More than a month after the Red Fort blast, several victims and their families are yet to receive the ex-gratia announced by the Delhi government. Many among the deceased and those seriously injured were sole breadwinners and their families are struggling to make ends meet now.
The Delhi government had announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each for the families of those killed, ₹5 lakh for victims with permanent disability, ₹2 lakh for those with serious injuries and ₹20,000 for victims with minor injuries.
However, many have not received any compensation from the government. Among the deceased was Nouman Ansari, 18, from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, who was in the city on the fateful day to buy products for his cosmetics shop back home. His family said he had dropped out of his studies to support them and was the only earning member with his elder brother suffering from kidney ailments.
“The entire family has gone into depression since his death,” said Nouman’s uncle Mahboob Ansari. When asked about the ex-gratia, he said, “After we submitted all documents with the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Delhi, we were asked to wait. After a week, we were told the SDM will be transferred and all the formalities will be done after that. Then we were told that they were coordinating with Uttar Pradesh government and our local police here but even after all the paperwork, we have not received anything so far,” he said.
A similar story was shared by Aneesh Pathak, the eldest son of Vinay Pathak, a 50-year-old priest who died in the blast. “I cannot explain the loss of a father,” he said. “My mother is in an indescribable mental state since his death. The family is unable to deal with the grief.” He said the family submitted all required documents to the SDM office and was assured that the compensation would be released soon. “But we have not received anything so far,” he said.
Saina Parveen, 23, suffered temporary hearing loss due to the blast. She received treatment from the doctors and also got support from her employers, a private company in Karol Bagh, but was fired abruptly. “It was a holiday that day, so I had gone there for shopping,” she said, talking about the blast. “If I had known that I would lose my job after going through so much physical pain and trauma, I would never have gone.”
Ms. Parveen said she was asked to submit documents while she was still hospitalised but never heard back from the government. “I received just one call asking for documents. After that, there was no communication,” she said. “After spending five days at the hospital, I was discharged and told my employers that I would join in two days. Instead of receiving a welcoming response, I was asked to sign a resignation letter. I asked why but they did not give me any reliable response,” she said.
Ms. Parveen has been looking for jobs since then.
Bhawani Shankar Sharma, a taxi driver who sustained serious head injuries and deep cuts on his arm, is struggling to support his wife and three young children. “Officials did not even consider my documents,” he said. “When my brother went to submit them after hearing that other victims were being compensated, they refused to accept them and asked us to go home.”
Mr. Sharma said his taxi was completely destroyed in the blast. “The insurance company cleared the loan on the car, and I received around ₹14,000. That is all the money I have got so far,” he said.
A response was sought from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on the number of victims yet to receive ex-gratia and the reason for delay, but the CMO did not reply. However, a source at the CMO said 11 victims have been paid so far. “We are yet to receive a clarification from the Delhi Police on the rest of the applicants. The police have not clarified yet whether they really are the victims or have any links with the accused,” the source said.