One year after 29/10 blasts: life goes on but scars remain

New Delhi, Oct 29 (UNI) This day, a year ago, a series of blasts in various markets of the Capital brought darkness in lives of the people of Delhi basking in the spirit of Diwali and Eid.

That dark Saturday night, when a series of bomb blasts struck the busy Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and Lajpat Nagar markets leaving 60 dead and nearly 200 injured, may now seem a distant memory for many people in Delhi but for the families of blast victims the scars of that deadly night still remain.

On the first anniversary of the terror strike, family members of the victims of the blast in the three markets held functions to remember their loves ones.

Three blasts had rocked the Capital on October 29, three days ahead of the Festival of Lights when shoppers were busy with pre-Diwali shopping.

The first explosion took place in the Paharganj market, the second at the Sarojini Nagar market and the third in a public bus in Govindpuri, killing at least 60 people in all and injuring more than 200.

But thankfully, there was no loss of life in Govindpuri as the driver of the DTC bus, where the bomb was planted, intervened in time and averted a major tragedy.

While families who lost their loved ones have finally come to terms with their loss, blast investigations are yet to yield any concrete results.

Though two weeks after the serial blasts, Delhi police arrested Tariq Ahmed Dar, a militant belonging to the Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba who allegedly coordinated and financed the operation from Srinagar, the investigations have not brought much respite to those who lost their loved ones and live in the hope of some closure.

UNI AR RP RN1850