HYDERABAD: On the 14th anniversary of Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat terror blasts, some victims have reiterated their demands for government housing and employment.
On August 25, 2007, twin blasts had rocked the city. Visitors at Laserium in Lumbini Park near the secretariat and customers enjoying snacks at Gokul Chat Bhandar at Koti were targeted by Indian Mujahideen terror operatives with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In the blasts, 44 people had lost their lives and 68 others suffered injuries.
Eleven years after the blasts, two IM operatives — Md Akbar Ismail Chowdhari and Aneeq Shafique Sayeed — were given the capital punishment, while the third convict Tariq Anjum was awarded life sentence by a local court in 2018.
On Wednesday, Gokul Chat was shut as a mark of respect to those who had lost their lives. Syed Raheem (70) of Saidabad, who lost an eye in the blast at Gokul Chat Bhandar, paid tributes to the victims who lost their lives at the eatery.
“I went to Gokul Chat to buy kulfi for my daughter, who was waiting outside in an auto. As I was about to approach the seller, an explosion occurred and I lost an eye. I had received Rs 5 lakh for medical expenses. I need Rs 50,000 every year to replace the artificial eye. My wife is bed-ridden. I have been doing rounds of the collectorate. I was assured I will get a house from the government, but so far it has not materialised. I appeal to the government to allot me a house and provide my son a job,” Raheem told TOI.
K Chander Naik, 31, a tribal from Nalgonda district, was 19 when he lost an eye in the IED blast at Gokul Chat. “I was pursing BCom and now I have two Master’s degrees. Prior to the pandemic, I used to teach children how to operate computer, but currently I am unemployed. I have approached government officials and ministers for employment, but so far nothing materialised. I was advised to prepare for competitive exams, but I am unable to focus for more than few hours due to eye sight issues. I am married and we have two children. I hope government provide relief in the form of employment,” Chander, president of Terrorist Bomb Blast Victims’ Association, said.
