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Many vendors who used to run street food stalls or sell small items have turned to other means of livelihood due to the loss of their goods. On Friday afternoon, a small group of foreign tourists were standing near the barricades when 25-year-old guide Iqbal spoke to them about the incident. They’ve barely discussed anything else since the explosion.
“I used to take at least 10 families or tourists with me every day,” Iqbal told PTI. “Now people who come to Delhi are not coming to the Red Fort. And those who come, they want to know about the blast. I take them to the barricade and tell them what happened. For the last two days, everyone has been asking me this,” Iqbal told PTI as he guided some foreigners.
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Sohail, who has worked as a guide in the area for nearly 10 years, said the content of his tours has also taken a 360-degree turn.
“Chandni Chowk is the heart of Delhi’s tourism. On one side is the historical market and on the other side is the Red Fort,” he said.
He said, “The first thing we do is bring tourists to this gate so that they can see the face of the monument. Now, instead of talking about Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his dynasty, we are talking about the blast and what the police have found so far. We have also lost more than half the tourists.”
Sohail remembered that fatal night. “I was having tea with friends before going home. Suddenly there was such a loud bang that we couldn’t hear anything for a while. My ears went deaf and we ran away.” Rakesh Sharma, another guide, who had completed his work for the day, said the scene changed within seconds. He said, “I saw a flash and then people started screaming. Everyone ran away. When I returned later, the road was covered with smoke and there were damaged vehicles.” Tourists keep asking if it is safe now. We can only repeat what the police tell us. The blast has not only changed people’s perception of Chandni Chowk but also displaced people’s lives and forced daily wage laborers to choose a different source of income.
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Devendra, 50, who sells toys and goods a few meters away from the spot, said he thought the transformer had exploded.
He said, “The explosion was so huge that it reached my stall and many of my belongings were destroyed. People ran in every direction and there was chaos, many pieces of my stall scattered here and there.”
“I have lost most of my luggage. Now I have hired a rickshaw from a friend. I have been driving it since yesterday and am waiting for his return,” Devender said.
Mohammad Tahir, who runs a street food stall, also believed it was a transformer or cylinder explosion until he saw people bolting. “I left my stall and ran to save my life,” he said.
Tahir later returned to collect what was left. “I have started pulling rickshaws to feed my family,” he said.
Joginder, a local resident in a nearby street and a regular visitor to the historic gurudwara in the area, said the shock was felt in the entire neighbourhood. “The explosion was so powerful that our entire house shook. When we came out, we saw 500 to 700 people running away,” he said.
He added, “We couldn’t sleep that night. We went to the gurudwara the next morning to calm ourselves. People kept coming and talking throughout the day. Many were still shaken up and trying to come to grips with what happened.”
A high-intensity explosion took place in a slow-moving car near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, destroying several vehicles and injuring many. Many of the seriously injured later died, bringing the death toll to 13.
Today, guides and vendors are returning to their usual places around the Red Fort, but in the injured Chandni Chowk. Their stories, once about history and heritage, now begin with the events of a single night that have cast a shadow over one of Delhi’s most visited historical sites.