'I am lucky to be alive'

3 victims recount the horrors of the day and how they fortunately survived

While on their way to the Delhi High Court, little would have these people known what lay ahead for them in the day. The bomb that killed nearly a dozen people and injured many more was in a briefcase. While the Capital watched in shock, many injured got up and went to LNJP and Safdarjung hospitals, on their own.

Hayat Singh (62), admitted at LNJP hospital, was among those few lucky ones who survived the attack with minor injuries. He was visiting the court to get a Below Poverty Line (BPL) certificate when the blast changed his plans.

"I had gone to the court to collect my BPL certificate. Suddenly around 10 am, the bomb exploded. The sound and impact of the blast were of high intensity and the whole area was soon full of black smoke. I somehow managed to escape from the spot," said Singh.

Naresh Kumar (50) was near the window where entry passes for the court are made, when he heard the blast. He lost his sense of hearing for some time, because of loud noise. "It was just about my turn on the window when a sound tore my ears. Everything turned dark and I couldn't hear anything. I could see people at the far end of the queue bleeding. After a while, I got up, took an auto and went to Safdarjung hospital. I am lucky to be alive," said Kumar, who works with the Ministry of Urban Development.

At the hospital, Kumar found his hearing capacity has been affected. He had gone to court for some office-related work. His son, a student of Ram Lal Anand College (E), Delhi University, was relieved to finally get a call from his father.

Haricharan Singh (54), owner of a crockery shop at Sarojini Nagar market, happened to be at the blast site. "I saw such a scene for the first time in my life. It was devastating. I saw people's hands and legs flung apart. Doctors say I will have difficulty in hearing from one ear. I thank God I didn't lose any body part," said a horrified Singh.

Dr Naresh Sood, MO, Safdarjung hospital, said, "The entire incident is very sad. We attended to three blast victims during the day. They have ear injuries due to the high intensity sound."