No religion in tragedy: Victims' kin | Jaipur moves on

TOGETHER IN GRIEF: Jaipur's residents say that the attacks will not cause a Hindu-Muslim rift.

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Keywords: Communal Divide, Religion

New Delhi: Three-year-old Diya and five-year-old Mehak were the youngest victims of Tuesday's mindless attack. They were making their weekly visit to the Hanuman temple with their grandmother when the bomb exploded and they were killed.

Their father says that he searched in all hospitals desperately looking for his babies, but he was too late.

Diya and Mehak's uncle, Vinod Dangayach says, "I only want to tell the Government that if the perpetrators are caught, please just punish them. Don't let them get away with unending court trials. Just make sure they pay."

The intent of the blast was obviously to arouse communal passion, but when a bomb kills, it doesn't pick and chose its victims — it simply kills, like it did with the Khan family.

Almost an entire generation of the family was wiped out in a matter of minutes. Liyaqat Ali Khan's three daughters —26-year-old Sumera, 15-year-old Asma and 11-year-old Anne are now simply statistics on the Johari Bazaar's casualty list.

Their uncle, Asif Ali Khan is teary eyed as he remembers the tea Sumera used to make. "Woh jab bhi ati thi hum ikhate chai peete the. Usse maine apna chai partner banaya tha." ("Whenever she used to come, we would have tea together. She was my chai partner.")

So do the Khans worry that there could be a backlash after temples were the target of Tuesday's attack?

Asif Ali Khan says, "Hindu Muslim mey darrar nahi ayegi. Sab samjdhar hai inshahallah." ("This will not be able to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims. Everyone is smart enough to know that.")