A Day of Celebration Turns into a Fight for Survival
What was supposed to be a joyful pre-wedding shopping excursion for a young couple from Uttarakhand turned into a scene of terror and chaos on Monday, following a powerful explosion near Delhi's historic Red Fort. Harshul Setia, 28, and his fiancée Shivali, also 28, had traveled to the bustling Chandni Chowk market to shop for their wedding, scheduled for February 10.
A Miraculous Escape and a Stranger's Kindness
The couple, along with Harshul's mother and brother, were returning to their relative's home in Noida. Their car was stationary at a traffic signal when the blast ripped through a vehicle on the opposite side of the road. The force of the explosion shattered the windows of their car, with glass shards striking Harshul on the head, leaving him with a deep cut.
Sitting in the Neurosurgery ward at Lok Nayak Hospital the next day, a grateful Harshul recounted the harrowing experience. "Bhagwan ne bacha liya (God saved us)," he stated, showing his injury. "Some glass pieces had to be taken out." Harshul, a businessman from Gadarpur who deals in agricultural insecticides, expressed his relief that all his family members in the car survived.
The moments after the blast were critical. Shivali described how a stranger on a scooter became their saviour. "He was dizzy and bleeding," she said of Harshul. "The man tied both of us by the waist on the scooter so that we wouldn't fall... and brought us to the hospital." Their car remains at the blast site, a testament to their narrow escape.
Tragedy Strikes a Young Businessman
The ward also holds other victims of the senseless violence. Lying near Harshul is Ankush, 29, who has a cracked skull and has been unconscious. Hospital staff have assured his family that he is stable and will soon be out of danger.
In a more critical condition is Aman Ansari, 26, who is undergoing brain surgery after sustaining multiple head injuries. He had come to Delhi from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh with his cousin, Nauman Ansari, 21, to buy wholesale cosmetic products for their family shop. While Aman fights for his life, his cousin Naoman was not as fortunate and succumbed to the burns he sustained in the explosion.
The grief is palpable outside the operating theatre. Aman's father, Mohd Haroon, was too distraught to speak, "I cannot speak... do not have the courage," he managed to say. Aman's brother-in-law, Mohd Younis, filled in the details, explaining that Aman would often accompany Nauman on these purchasing trips.
Nauman's uncle, Mehfooz Ansari, was heartbroken, revealing that the young man had recently taken over the family business after his brother developed kidney issues. "Socha nahi tha ki itne kum umar me chala jayega. Galati ki hamne usko itni zimmedari de di (We never thought he would leave us at such a young age. It was our mistake to burden him with so much responsibility)," he lamented, his words heavy with sorrow and regret.
The Red Fort blast has left a trail of physical and emotional scars, turning an ordinary day in the capital into a tragedy that has forever altered the lives of several families.
