babrawala, who suffered injuries in the March 2003 blast, said, “We have put the past behind us. My sister is happily married with a four-year-old son. But the first two years were not easy for us. From legal hassles to medical treatment, we experienced it all.”

The wife of Abindranath Ganborde, a former employee of Naval Dockyard, who suffered a severe neck injury and hearing loss in the 2003 blast, said, “It was difficult at first. Our lives are back to normal now. We are happy that the culprits will pay for their crimes.”

“My daughter was eight-year-old then. Not just my husbands, all of us have survived the blast,” she added.