Bhanpurwala was the secretary of Tejpratima society in Nalasopara’s Achole Road for a decade where he lived with his wife for over 20 years. “He was a jolly good fellow who smiled even when he was the butt of a joke,” said Jabir, a society resident. Bhanpurwala ran a shop selling baby products. His wife, Farida, had gone to Dubai to be with their two sons and he had gone to his hometown in Madhya Pradesh.
Victims’ families in state of shock, stage protest
With his wife away in Dubai to be part of the ‘Ashara Mubaraka’, a 10-day period starting from the Islamic Hijri New Year, Kadarbhai Bhanpurwala had decided to visit his hometown in Madhya Pradesh. Bhanpurwala too had worked in Dubai for many years.
He left home on July 19. On Monday, he boarded the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express from Mandi station in Rajasthan which is close to his hometown in MP to return to Nalasopara when the shooting took place. Residents of Tejpratima society said the Bhanpurwala family had never had as much as an argument with anyone. The final rites will be performed on Tuesday as Kadar’s wife and sons were expected to arrive late on Monday.
At the Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivli where the bodies of all the victims were taken, Puja Meena, daughter of slain assistant sub inspector Tikaram Meena, was inconsolable. Meena (57) was nine months away from his retirement. He hailed from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan and his wife had not been informed of his death.
His son-in-law, a station master, was at Puja’s side throughout at the hospital. “We had never heard him raise his voice,” said a relative. Another family at the hospital was mourning the loss of passenger Asghar Ali Abbas Shaikh (48) who ran a bangles workshop in Jaipur where he lived with his wife and five children. He hailed from Bihar. Relatives said he was not faring well workwise in Jaipur and would travel to Mumbai and Indore looking for work.
On Monday, he was travelling to Mumbai and was to stay with his younger brother, Amanullah Shaikh, at Madanpura while he looked for orders. “He was shot on the shoulder,” said one of the relatives. Grieving relatives of Abbas staged a protest outside Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital late on Monday.
Amanullah Shaikh said they would not accept the body till the railways announced a compensation, made arrangements for carrying his body to Jaipur and assured a job for kin. All the bodies were moved to the JJ Hospital for autopsies. Riot Control Police were deployed at the Borivli GRP chowky where the accused, Chetan Singh, was lodged.
