The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Blast victim’s kin yet to come to terms with loss

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Friday, Aug 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Blast victim’s kin yet to come to terms with loss

Marri Ramu

- PHOTO: K. RAMESH BABU

Memories linger: Chandrakala with Sai Kiran, son of her younger sister Susheela, who died in the bomb blast at Gokul Chat on August 25 last year.

HYDERABAD: With just nine days left for Raksha Bandhan, people across the country are preparing for the festival with fond hopes and sweet memories. Susheela’s family is not.

Days before the festival last year, 32-year-old M. Susheela left her house to buy Rakhis. She was killed, along with 40 others, in the near simultaneous twin blasts triggered by terrorists at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat on August 25.

Nearly a year after, her family members are struggling to come to terms with her tragic death. Her sister Chandrakala is now looking after Susheela’s five-year-old son Sai Kiran who is in UKG now.

Mere mention of the blast incident brings tears to her. “Having repeatedly heard that terrorists killed his mother, the boy says he wants to become police officer to punish wrongdoers. That shows terror strikes only ignite hatred and passions,” she says. If sister’s death disturbed her, the fact that none was held so far in the case pained her and other family members more. “Giving compensation to victim’s family might be of some help. But is not the failure of the government in not catching the culprits even after so many months?” they ask.

Hailing from a middle-class family, Susheela wanted to come up in life with hard work . She joined as conductor in APSRTC and after working for six years, she took long leave. On that fateful day, Susheela went to Koti from her house at New Prashantnagar in Uppal, along with three other close relatives. After shopping, they went to Gokul Chat. As children were fond of snacks, she got some packed for them, rang up her sister Chandrakala to prepare food and was about to move out when the bomb went off. Along with Susheela, her two relatives too died in the blast.

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