Family Identifies Victim Through Viral Social Media Photo
A routine day turned into an unimaginable tragedy for a 22-year-old cab driver from Bihar, who lost his life in a devastating car explosion near Delhi's historic Red Fort on Monday evening. Pankaj Sahni, hailing from Samastipur district, was among the nine victims killed in the high-intensity blast that reduced his white taxi to a charred shell.
A Family's Desperate Search Ends in Tragedy
The first indication of the catastrophe for Pankaj's family came not from an official phone call, but from a disturbing viral photograph circulating on social media platforms. The image showed a mangled vehicle that they recognized as Pankaj's cab. Later, the Delhi police confirmed their worst fears with an official call.
His father, Rambalak Sahni, recounted the final hours with his son. "He spoke with his grandfather over the phone at 4:30 pm on Monday, just around two hours before the explosion," the grieving father shared while waiting for his son's body at a Delhi hospital. "Later, when we tried calling him, his cellphone was switched off. We searched for him throughout the night, before learning about his death on Tuesday morning."
The family's anxiety had peaked throughout Monday night as frantic calls went unanswered. Pankaj's uncle, Ramdev Sahni, expressed the family's desperation: "We had been calling him frantically since Monday evening, but there was no answer. In the morning, we got information about the damaged vehicle."
The Final Journey of a Young Breadwinner
Investigations revealed that Pankaj was heading to pick up new passengers after having dropped off relatives at Old Delhi railway station. Tragedy struck when he reached the traffic signal near Red Fort metro station. A fireball from the slow-moving car explosion hit his vehicle, claiming his life instantly.
Pankaj, who originally hailed from Hasanpur Fatehpur (Ward 7) under Khanpur police station in Samastipur, lived near Ghevra More in Delhi with his father Rambalak, mother Gayatri Devi, two brothers, and three younger sisters. His uncle revealed that after completing his intermediate studies, Pankaj started driving the taxi three years ago to support his family financially.
Baleshwar Sahni, the maternal uncle of Rambalak who remains in Hasanpur Fatehpur, provided context about the family's migration. "They moved to Delhi about two decades ago. Pankaj was the second among three brothers and, like his father, he was also a cab driver." Family members recalled that Pankaj had visited his native place about three years ago for his elder brother's wedding.
The tragedy has brought the entire family together in grief, with uncles and cousins immediately leaving for Delhi upon receiving the news. The family has decided to conduct the cremation in Delhi, where Pankaj had built his life and met his tragic end.
