Mumbai blast brings back memories of past horrors

MUMBAI: Every morning traders at Zaveri Bazar start their day by discussing market volatility over some quick snacks at the variety of food joints dotting area`s narrow lanes. But a day after an explosion rocked the commercial hub killing six and injuring as many as 50, the morning hustle-bustle had given way to an uneasy, morbid calm. Most shops in the market remained shut and vendors stayed away from business after the area was taken over by police and a bite-hungry media.
From a vendor who lost both his legs to a newly married youth who died in a tool shop, the area`s traders and residents sat recounting tales of survival, courage, death and above all the previous night`s cruel turn of events. Many of them had tended to the injured and ferried the dead at night.
"My father always told horror tales of previous blasts (1993, 2003) at the market and how they inevitably caused minor tremors at his shop. It took me some time to believe that this time it happened right outside our store," said Sakina Nishanwala, daughter of Tyeb Nishanwala, the 61-year-old owner of a store called Super Tools. The shop at Khau Galli was the epicenter of the blasts severely injuring Sakina`s father and three other employees inside it. "I came here to collect his valuables but unfortunately the area is chock-a-block with press and police," she added.
As the day lingered on, state and central security agencies swamped the blast site to collect crucial evidence before it got washed away by the rains. While the local police did their bit by covering the debris with tarpaulin sheets, the Quick Response Team guarded the spot. But a most surprising sight was that of BMC workers zealously clearing up the garbage to prepare the area for the visit of VVIPs like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi later in the day. Interestingly, the lanes, called `house gullies`, because of their narrow width and cheek-by-jowl constructions which leave no room for clean-up vehicles to enter, have not been cleaned in many years.
One by one, several VVIPs, including BJP leader LK Advani, paid a visit to take stock of the damage caused by what is now the third terror attack on the diamond and bullion market. "During both the previous blasts I carried the injured and dead on my shoulders and helped collect scattered body parts from the vicinity. I never thought I would be called to do the same a third time. But this time the experience left me sleepless," said Mohammad Bhai, who sat inside his tiny tool shop recalling the horror of the night.
At the corner of Khau Galli, at its intersection with Dhanji Street, a relieved Irshad Ahmed came to thank good samaritans who took his injured father Mushtaq Ahmed, 61, to hospital on Wednesday night. A garment worker by day and helper by night, Mushatq was hit by a shrapnel in his back. "The remains of the explosives got stuck in his body but doctors have now successfully managed to remove them. We are happy that almighty Allah heard our prayers," he said.
The few traders who decided to open shutters on Thursday wound up the day discussing conspiracy theories and wondering if their market is safe any more. Its commercial stock rising by day, locals strongly believe every time the rupee started gaining momentum against the dollar, there were blasts at Zaveri Bazar. "There is no doubt in our mind who is funding these blasts and for whatever reasons. You look at the history and you`d know the blasts occurred when the rupee climbed against the dollar," said Kanaya Kakad, a local trader. Interestingly, the rupee which had gained about 30 paise against the dollar on Tuesday, a day before the blasts, fell by 11 paise on Thursday, while the price of gold shot up by Rs 300 for every 10 gm.