It was a special treat for 12-year-old Salma. Breaking from tradition, her two elder sisters, 20-year-old Anjum and 17-year-old Shehnaz, decided to take Salma to Sarojini Nagar Market to buy her new clothes for Eid.The three sisters had decided to return home in Narela to break the roza (Ramzan fast), but as the sun went down, they chose Shyam Juice Corner and Chaat at Sarojini Nagar instead.A decision for which they are now fighting for their lives.Anjum and Shehnaz are in the Burns Ward ICU at Safdarjung. Anjum’s entire left side is burnt and breathing is an ordeal. Her ear drums are perforated so when she speaks, she beckons you closer. Shehnaz has severe eye injuries and burns in the lower limb.‘‘We never go out shopping during Ramzan. Our parents usually buy us new clothes. This time we decided to go to Sarojini which is close to home. We were to come back to break Roza but then decided to eat at the market itself. We had just finished eating and had taken a few steps when we heard the explosion. Uske baad hum asmaan mein ud rahe the, aur jab gire to aag ke pani mein me gire,’’ (We were flying in the air and then when we fell, we fell in a pool of fire).” says Anjum.Anjum found her two sisters in the mangle of bodies and the ensuing stampede. ‘‘When I got a call from Anjum from her cell, she told me that a passerby had offered to take Salma to AIIMS. She didn’t tell me that she and Shehnaz had also been injured,’’says father Jainuddin.Salma is in ward C7 at AIIMS. She does not talk. Her responses are reduced to mere nods. Her eldest sister Shabnam, who rushed from her home in Mandawali, says she is still in shock. Salma has burns on her swollen face, arms and legs, her hearing has been affected.‘‘My parents are very worried. Abbu works in an export firm and has little savings. No one is married yet and with the burns we don’t know whether they will get offers—aajkal tho achhe achho ki shaadi nahi hoti hai. Salma has burns on her face. Hopefully these will clear out by the time she grows up. My parents were in the process of finding a groom for Anjum, don’t know what fate has in store,’’ says Shabnam. Some beds away from her lies Neelofar. She, too, was at Sarojini Market when the blast struck. She was shopping for Diwali with her nieces—10-year-old Aarshi and 9-year-old Sweety— who had come down from UP to spend the big day with their grandparents.‘‘We were shopping for new clothes. On our way out, we stopped for chaat. Within no time, I was in the air. When I got up, I ran with Aarshi and Sweety to the main road and hailed an auto. The autowallah refused to pick us up. He saw our torn clothes and injuries and said it was a police case.”
