Video Producer: Mayank Chawla
Video Editors: Abhishek Sharma, Harpal Rawat
When Irfan Kasmani (41) left home in Gujarat's Morbi on 29 October to go to Malegaon, Maharashtra for a wedding, little did he know that he would return home to his youngest son's dead body in his house.
"Hamara toh zindagi ujad gaya (our lives have been destroyed)," said an inconsolable Irfan, flocked by family members and friends in a quaint lane of Morbi's Visipara area. His 14-year-old son Armaan was among the 135 people who lost their lives in the cable bridge collapse in Morbi.
As Irfan narrated his ordeal, he took a brief pause after hearing the azaan from a nearby mosque, closed his eyes, and prayed as a tear rolled down his cheek.
On 29 October, siblings Irfan, Younus Kasmani (43) and Femida Iqbal (38) along with their family members left their children Riyaz (16), Armaan (14), and Nisar (18) in Morbi to attend a wedding in Maharashtra's Malegaon. To their horror, Armaan's elder brother Shahil (18) called them at the wedding to tell them that the three boys, along with a friend Eijaz Abdul Mohammad (18), had gone to the Morbi bridge that has collapsed.
Out of the four boys Armaan, Nisar, Riyaz, and Eijaz who left home together that day, only Riyaz survived the tragedy, but is badly injured and being treated a hospital in Morbi.
Nisar's parents Femida and Iqbal refused to speak. "Filhaal baat nahi kar sakte (I do not wish to speak as of now)," said Iqbal with folded hands, still processing the loss of his only son. Femida was still in a state of shock and cried inconsolably.
'Returned Home to Their Dead Bodies'
While the parents were away in Malegaon, the extended family searched for the two boys for almost nine hours till they found Armaan at 3:30 am and Nisar at 4:00 am at the civil hospital's morgue.
By the time their parents returned from Malegaon at 9:00 am, the bodies had been brought home.
Riyaz who survived the tragedy has suffered a dislocated shoulder, a fracture in the right hand, and has multiple stitches on the head and the face.
"Armaan wanted to study. He wanted to plan ahead after finishing class 12," said Irfan. Nisar was looking for jobs to be able to sustain his education after class 12.
"The families of all those who have died must be given justice. This bridge should be shut forever. The bridge could take 100 people but they allowed 500-700 people," Irfan said.
A Scarred Neighbourhood
While Armaan and Nisar were buried on the morning of 31 October, a coffin for Eijaz, who lived merely 20 meters away from the Kasmani family, was lying ready.
"Abhi le jaana hai usse thodi der mein (he will be taken on his final journey soon)," said Eijaz's father Abdul Mohammad (45) who was attending to guests, merely able to speak.
"Woh bohot sharaarti tha, par nek ladka tha, sabki bohot madad karta tha (He was naughty, but he was a good boy, he was very helpful)," said Razak, Eijaz's uncle as the family was preparing for his last journey.
Eijaz's family did not wish to speak much, as most of them were busy with the preparations for the burial, but the people in the locality remember the children fondly.
"Who would have expected so much death and despair befalling four families in just a day? Even if you don't interact with the whole neighbourhood daily, you know of everybody living around, you see them at festivals, you see some of these children grow together, pray together, and play together," said Hanif, a man living in the locality.
As Eijaz's body was being prepared for his final journey, the Kasmani family cleared the way for the procession to pass.
Families Seek Answers and Justice
The bereaved Kasmanis now demand answers from those responsible and justice for their children.
"How could they allow 400-500 people on the bridge that could sustain only 100-150? How was the bridge repaired in a span of six months just for Rs 2 crore? There has to be accountability," Irfan's brother Altaf said.
While lapses of process are being alleged in the reopening of the bridge last week after it was shut for seven months for renovation, nine people have been arrested by the Morbi police in the matter, with a five-member high powered committee probing the alleged breach of protocols.
The official death toll stands at 134, with at least 50 of them being below the age of 18. With two people still missing, the search operations continue for the second consecutive day at the Machchhu river.
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