Six years for bad day in Hyderabad

Six years back, it was February 21 that mercilessly hit several lives in the ever busy and crowded area of Dilsukhnagar in the city. The twin blasts that rocked scores of denizens going about their lives like on any other day left 17 dead and injuring 131 others.

Two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) went off almost simultaneously on that day. The first IED exploded around 7 pm near the 107 bus stop and the next one went off near A 1 Mirchi Centre, a stone’s throw away from the crowded bus stop.

Six years later, memories of the day continue to haunt many of the injured victims and families of those who were killed. Most feel that justice continued to elude though five operatives of Indian Mujahideen (IM) were given death sentence in the case. In 2016, the special court for NIA cases had pronounced the sentence against these operatives of IM while the prime accused Riyaz Bhatkal, continues to be at large.

While victims deplore the delay in executing the sentence, the officials said the operatives were lodged in various prisons in the country as cases were pending against them in blasts that took places in different cities. The victims demand the government take necessary steps in executing the sentence.

After the blast, the government had promised to bear the expenses in treatment of the injured. However, a majority of them claim to have met or continue to meet the medical expenses on their own in absence of the government follow up on the issue.