The devastating car explosion near Delhi's historic Red Fort on November 10 evening claimed ten lives, leaving behind shattered families struggling to cope with unimaginable loss. Five days after the tragedy, the void left by victims Pankaj Kumar Sahni and Jumman Khan continues to haunt their loved ones, who are now fighting to rebuild their broken lives.
The Protective Brother and His Dreams
In a two-room home in Kanjhawla, northwest Delhi, twenty-three-year-old Pankaj Kumar Sahni's dreams remain preserved in an ordinary register that now serves as his legacy. The sports enthusiast had filled pages with English translations of Hindi words - "Injustice: anyaay", "Goal: lakshya" - alongside personal notes and aspirations.
Pankaj maintained detailed notes about a '75-day challenge' he planned to undertake, beginning with drinking five litres of water daily. Between the register's pages, his family discovered his resume and Rs 2,000 he had saved, small reminders of the ambitious young man who had big plans for his future.
Driven by responsibility, Pankaj left school after Class 12 to support his family when his father Ram Balak Sahni's severe asthma made it difficult to be the sole breadwinner. He worked as an app-based cab driver and had taken November 10 off, but tragedy struck when he offered a neighbor a ride to Old Delhi railway station.
"He told me to serve him rice, and that he would be back soon," sobs his mother Gayatri Devi, her face covered with a shawl. His sister Deepa, a Class 10 student, remembers her brother as her math tutor and biggest supporter. "He used to tell me 'padh le, tujhe ghar baith ke khaana nahi banana hai' (Study, you can't expect to sit at home and cook)."
A Family's Financial Ruin
The Sahni family, originally from Samastipur in Bihar but long-time Delhi residents, now faces financial catastrophe alongside their emotional trauma. Ram Balak Sahni reveals the crushing burden: "I have to pay Rs 90,000 for Pankaj's car, which was completely burnt. I had to borrow money even to perform his last rites."
Deepa, the oldest of Pankaj's three siblings, shares precious memories of their close bond. "When he returned home, all four of us would sit on his bed and play carrom. He was the closest to me and I would tell him everything."
The World's Best Husband Remembered
Some forty kilometers away, thirty-two-year-old Tanuja sits observing iddat, the Islamic mourning period for widows, her face partially hidden by a blue shawl. Her husband Jumman Khan, thirty-five, drove an e-rickshaw around Chandni Chowk and became another victim of the senseless violence.
The blast was so powerful that it blew off Jumman's limbs, leaving only his torso. Tanuja identified him by the blue jersey she had gifted him the previous New Year, a heartbreaking detail in the tragic identification process.
Their two young daughters, studying in Class 4 and 5, play nearby, seemingly unaware of the gravity of their loss. Meanwhile, their thirteen-year-old son displayed remarkable courage, being the family member who identified his father's body at the mortuary.
Final Memories and Government Neglect
On that fateful morning, Jumman had specifically requested rice and eggs for dinner. Tanuja recalls their last conversation: "When I called him in the afternoon to ask when he'd be home, he replied he'd return by evening, and we would have dinner together."
Najma, Jumman's older sister, expresses anger at the lack of government support. "No one from the government has come here to ask how we are coping. Is it because we are poor? My brother was the only earning member of the family."
The family's situation appears particularly dire given Tanuja's physical challenges and their inability to afford the Rs 3,500 monthly rent without Jumman's income. Najma makes a desperate plea: "The government should look after the children's education and provide a home to my sister-in-law."
As both families navigate their new reality, the Red Fort blast continues to ripple through their lives, transforming ordinary homes into spaces of permanent absence and unanswered questions about their future survival.
