GUWAHATI, Jan 30 - They waited for 10 years and three months for justice. And finally, the much-awaited verdict on the spine-chilling October 30 serial blasts was delivered by the Court of Special Judge today.
The Assam Tribune got in touch with those who were at the receiving end on that fateful day to find out what they actually think about the verdict.
�I am not happy with the court verdict, because those miscreants took lives of many innocent people on that day. Life imprisonment is not the proper punishment. They should have been hanged. This, for me, is a travesty of justice,� said Pranita Deka, wife of Dipak Deka, a vendor who lost his life during the blast at Ganeshguri.
�My husband was a petty trader. He was the sole bread earner for us. Although I got a contractual job in the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), I had to endure severe challenges prior to that. I have faced lots of challenges in the past ten years in running my family,� Pranita, a resident of Birubari area of the city, added.
�Today, I have derived some solace after hearing the court verdict. They should be remorseful now. Life imprisonment is the perfect punishment for them as they will have to face long-term hardship,� said Niru Kalita, wife of Promod Kalita from Nalbari, who was an employee at the Nalbari District Court.
On October 30, 2008, Promod Kalita had come to Guwahati for some official work and died in the bomb blast that took place on the CJM Court premises here.
�It became tough for me and my only daughter, who completed her graduation recently, to survive without a job. Now I get a small amount of pension, but that is not enough for us,� she said.
Tarali Das, wife of city bus conductor Naren Das who died in the Ganeshguri blast, said, �The incident has totally changed my life. My husband was the sole bread earner of our family and after his demise in the past ten years, we have faced numerous hardships.�
Speaking to this reporter over phone, Das, who is a resident of Palashbari, said, �I am tired of visiting various offices in the district headquarters in the past eight years in search of a government job. Till date I have not got any positive response from anyone. Last year, I got a letter from the State government where it was mentioned that I would get a government job, but the assurance is yet to materialise.�
�I am not happy with the court verdict. I want the perpetrators of the heinous crime to be made to undergo the pain of being physically disabled. It is only then probably they will realise our plight,� said Kamala Choudhury, wife of Raju Choudhury, who was an autorickshaw driver and died in one of the two Ganeshguri blasts.
Kamala Choudhury, who is now a resident of Hengrabari here and works under the GMC as a daily wage worker, also said, �I have a daughter and two sons. My elder son could not continue with his studies after Class XII due to financial crisis. For me it is impossible to manage educational expenses for all of them.�
�It was a normal day and our classes were going on as usual. But suddenly the whole situation changed. The whole area was rocked by the blast and both teachers and students of our school were shocked. The sense of uncertainty and fear continued for many days,� said Abhi Nayan Bora, 20, who was in Class VI then.
Bora, who is now a fourth semester student of City College, Guwahati, and also works as a part-time salesman at Hornbill Medical, a pharmacy located in Ganeshguri area, recalled the terrifying day of his childhood, �The father of one of my classmates who was an autorickshaw driver, died on the spot in that incident. Many of our classmates were traumatised after the incident. The horror of the incident lingered in our minds for many months. We saw how people shouted for help and medical aid. Most of them were half burnt or seriously injured. The picture is still alive in my mind and may remain so for the rest of my life.�
�All those who died on that day were innocent. Within a few moments I had lost many known faces. Today I want to thank the Assam Police and the court for the verdict. After ten years, the miscreants have got punishment. They should understand that crime never pays,� said Ramani Kanta Barman, a small paan-shop owner in the Ganeshguri area.
Recalling the terrible day, Barman, who has been running his business at Ganeshguri since 1993, said, �I feel lucky because I managed to escape that day. A person, who was standing next to me, was seriously injured in the blast. After the incident, it took around three years for the situation to become normal. Public gathering at Ganeshguri decreased drastically for many months, which affected our business.�
Employees of Darjeeling Store, a garment store located at Ganeshguri which was badly damaged in the blast, recalled the day, �Our owner Ram Kishore Jain had received critical head injury in the incident and our shop was gutted just after the blast. Today we feel happy that at least the culprits have got punishment.�
�I find no word to explain the situation in the hospital after the incident. I don�t think life imprisonment is sufficient for those miscreants,� said Dr Rajib Sarma, who was on duty at the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital here when the bomb blast took place on Kamrup (Metro) CJM Court premises.
Kaberi Sarma, who used to run an NGO named GOLD and assisted victims of the bomb blast in overcoming the trauma, explained how a woman from Jorhat lost her voice after witnessing the incident at Ganeshguri. The NGO helped members of many victims� families to overcome the trauma.
