Jaipur tragedy brings Malegaon blasts memories

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Keywords: Victims, Malegaon Blasts

Malegaon (Maharashtra): The horrific serial blasts in Jaipur have brought back memories of bomb blasts perpetrated similarly in the Maharashtria city of Malegaon less than two years ago.

The families of the blast victims there had just begun to recover from the tragedy when the Jaipur blasts incident reminded them once again, of how unsafe they are.

The Malegaon blasts rocked the small town near Nashik on September 8, 2006 during the afternoon prayers at a mosque.

Twenty-seven-year-old fruit seller, Anees Ahmed, was among those who fell prey to a powerful bicycle bomb in Malegaon.

Similar blasts that ripped through Jaipur on Tuesday have only served to remind Anees' father, Abdul Ghani of his misfortune.

"I feel like my son has died all over again," says Ghani.

Survivors and eye wittnesses of the blasts are reliving their horror and the similarities between the two tragedies — mainly the placement of bicycle bombs at crowded market areas — have reminded them of how unsafe they still are.

The father of a blast victim, Shafiq Ahmed says, Jaisa yahaan hua waisa wahaan bhi ho raha hai. Har shahar mein ho raha hai. Ab bhi hamare saath kabhi bhi ho sakta hai." (What happened in Malegaon is now happening in Jaipur. It's happening in every city. It can happen with us again.")

The police, along with other groups, held a peace meeting in Malegaon on Wednesday, in the memory of the victims of the Jaipur blasts.

Malegaon SP, Sanjay Patil says, "The blasts in Jaipur were similar to the blasts that happened here, so we held a peace meeting to spread the message of harmony and in their memory."

The country now lives under the shadow of an unexpected bomb blast and no one is more aware of it than the people who have lost their children to the terror menace.

(With inputs from Muzaffar in Malegaon)