Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, on Sunday criticised the Union government for not arresting even a single suspect in the July 11 serial train blasts case.
Taking part in an event to mark the fourth anniversary of the blasts here, Ms. Swaraj said: “All the suspects are still absconding. Interpol Red Corner notices have been issued only against four of them. Notices against the other 11 accused are still in process. They aren't even working with the speed of a tortoise. The hearing of the case has begun only recently. Only 18 out of the 2,000 witnesses have testified till now. At this rate, when will the hearing be completed? Many here have already lost their near and dear ones, will they also have to lose hope for justice?”
She said had the BJP wanted to gain political mileage out of terror-related issues, it would not have helped rehabilitation of the victims, something that was the government's responsibility.
After hearing some of the victims, Ms. Swaraj said, “What makes the government so insensitive that the blast victims have to sell their houses for medical treatment? Do we now have to request terrorists to injure people only according to the schedules laid down by the government, so that the victims get some compensation? Who creates these schedules? We will try to sensitise the government by raising this issue in Parliament.”
She was referring to the government's denial of adequate compensation to a victim citing that though the injury was grievous, it did not fit into the given schedule of the compensation.
The BJP leader slammed the government for shying away from its responsibilities. “After every terror attack, there are three standard promises that the government makes — That the accused will be brought to book, that strict action will be taken against those involved and that there would be proper rehabilitation of the victims. The truth is always different. In the case of 26/11 terror victims, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the President of India had promised the victims of rehabilitation. Even they have not kept their promise,” Ms. Swaraj said.
The Opposition leader said she felt inspired to see the courage and grit with which the victims were now fighting the system to lead a normal life.
Determination
BJP national secretary Kirit Somaiya said the determination of the victims to lead a good life was like a slap on the face of the terrorists. “‘I will not give up hope, I will not let you win' is what these men and women have said to the terrorists when they have decided to normalise their lives,” he said.
Ms. Swaraj congratulated Mr. Somaiya and the Yuvak Pratishthan on their painstaking efforts to follow up the 7/11 case. The organisation has aided many blast victims in getting help from the government and filing lawsuits for adequate compensation.
Unending trauma
Many victims are still suffering from grievous problems and have not been able to fully recover from the trauma. Even today, they are overcome by emotions while talking about the blast and the aftermath. The most common problem is loss of hearing capacity due to ruptured eardrums. This has rendered some jobless and has kept some out of colleges.
Mahesh Dwiwedi (54) cannot hear through the left ear. He painstakingly recovered from the injury to the left side of his body only to know that the company had aborted his service. “I was a divisional manager in sales. My job involved lot of roaming around. Due to physical constraints after the injury, I could not move around. I got a hearing aid and requested the office to allot me a desk job. I would have taken lot of effort to train myself in the job. But the company refused,” he said tearfully.
The Railways has given his wife a Class IV job, but what she earns is not even one-third of what he used to earn.
Hoping against hope
Rajesh Jha is an example of determination and hard work. A bomb shrapnel in the spine (which is still sitting there) has left him 83 per cent handicapped. He still continued his education and stood first in Mumbai University in M.Com examination.
He wants to study further, but he has to work to support his medical expenditure.
Two surgeries can normalise his life, but the cost comes to Rs.16 lakh. He has run from pillar to post and met politicians and officials, all in vain. But he still hopes against hope that something will happen.
The commemorative event saw many such faces and many painful stories behind those faces. They have only one hope.
The punishment that they are facing without any fault of theirs would end soon.
