Milind Indulkar, the son of Anita Indulkar, the sole fatality of the bomb blast outside the Vile Parle railway station in January 2003, told The Hindu on Tuesday that while the conviction of the 10 accused a welcome development, it could have come sooner.
“Not just me,” the 33-year-old said, “but several others have been waiting for justice for 13 years. I know that the police’s job was a tough and a challenging one, but once the case went to court, it should have been fast-tracked.”
Recounting the day he lost his mother, Mr Indulkar said, “I was 20 when my mother was taken away from me. I had gone to drop a friend at the time, and did not even know that a blast had taken place. My mother had gone to buy vegetables at the market outside the station. When I came home, neighbours had gathered outside my house... from them that I learnt that my mother was no more.”
Over the last 13 years, Mr Indulkar has tried to build a life for himself. He is now married with two children and works as a personal fitness trainer in Vile Parle.
However, the void left by the sudden and violent death of his mother remains. Mr Indulkar is now waiting for the court to announce the quantum of sentence.
“I wish there were some punishment worse than death, so that it could be meted out to the accused. They have killed innocent people and have left so many families permanently broken ,” he said. “But I have to say that the police have done a commendable job.”