New Delhi, Nov 9 (PTI) Memories of last year’s Red Fort blast lingered over a family in Delhi’s Shahdara, whose house was the only dark spot in the neighbourhood lit up with diyas and festive lights for Diwali on Sunday. Ankush Sharma, 27, a jewellery trader, was among the many injured in the blast near Red Fort on November 10, 2025, which killed 15 people.
He was visiting the Gauri Shankar Temple in Chandini Chowk when a Hyundai i20 car packed with ammonium nitrate and RDX went off at a traffic signal near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station in the evening.
A year after the explosion, Ankush, who lost one eye and suffered hearing loss in one ear, is still struggling to recover. With nearly 50 per cent of his body affected, the 27-year-old can now walk a little, but remains largely confined to his home, with two to three more surgeries pending.
The sound of firecrackers and the sight of flames frighten him, bringing back memories of the explosion. His family, too, has been unable to return to normal life, watching him struggle with physical injuries and depression.
"His condition has improved only slightly. He cannot go outside or resume his earlier life. He is just 27, unmarried, and his career has come to a standstill. The entire family is broken seeing him like this," Pradeep Rathore, a family relative, said.
The family did not celebrate Diwali this year and even refrained from lighting diyas. Their house was the only one in the neighbourhood without festive lights, as the family continues to struggle with the psychological aftermath of the blast, Rathore said.
For another family, the explosion took away its only source of livelihood.
Toman, a resident of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh who was in his early twenties, was the sole breadwinner, supporting a household already dealing with serious medical problems, his uncle Muhammad Zunaid told PTI.
His elder brother was bedridden due to health complications, and the family depended heavily on Toman, who worked at a cosmetic store in Chandini Chowk.
After his death, the elder brother underwent a kidney transplant, with their father being the donor. However, neither has fully recovered from the medical ordeal.
He said Toman's father is still struggling after the surgery, while the elder brother suffered another spinal injury following the transplant.
With mounting medical expenses and no regular income, the family has fallen into debt and is surviving largely on assistance from relatives.
"Since Toman's death, things have only gone downhill. His father has not recovered from the operation, and his brother is also struggling. Relatives are helping as much as they can, but the family is unable to get back on its feet," Zunaid said.
"He was the only person they could depend on. The family has been facing one difficulty after another, and there is no one who can replace the support he provided," he added.
The tragedy has also left a young child growing up without his father.
Amar Kataria, a 35-year-old pharmaceutical businessman who worked at Chandni Chowk's Bhagirath Palace, was among those killed.
Months after the blast, his three-year-old son had stopped turning towards the door at every sound, no longer expecting his father to return. His wife Kriti, meanwhile, had barely stepped outside, struggling to cope with the loss, Swadesh Sethi, a relative, told PTI.
Sethi said that the family has not celebrated any festivals after that incident and his wife barely comes out of the house.
"Amar’s parents appear to have lost the will to live, while Kirti didn't get any job after losing her husband,” he added.
A year later, the family continues to live with the absence of Amar. His body was charred beyond recognition, and tattoos bearing the words "Mom, my first love, Dad, my strength" and "Kriti" helped relatives identify him.
For Ankush, Toman's family and the Katarias, the anniversary is not merely a reminder of a date but of lives divided into before and after November 10.
While the city celebrates another Diwali, their homes continue to carry the silence, uncertainty and scars left by the blast.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)