‘I will be dead before the remaining accused are brought to book’

At this rate,it will take 20 years to get justice and I will die before all of them are caught and convicted,” rued Ganpat Anap,whose son Atul was killed in the 2010 blasts in Pune’s German Bakery.

Anap refuses to hail the Sessions Court’s decision to convict Himayat Baig. At 7.15 pm on February 2010,powerful blasts inside the popular eatery killed 17 people and injured 64.

Baig was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) in September that year and Anap made his displeasure clear that the other conspirator Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal has also not been tried yet.

“I do not know why Ansari has not yet been tried in this case though he has been arrested and is facing trial in other cases. What use is it if justice comes after three-and-a-half years? This is justice denied,” he said.

On February 13,Atul and his wife Rita,who had quit Deloitte,had stopped to grab a bite at German Bakery after the latter appeared for an interview for a job in Pune.

Atul,previously employed as a software engineer at Reliance Communications,had got a new job at Idea Cellular in Pune. The couple had planned to shift to Pune. “They had ordered food at the counter. They had taken their food to a seat and were about to sit down when it happened,” recalled Ganpat.

Both Atul and Rita were rushed to Jehangir Hospital with severe shrapnel wounds and multiple fractures before being shifted to Mumbai’s KEM Hospital.

Atul passed away on February 20,while Rita was treated in KEM hopsital for seven months. She was then brought home and treated at a facility near her home in Nerul,Navi Mumbai,for another five months.

Finally,a year after the blast,Rita was given back her former position at Deloitte. “We are grateful to Deloitte for giving Rita her job back. For one year,she worked half-time at half pay,but a year ago,she joined full-time. Her left arm and leg are weak and cannot support any weight. She has to wear specially designed sports shoes all the time. We have arranged a car and a driver for her to travel to work. She will complete one year as a full-time employee this month,” he said.

The blast he added,shattered the plans he had for his son. “My son was 29 when he died. After my retirement,he was to become our earning hand. I have lost my son and the only compensation the state government can give us is to find the remaining accused wherever they are hiding,” he said.