"I Lost My Only Breadwinner": Father Mourns Auto Driver Son Killed in Red Fort Blast

The devastating explosion near the Red Fort on Monday evening claimed 13 lives and left numerous others injured.

New Delhi:

Ram Balak Sahni's life has shattered after losing his only son in the deadly Red Fort blast that occurred on Monday.

"How will I survive now?" he questioned with a vacant expression during a survivors gathering held on Thursday.

Survivors of the 2005 Sarojini Nagar blast organized the meeting to express solidarity with families affected by this recent tragedy.

"My two daughters are still completing their education, and I've been suffering from poor health for quite some time. My son was our family's sole breadwinner," explained Ram Balak, whose son worked as an autorickshaw driver and had departed for Old Delhi around 4:45 pm with a passenger on the day the explosion ripped through a busy street.

"He probably picked up another passenger there. We never imagined such a tragedy could occur," he added.

Ram Balak recounted receiving a call about the incident around 8:30 pm on Monday. Upon seeing his son's severely damaged auto, his hopes began to fade.

"I first spotted his autorickshaw in a terrible state. I knew he must have sustained serious injuries but never thought he would be gone forever. When I saw his lifeless body, there was a red mark visible on the left side of his face," he recalled.

Ashok Randhawa, who serves as the president of the Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Association and survived the 2005 attack, expressed empathy for the current victims' families.

"Having experienced that horrific incident in 2005, we understand what these families must be going through," he stated.

"We've gathered to pay our respects to those who lost their lives on Monday and to urge the government to provide at least two percent reservation in government jobs for victims of such terrorist attacks," Randhawa further mentioned.

The powerful explosion near the Red Fort on Monday evening resulted in 13 fatalities and numerous injuries.

Police and forensic teams are currently investigating the nature of the explosive device and potential connections to previous attacks.

The Sarojini Nagar blast of October 29, 2005, was part of a series of coordinated explosions that struck crowded markets across Delhi just before Diwali, killing more than 60 people and injuring over 200 others.