Red Fort blast: Outside Lok Nayak Hospital, kin battle rush, confusion

There was a flurry of activity at the Lok Nayak Hospital, where those injured in the blast were rushed for treatment.

Heavy security was deployed at the entrance of the medical facility, and visitors, including those who had come for regular check-ups and family members of the injured, were prohibited from entering the premises.

Ambulances continued to arrive at the hospital well after 9 p.m., carrying injured persons from the site of explosion.

‘Lack of communication’

Outside the gates, the mood was one of confusion and grief.

Several family members of the injured alleged mismanagement and lack of information on the part of the authorities while waiting for updates about their wounded kin.

“My brother-in-law called my father, saying he had been brought to the hospital. His face and arm have been severely injured in the blast. They have not yet let me meet him. We have been trying to reach the hospital authorities and the police, but to no avail,” said Pawan Sharma from Noida, whose relative Bhawani Shankar, 35, a taxi driver, was brought to the hospital.

Mohammad Danish, cousin of Sameer Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver injured in the blast, said a stranger called him to inform him about the tragic incident.

“Sameer is in the ICU. We still don’t know how bad his situation is,” Mr. Danish said.

Sudheer Sharma, a resident of Rohtas Nagar in Shahdara, said his son, Ankush Sharma, was critically injured in the explosion and is battling for his life in the ICU.

“My son went to visit the Gauri Shankar temple with his friend Rahul Kaushik. While Rahul was sent home after stitches on his head, Ankush is fighting for his life,” he said, adding that his son worked at a jewellery shop.

‘Not back home’

Lokesh from Amroha in Hasanpur, Uttar Pradesh, had come to meet his relatives at the hospital who were admitted there.

After leaving the hospital, he was crossing the Red Fort area when he got caught in the blast.

Four hours later, his relative, Sandeep Aggarwal, was looking for information on him. “I came to the hospital because he has not come back home,” he said.

Several people claimed that there was no clear communication at the hospital about which gate to enter. “We just want to know if our family members are alive,” one of them said.

(With inputs from PTI)