The bustling bylanes of Chandni Chowk's cycle market hold a silent, empty space today—a patch of ground under a tree where a goods cart was once parked. This vacant spot marks the tragic end of a life, a story cut short by the devastating explosion that rocked the area near the historic Red Fort.
A Life Under the Tree: The Story of Bilal 'Kashmiri'
Bilal Ahmad Masood, a 32-year-old man affectionately known as 'Kashmiri' in his community, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, becoming the tenth person to die from the blast that occurred on Monday evening. The explosion, which took place outside the Red Fort, claimed 10 lives and left 30 others injured.
For 16 years, since he was a teenager, Bilal had called Delhi his home, having moved from Ganderbal in Jammu & Kashmir. He was unmarried and lived a solitary life. His entire world was his battery-operated goods cart, which he used for loading, unloading, and ferrying goods. At night, the cart parked under a tree was not just his workplace but also his bedroom, with all his possessions stored in a single bag.
Shiv Singh Nagar, a 45-year-old friend, recounted his last conversation with Bilal. "I called him around 6.50 that evening to ask where he was. I had sent him to deliver some goods at Kashmere Gate. He said he was at the Red Fort traffic signal," Nagar shared. "And then I heard the explosion, and the ground trembled."
The Final Hours and a Community's Grief
Nagar managed to speak with Bilal one last time at 7:01 PM. "He said that he was injured and that they were taking him to hospital. That was our last conversation," Nagar said, his voice heavy with regret. He had been friends with Bilal since the young man first arrived in Delhi, and they had worked together ever since.
The friends tried desperately to see Bilal at the hospital. "We went to the hospital's Emergency ward twice, but could not meet him. We will always feel the regret of not being able to see him before he died," Nagar lamented. The community only learned of Bilal's death when police came to the market on Thursday. "We did not believe them at first. We thought it must be some other Bilal," Nagar recalled.
Remembering the Man: Apples, Walnuts, and Dreams
Bilal's friends fondly remembered the small joys he brought into their lives. He would return from his annual visits to Kashmir with apples, walnuts, and sometimes even ghee and pickles, proudly declaring they were "fresh from Kashmir." He maintained close ties with his family through nightly video calls. "They would ask him to come back to Kashmir, but he would say that he liked staying here," Nagar said.
There was a family wedding at his older sister's home that Bilal had been contemplating attending. He had recently returned to Delhi after working in Raipur for a few months to earn extra money. "I told him to go, and that I would lend him some money if he needed it. But before he could make up his mind, this happened," Nagar revealed.
Lala Ram, a 57-year-old fellow cart operator, recalled a light-hearted exchange with Bilal on the day of the blast. "He called out to me from far away and teased me, 'You're an elderly man now, you should stop working.' I could never have imagined that would be the last time I would see him."
Parveen Kumar Arora, a shop owner in the market, spoke of the trust Bilal had earned. "Everybody knew him, he used to deliver even expensive goods. When it rained, he would take shelter outside our shop," Arora said, painting a picture of a man who was a respected and integral part of the local fabric.
Now, the space under the tree in Chandni Chowk's cycle market remains empty, a quiet testament to a life lost too soon in the Red Fort blast on November 15, 2025. Bilal Ahmad Masood's cart was destroyed in the explosion, and with it, the simple dreams of a man who called a cart his home.
