A decade of 2008 Assam blasts: Victims’ kin still await justice

GUWAHATI: It was close to noon and a home-maker and mother was preparing food for her family, awaiting the arrival of her husband and children. Her husband had just picked up their daughter from school and was walking home. What happened next 10 years ago was a bomb blast that wiped the father-daughter duo out from the face of the earth.
 
This is the story of Sunita Sharma, a 40-year-old resident of Guwahati who lost her husband and daughter in this tragic manner at Ganeshguri.

Among the 53 victims of the 2008 Ganeshguri bombing that occurred on October 30 were Sunita’s husband Sagar Sharma and daughter Moromi Sharma. While Sagar was a carpenter, Moromi was afour-year-oldd innocent girl studying in nursery grade. 

Recalling the incidents from the most horrifying day of her life and sobbing at the thought of it all, Sunita told G Plus, “It was a regular day for us. My son, who was just six year old at the time, was at school. My husband had gone to pick up our daughter from school and I was at home, working. Suddenly, there was a loud noise and I rushed outside.

Neighbours were talking about a bomb blast that had taken place at Ganeshguri. I was horrified! I knew my husband always took that route home. So I called my family members – mother, father, brother, everyone – and rushed to the spot. We spread out in different directions trying to locate that but in vain. Finally, someone told us that the injured people had been taken to GMCH. When we arrived at the hospital and showed their photographs to the nurses, they informed us that neither of them was able to survive the injuries of the blast and they had been declared dead.”

In the matter of seconds, Sunita had lost her husband and daughter to a mindless act of terrorism. Yet, she had to stay strong to single-handedly raise her six year old son. Sunita started working as a household help to earn a living and invested the compensation amount she had received from the government to buy a small house where she could live with her son and for his formal education.

The son, now 16 years old, is studying in a government college in the city and hopes to secure a government job. Sunita, clearly, has done a great job raising her son but there continues to be a void in their life due to the loss suffered.

The 2008 bombings of Assam shook the entire country. Reports indicated that as many as eighteen bombs went off, causing at least 81 deaths and 470 injuries. In Guwahati, the blasts ripped through Pan Bazar, Fancy Bazar and Ganeshguri, which were crowded with shoppers and office goers.

The bomb at Ganeshguri was planted in a car and took place in the vicinity of the Assam Secretariat – the seat of power - claiming the maximum number of lives among all the blasts that day. 10 years after the incident, G Plus spoke to the family members of some of the victims to know their story.

One such story is that of Suku Das. Suku is the mother of Sakil Das who lost his life during the Ganeshguri bombing. His mistake? He used to work in the parking lot where that bomb-laden car was parked. Suku now cleans people's washrooms for a living because “the compensation received from the government wasn't enough and my husband doesn’t have a stable job.” Suku also has two daughters and she is saving up for their marriages. 

Another account is that of Niru Kalita who lost her husband Pramod Kalita in the bombing. Niru, who was a government employee, who now survives on the pension she receives. Speaking to G Plus, she informed that her pension amount is only around Rs 3,000 per month, which she neither receives regularly nor proves enough for her monthly expenses which include medicines. Niru is a heart patient and barely manages to buy her medicines and afford treatment. Her family includes daughter Rumi Kalita who has been seeking a government job.

A similar story is that of Jalbanu Begum. Her husband, Sehmat Ali was a city bus driver who fell victim to the bombing because he was doing his duty. Jalbanu has three daughters, the youngest of whom was just six months old when she lost her father. The other two were of eight and nine years of age. Among the three children, two are studying, while the eldest one (19) isn't. To support the family expenses, Jalbanu runs a paan shop at 6 Miles, close to her house. She informed G Plus that the compensation received from the government was spent on the girls’ education and she too wishes that the government provides them with jobs.

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She said, “The government isn't concerned about our well-being at all. They never give any assistance to us or ask about our problems. Instead, they organize a program once a year just for the sake of duty.”

Suman Choudhury, the wife of deceased Rajesh Choudhury, also spoke on the same lines. Rajesh was an auto-rickshaw driver who was driving in the vicinity when the blast took place. He’s survived by his wife and three kids. Suman says, “Even though the government has compensated me adequately, nobody can understand the mental trauma I have been going through. Ranjan Daimary, who was responsible for the blast that took away so many lives, was being honored and felicitated by the previous government. We, on the other hand, haven’t got justice yet.”

Suman appealed to the present government not to allow any pardon to Ranjan Daimary because she believes that if done, terrorism activities will keep continuing.