2 yrs on, justice eludes Varanasi blast victim

 Though ‘another Swastika’ has arrived in their family, the first one is still missed one who was killed in the 2010 blast at Varanasi’s Sheetla ghat. They feel that its little one must, like the family members is also awaiting justice.

Even two years after the blast at the busy ghat during the famous ‘Ganga Arti’, the police are still groping in the dark and have failed to get any clue whatsoever.

Swastika was only 11 months old and was in her father’s lap when the powerful blast ripped the ghat. It had left around 35 others, including some foreign nationals, injured.

“Forget about nabbing the killers of Swastika, the police have even failed to identify the organisation behind the blast or the kind of chemical used to trigger the explosion. It is really very sad,” said Santosh Singh, Swastika’s father.

Swastika would have celebrated her first birthday a few days later, if the blast had not taken her away.

“We want justice for Swastika, she will never come back but at least her soul will rest in peace if the killers are apprehended,” he added.

Santosh Singh was blessed with another girl child on September 5 last year.
 “The arrival of the baby has given us something to be happy and we feel that Swastika herself has come back in the family,” Singh said.

Unforgettable loss

But the loss cannot be forgotten, he said.The family made a quiet visit to the spot where Swastika died and performed ‘puja’ for he soul. “We do not want it to be a noisy affair. It is a family loss and we mourn it in our way,” he Singh said.

The police, however, claims that the probe is still on. “A high level probe is going on and we hope to crack the case soon,” an Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) officer said.
The ATS had picked up several people after the blast but it could not establish their connection with the incident.

The sleuths earlier said that ammonium nitrite was used to trigger the blast but later retracted their statement.