The family member of Bhavani Devi, the lone victim in the December 28, 2014 Church Street blast, is yet to come to terms with the loss they suffered. The family was the most hit in the incident as another member, Karthik Mahendran, suffered a shrapnel injury in the shoulder and is slowly recovering.
Christmas celebrations and the birthday party of a family member turned disastrous to this family last year, as the bomb exploded very near to the group that was walking on Church Street.
Bhavani, hailing from Chennai, had come down to the city to visit the extended family. Ayyappan and Kasturi Murugesh, brothers running a tyre business in the city, whom Bhavani had come visiting, still hold the scars of the tragedy.
Mr. Ayyappan told The Hindu that Church Street was a chapter that the family wanted to be done with but sadly couldn’t. “Our sister Bhavani’s son and daughter are now studying in class X and class VI respectively. The family is shattered and the children are yet to come to terms with the loss of their mother. Her husband is a broken man today,” he said.
Mr. Mahendran, who had to undergo a major surgery as shrapnel had pierced through his left shoulder, is working with a tech firm now, Mr. Ayyappan said.
Mr. Murugesh said he did not want to talk of the traumatic experience as it would lead to reliving the tragedy, causing further trauma.
When asked about the perpetrators still being at large, the family turned philosophical. “Yes, we don’t even know who did it. But what difference does it make if they are even caught and punished. The family’s loss cannot be rectified. It is the government’s job to catch the perpetrators,” Mr. Ayyappan said.
The family is shattered and the children are yet to come to terms with the loss of their mother. Her husband is a broken man
Ayyappan, Bhavani’s relative
