By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS
Hyderabad : Amid the mayhem, a stack of samosas, untouched inside a glass showcase, stood mute witness to the bloodbath that tore through the extremely popular Gokul Chat eatout in central Hyderabad, killing at least 32 people.
Pieces of human flesh, coagulated pools of blood, blood-stained clothes and footwear are scattered on the floor alongside fruits, eatables, plates and cutlery.
The powerful explosion was one of the two that rocked Hyderabad late Saturday, killing 42 people and injuring over 70.
The victims were mainly those standing at the entrance of the eatery, located in Koti, a busy commercial area. The bomb with a timer device was kept near the ice-cream vending machine – now a mangled heap.
The make-shift roof made of iron sheets has come off, and there are glass shards, bags, helmets, caps, books, pens and other belongings of the victims lying scattered.
Such was the impact of the blast that the head of one victim was severed while several others were defaced. Pieces of brain were also lying amid the rubble. Since the roof was hardly five feet high, the blast led to more loss of life.
The food joint can accommodate 20 to 30 people but dozens stand on the footpath to eat the delicacies or take away parcels. As there is no seating arrangement in the eatery, people stand around the long iron tables, which were flung to several feet away under the impact of the blast. The cold drink trays were thrown away onto the road.
An identity card of B. Ramesh, a laboratory assistant at Sri Chaitanya Junior College, was found amid the debris. There was also a necktie, probably belonging to one of the two doctors who were killed in the blast.
There were also books lying on the floor as many students were enjoying the food while returning home from colleges or from the nearby bookshops.
The scene at the open-air auditorium at Lumbini Park was no different. The blast occurred around 7.45 p.m., two to three minutes before the explosion at Gokul Chat.
About a dozen chairs fixed into the concrete platform were flung away as far as 20 meters. Some chairs had even melted away under the impact of the blast. The area of the explosion is clearly visible among the rows of the thick fibre glass chairs.
“You can see pieces of brain lying there,” pointed out one of the police men posted there as forensic experts were busy gathering clues.
Streams of blood flowed down 10 to 12 rows and thick blood clots were visible even after the rains last night. A pair of shoes, of an adult and a child, along with socks were lying in one of the rows. Footwear of a few women were also scattered. Perhaps the people wearing them were either killed or injured.
The blast had led to a stampede. Police officials said the loss of life was less here due to two reasons. “First it was an open place and the impact of the blast was not as devastating as it was in Gokul Chat. The evening showers had hit the turnout of visitors as there were about 500 people to watch the laser show,” said a police officer.
A helmet was kept on one of the chairs but no one knows the fate of the person wearing it. Empty packets of snacks and water bottles were strewn around.
The area, also a popular picnic spot and abuzz with hectic activity on Sunday mornings, wore a deserted look. An eerie silence prevailed as policemen cordoned off the area, diverting the traffic to keep curious onlookers away and facilitate visits by VIPs.
“After these blasts no citizen will feel safe. The danger may be lurking in any public place. People will prefer to remain indoors rather than coming to places like Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat,” said a traffic policeman summing up the public mood in the city.