Shrapnel in jaw, blast victim comes home

On Friday, three weeks after the July 13 blasts, Ravindra Bohra, 27, was discharged from Bombay Hospital.

On Friday, three weeks after the July 13 blasts, Ravindra Bohra, 27, was discharged from Bombay Hospital.

HT Image

Bohra, who was injured in the Zaveri Bazaar blast, will carry a permanent reminder of the blasts in his jaw, where shrapnel is still lodged.

“Doctors told me that the shrapnel could not be removed from the left side of my face. I don’t have an option but to live with it. I guess the bomb left behind a memento besides all the physical injuries,” said Bohra.

The sales executive in a jewellery showroom was in Khau Gully when the bomb exploded. Bohra suffered burn injuries on his back and shrapnel injuries on his body.

Doctors at Bombay Hospital tried to remove the shrapnel in a three-hour surgery on Tuesday. “It is trapped between the lower jaw bone and a muscle near the lower jaw joint. If removed, it would cause more damage to the muscle. Besides, it would have further reduced his mouth opening,” said Dr Amresh Baliarsing, plastic surgeon, Bombay Hospital, adding that Bohra is undergoing jaw exercises.

The Kalbadevi resident said that he was still haunted by the images from the blast site. According to Bohra, bomb blasts have become a common feature in the city of dreams. “We feel helpless sometimes, but have no choice,” said his elder brother, Santosh, who also works as a jewellery salesman.