Ahmedabad Blasts: Victims' Kin Want Early Execution of Convicts' Sentences for 'Complete Justice'

Families of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts victims on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the Gujarat High Court's verdict upholding death sentence to 38 convicts and life term to 11 others, but said they await "complete justice" through swift execution of the punishment.

Eyewitnesses and survivors recalled the horrific scenes after the blasts, with one of them saying that he saw people "burning like candles" around him and bodies hanging from trees due to the impact of a blast that occurred at a civil hospital 18 years ago.

On July 26, 2008, a series of 21 bomb blasts ripped through different areas of Ahmedabad in a span of 70 minutes, killing 56 persons and leaving more than 200 others injured. Explosions also struck hospitals in the city.

The Gujarat HC upheld the 2022 judgment of a special court, which had awarded the death penalty to 38 members of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) and life imprisonment to 11 others for their role in the serial blasts.

A division bench of Justices A Y Kogje and Samir Dave dismissed all appeals challenging the special court's verdict and confirmed the sentences.

Talking to PTI after the HC verdict, Alpeshkumar Shah, who lost his brother, Chirag Shah, in one of the blasts in Ahmedabad's Maninagar area, said, "Terrorists have no humanity, and they should not be allowed to benefit from prolonged trials. We were as relieved by today's Gujarat High Court verdict as we were in 2022 when the special court awarded the death sentence to 38 convicts." "The police, administration and investigating agencies did an excellent job. However, I feel the trial has taken too long. Justice was expected to be delivered without delay. We are happy with today's verdict and only hope the sentences are carried out swiftly," he said.

Recalling the incident, Shah said his brother was having tea at a roadside stall near Maninagar Cross Road when a bomb concealed in a tiffin box and placed on a bicycle parked nearby exploded.

Another victim's family said justice delayed amounted to justice denied.

"It took around 14 years for the special court to deliver its verdict in 2022 and four more years for the high court to decide the appeals. God knows how many more years it will take before the legal process is finally over. Where is justice?" said Jagdish Antani, a resident of Gujarat's Vadodara district.

Antani's brother-in-law, Himanshu Chhaya, was killed in a blast inside a bus near Sarkhej.

The 80-year-old said he was speaking on behalf of his wife, Rohini (79), who suffers from Parkinson's disease.

"Rohini has been the most devastated by her younger brother's death. She brought him up from the age of three after their father passed away. No one can imagine the pain she has carried all these years after losing him," Antani said.

"We lost a beloved member of our family who was only 45 years old. Even today, we continue to wait for complete justice," he added.

Eyewitnesses and survivors of the blasts recalled the horrific scenes after one of the explosions rocked a hospital ward in Ahmedabad's Asarwa area.

Laxman Chudasama, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) worker, said he was taking some persons, who were injured in a blast, to the Asarwa Civil Hospital when an explosion occurred there.

"As a VHP worker, I was accompanying injured persons to the Asarwa Civil Hospital. After I reached there and parked the ambulance, a blast occurred," he said.

Chudasama's hair got severely burnt and he sustained serious injuries to his legs and hands.

"It was a horrifying scene. People were burning like candles around me. I even saw bodies hanging from trees due to the impact of the blast," he recalled.

"I suffered serious injuries and remained admitted to the hospital for a month. I can never forget that day," the 71-year-old said in a heavy voice.

He also recalled interacting with the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi when he visited the hospital to meet survivors.

He added that he later became one of the witnesses in the case.

Praising the investigators, he said, "The Ahmedabad Crime Branch traced the terrorists in a very short time, and their investigation was very effective. Today's High Court verdict is a strong one and can help curb terrorist activities in the country." Another survivor, Narendra Parmar, said he continues to live with injuries sustained in the blast.

"I had gone to drop off my daughter, who was pursuing nursing at the time. As I was returning, I saw ambulances bringing a large number of injured people to Asarwa Civil Hospital," the 74-year-old said.

Parmar said he joined others in carrying the injured on stretchers when another blast occurred near the hospital.

"I heard a loud explosion and found myself lying in a pool of blood...Despite being seriously injured, I ran outside, and a man helped me reach home," he said.

Instead of returning to the hospital immediately after the blast, Parmar first went home.

"I wanted to be with my family at that moment. They took me to the hospital immediately afterwards," he said.

Parmar underwent chest surgery and still experiences occasional pain, a lingering reminder of the trauma he endured during the blasts.