Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) Holding a tray of tea cups, 20-year-old Sonu and his friend made their way through police barricades and hordes of journalists outside Gate 5 of the Delhi High Court, where a powerful bomb exploded Wednesday.

The shock was apparent on their faces. Yet it was business — seemingly as usual.

“I can never forget what I saw,” Sonu told IANS. “I had just come out of the court complex after delivering tea to some lawyers and clerks when the explosion happened. At first I could not understand what it wss.”

Then he saw people in pools of blood, some crying helplessly.

“There was blood all over… and screams…,” he recounted. “We helped people as much as we could. I could not sleep at night as the images kept haunting me.”

But he came to work Thursday. “There is no choice,” he shrugged.

He might have no option but many others, like auto drivers, refused to ferry passengers to the high court Thursday.

“There was a blast yesterday,” auto driver Ramesh said. “We do not want to go to that area.”

Twelve people were killed and more than 90 injured around 10.15 a.m. Wednesday when a bomb concealed in a briefcase at the crowded Gate 5 of the court exploded.

The court, however, resumed work after 2 p.m. Wednesday

“There is fear and anticipation, obviously. But we cannot cow down to these attacks. Life has to go on, we have to keep working,” Alok Batra, a lawyer of seven years at the court, told IANS.

“I was here when the blast took place, rushed my colleague to the RML Hospital,” said advocate Shalini Luthra. “Life has to move on.”

She added: “Yes, there is a sense of anger, but so what?”

Lawyers are indignant over the lack of metal detectors and other security lapses. Said another advocate: “Will we ever learn?”

The road leading to the court was cordoned off earlier Thursday as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) continued its probe.

The blast had left a 3×4-foot crater outside Gate 5. A crane was stationed near the gate to help detectives gather evidence from a nearby tree.

Police believe some traces of the bomb may have been embedded in the tree.

Critical of the investigation, lawyer Rajiv Sharma said: “After the blast in May, Gate 7 was sealed. Now Gate 5 is sealed. Will they keep sealing all the gates?”

Confusion plagued litigants who reached the court Thursday.

David Matthew and his elderly mother were clueless which gate to use to enter and where to get entry passes.

“Since the road is blocked, we parked our car far off and walked all the way. My mother is old and finds walking difficult. And now that Gate 5 is sealed we do not know where the passes are being made,” Matthew said, before being told that he has to go to Gate 7.

Asked if they were worried about coming to court a day after the blast, Matthew’s mother smiled. “Do we have a choice? The case hearing is today. The lawyers are back. Life has to go on,” she said.