‘Would have been removed to pieces, had that ambulance not been there’: Minister recalls Ahmedabad blasts

Parmar was a BJP worker then in Asarva area in which the civil hospital is situated. Later, Parmar got elected from the Asarva constituency, reserved for Scheduled Caste. In September last year, Parmar was inducted into the Bhupendra Patel government as a cabinet minister.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Parmar said, “We had come to know about blasts in various areas of Ahmedabad like Thakkarbapanagar, Maninagar, Bapunagar etc. through television. As BJP workers, we used to volunteer for any work to serve patients in civil hospital. So, after hearing news about blasts, we anticipated that injured people would be brought to Civil hospital. And so, we rushed there… Many of our leaders like (former minister) Pradeepsinh Jadeja were also present.”

“We were helping patients getting off the ambulances to rush them to trauma ward when a massive blast took place from behind an ambulance outside the ward. It caused on the spot deaths of many while also injuring many others including those who had rushed to help the patients,” Parmar added.

Parmar said that during this blast, a doctor couple walking by the trauma ward had died on the spot. He added that duirng post morterm it was revealed that the woman was four-months pregnant.

On the injury that he sustained, Parmar said, “I was standing behind an ambulance when the first blast occurred. So, because of the cover I got of ambulance that I could escape death. I would have been removed to pieces, had that ambulance not been there as a chance cover. I got injuries from shards on the lower part of my right limb since the lower part of the ambulance was open.”

Parmar recalled seeing a number of people with blood all over their bodies and many with severe burn injuries etc. after the blasts.