7/11 train blasts: After 19 years, court verdict leaves families devastated

We waited 19 years for justice but today we are left with only pain and disappointment said Yashwant Bhalerao father of one of the 711 Mumbai train blast victims reacting to the courtrsquos decision to acquit all accusedThe grieving couple from Vasai who lost their 23yearold son Harshal Bhalerao in the 2006 serial blasts accused the government of a botched investigation The arrests were made just to pacify public anger but the real culprits were never caught Our son is still gone and now they are free In a tribute they named their home lsquo711 Harshal Smrutirsquo a house built on sorrow standing as a silent memorial to a son lost and justice deniedThe Bhaleraos outside their Vasai home named lsquo711 Harshal Smrutirsquo in memory of their son a victim of 2006 train bombings PicHanif PatelHarshal a young computer science graduate had just started working at an American company in Sakinaka Andheri July 11 2006 was his first day His father had gifted him a new coat and white shoes the day before On his way back home Harshal boarded the illfated train where one of the bombs exploded killing him We couldnrsquot find Harshal anywhere His name wasnrsquot on the initial list of victims Our entire extended family searched hospitals across Mumbai We kept hoping recalled BhaleraoThey finally traced him through his company ldquoHis employer contacted the US embassy and two days later we were informed that Harshalrsquos body was in the mortuary at Bhagwati Hospital Borivlirdquo he said ldquoMost of his body was bandaged it looked like he was alive when brought in But his ID and wallet were missing If it had been found we couldrsquove identified him soonerrdquoWhat came next was more shocking ldquoWhen we brought his body home suspicious men in plain clothes entered our house They seemed to be surveilling us I still believe they suspected my son was involved Maybe thatrsquos why he wasnrsquot treated even though he was alive when foundrdquo he said Bhalerao a retired Income Tax department employee said he was never convinced by the investigation ldquoTo calm public outrage they arrested random people The authorities know the public forgets even the worst tragedies quickly If the real culprits were caught none of them would have walked free todayrdquoFrom left Hansraj Kanojia who lost his right leg in the blast and now uses a prosthetic Chirag Chavan a chartered accountant who was disabled in the blast BJP leader Kirit Somaiya Ramesh Naike father of victim Nandini Naike and Mahendra Pitale who lost his arm speak to the media after the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the case on July 21PICASHISH RAJEThe family had been waiting anxiously for Mondayrsquos verdict hoping for closure ldquoWe truly believed the terrorists would be punished Instead all the accused were acquitted Itrsquos as if justice never existedrdquo he said He also criticised the initial police probe as rushed and lacking in evidence ldquoIn the 2611 attacks justice was served But not in our case This verdict is truly unfortunaterdquo he saidHarshalrsquos mother Saguna Bhalerao broke down recalling the day ldquoI saw the news of the blasts on TV and panicked Harshal was supposed to be on that train We tried calling him but there was no response What we feared most came truerdquo she said To preserve his memory they named their home in Chulne village Vasai as lsquo711 Harshal Smrutirsquo ldquoIt might be the only home in India named after a terror victimrdquo said Yashwant ldquoItrsquos our way of ensuring that Harshal is never forgotten even if the justice system hasrdquoOn July 11 2006 seven bombs exploded in Mumbai suburban trains during the evening rush hour killing 189 and injuring over 800 The recent Bombay High Court verdict acquitting all the accused has caused widespread dismay among the victimsrsquo families711 verdict All 12 accused acquittedThe Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 convicted in the case The court said the prosecution ldquoutterly failedrdquo to prove its case calling the confessions ldquoinadmissiblerdquo and possibly extracted under torture The bench slammed the ATS for a shoddy probe citing lack of credible evidence missing witnesses poor handling of recovered items and ldquomechanicalrdquo application of MCOCAMaharashtra government will challenge the acquittal of 12 accused in the 711 Mumbai train bomb blasts case by the Bombay High Court in the Supreme Court Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Five had been sentenced to death seven to life All walk free nowThey jailed the wrong men 711 survivor slams verdictSabir Khan blast survivorldquoIf the right people had been caught todayrsquos verdict might have been differentrdquo 711 blast survivor Sabir Khan Khan who was injured in the 711 Mumbai train blasts expressed his disappointment over the courtrsquos verdict He told midday ldquoWhen they couldnrsquot find the real culprits they just picked anyone and put them behind bars Had the right people been arrested maybe todayrsquos decision would have been differentrdquoRecounting the tragic day he said ldquoAround 6 pm I boarded a train from Mira Road to Bandra The blast occurred between Mira Road and Bhayandar in my coach By sheer luck I was standing on the left side near the door while the explosion happened on the right side Around seven people died in that blastrdquo ldquoI had injuries on my hand and ear Even today I have about 10 per cent hearing loss in one earrdquo he added