Hyderabad hero: Chaatwala loses livelihood, saves lives

BLAST HERO: Even as he witnessed the horror around him, Vijayvergiya didn't let the fear numb his mind.

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Keywords: Gokul Chaat Bhandar, Victims

Hyderabad: The smell of death still hangs in the air at the Gokul Chat centre in Hyderabad. The bloodied floor, the lone slipper -- all signs of the horror of August 25, when an explosion ripped through the popular restaurant, killing 32 people and wounding 21.

When the bomb went off that night, Premchand Vijayvergiya, the owner of the restaurant, lost his livelihood, which for him was tantamount to losing his life.

"I thought it was a cylinder blast at first. There was no electricity. I came inside the shop and saw that there was blood everywhere," says Vijayvergiya.

But help came immediately, says he -- not from ambulances but from eyewitnesses and passers-by.

"Everybody tried to help. The police also reached soon and made sure that all the wounded immediately reached the hospital," he recalls.

Even as he witnessed the horror around him, Vijayvergiya didn't let the fear numb his mind and instead, used his presence of mind to help save many lives.

In the chaos, the businessman did not realise until much later that his nephew was also one of those injured.

"He is my child but the others too were someone's children. I had to help everyone," says he.

Vijayvergiya did his best, but his frustration and helplessness for not being able to stop this act of terror is clearly visible on his face.

"These people had just come out to eat some food and got brutally killed. I feel so sad and angry but I can't do anything about it," says he.

For Vijayvergiya himself, Saturday was a day that can never be forgotten. A day when terror came home, and took its toll.