Mumbai, Gardening contractor Harish Powar lived with the physical and emotional scars of the 7/11 local train bombings while waiting for the closure. High Court verdict akin to rubbing salt on our wounds: 7/11 train blasts survivor

However, the acquittal of 12 accused by the Bombay High Court after 19 years has left the Virar resident aghast, prompting him to dub the verdict akin to rubbing salt on the wounds of victims.

Powar, now 44, vividly remembers July 11, 2006, when a bomb blast ripped through the first-class coach of a Virar-bound local train he was travelling in, which left him injured.

“The blast scene keeps cropping up in front of my eyes even after almost two decades. I remember bodies lying inside the compartment with blood splattered on its walls. Some people were writhing in pain, while a few others were lying motionless,” Powar told PTI.

He recalled spotting the head that had flown into the coach due to the explosion’s impact.

Nineteen years after seven train blasts here killed more than 180 persons, the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 accused, saying the prosecution “utterly failed” to prove the case and it was “hard to believe the accused committed the crime”.

Dismayed by the verdict, Powar sarcastically said, “If the accused persons are acquitted, then getting out of our houses for work to feed our family is a crime…and we are the culprits”.

The landscape and gardening contractor had sustained serious injuries to his chest when he was travelling in a first-class compartment of a Virar-bound local train.

“After 19 years, nobody would expect such a verdict. If the 12 accused are acquitted, then we should know the real culprits,” he said.

In a damning indictment of the prosecution’s case, the high court has declared all confessional statements of the accused inadmissible, suggesting “copying”.

Stressing that the judiciary is the only hope for the common people, Powar said such judgements are akin to rubbing salt on the wounds of the victims.

“The judgement made common people like me, who travel in packed trains to go to work to sustain our elderly parents and families, look like the main culprits. I don’t know who should be blamed for the acquittal of the accused,” he lamented.

Sank into despondency, Powar said this judgment has left all the victims upset.

The gardener, who worked in South Mumbai, vividly remembers his train ride home from Grant Road station on the fateful day 19 years ago.

“I boarded the first-class coach of the 6.05 pm train from Grant Road station to go to Virar. When the train reached Matunga Road station, a strong explosion ripped through the coach. I can’t forget the scene even after 19 years. Bodies were lying inside the compartment. Some people were lying injured while others lay motionless. There was blood everywhere”.

Powar suffered injuries to his chest and was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Recalling his recovery, Powar said he battled physical pains and nightmares for several days.

“In the initial four or five days, I couldn’t recognise what had happened to me. I couldn’t sleep. The bomb blast scene and bodies of victims used to crop up in my dreams,” he added.

Powar said the psychological trauma lingered on for days. Even after he recovered from injuries, he initially couldn’t muster the courage to board a local train- the lifeline of Mumbai.

“However, gradually life returned to normal, and it had to, as I have to keep working for my family”, he added.

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