A Father, a Bus Conductor, a Breadwinner: The Lives Snuffed Out in Delhi Blast

Delhi blast claims 12 lives, including a father and bus conductor, leaving families devastated.

A Father, a Bus Conductor, a Breadwinner: The Lives Snuffed Out in Delhi Red Fort Blast

(Photos: PTI/The Quint)

Twenty-two-year-old Pankaj Sahni was on his way back home after dropping off some relatives at New Delhi railway station. Hailing from Samastipur, Bihar, Sahni was an Ola and Uber cab driver, earning a living for his family.

On Monday, the last family member he spoke to was his grandfather at about 4:30 pm, before his life, along with 11 others', was snuffed out in the car blast near Red Fort in Delhi.

Sahni's mortal remains were handed over to his grieving family at a mortuary in Maulana Azad Medical College on Tuesday morning.

Pankaj Sahni, who died in the blast near Red Fort,

Karma Bhutia

Nouman, a resident of Jhijhana in Shamli, was also among those who lost their lives in the blast. He ran a cosmetics business in Shamli and had come to Delhi to collect supplies, his family said.

"Yesterday, he went to Delhi to buy some things for the shop. He went to the market but did not return. He got a call from there, and we were informed that Nouman met with an accident. When we went to the hospital, we saw his body there. We want strict action against those responsible for this," his uncle told news agency ANI.

Relatives of Nouman, who died in the blast near Red Fort, outside a mortuary at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, Tuesday, 11 November, 2025.

(Photo: PTI)

Among those killed was also a Jumman, an e-rickshaw driver.

A Pharmacust, A DTC Bus Conductor Among Those Killed

Mohsin, an e-rickshaw driver hailing from Meerut, has left behind two children.

"We got to know around 1:30–2:00 AM that there had been a blast. When we reached there, we saw his body was kept there. We were not allowed to go inside. He has two children. He used to drive an e-rickshaw there," his brother told news agency ANI.

Amar Kataria, a pharmacist, was on his way to meet his parents when he was severely injured in the blast.

A family member of Jumman, an e-rickshaw driver who died in the blast near Red Fort, shows a picture of the deceased, in New Delhi, Tuesday, 11 November, 2025.

Karma Bhutia

"He was on his way to see us when the blast happened. We kept calling him, and finally a woman picked up and told us about the explosion," his father Jagdish told The Times of India (TOI).

34-year-old Ashok Kumar, hailing from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, worked as a DTC bus conductor and was reportedly returning from work when the blast occured.

"He was my brother. I don't know how all of this happened. He was coming back from duty. He has three children, two daughters and one son. How will my sister-in-law raise them? This has been done by terrorists; they should be punished," his sister, Bhuri, told news agency ANI.

Long Recovery For the Injured

Jogender (47), a taxi driver, was severely injured in the blast and is being treated for burn injuries.

"He was taking a passenger when the blast happened," Pankaj said. "He was just parking at a nearby lot when he got the call to rush in. Now my uncle has burn marks on his face," Pankaj, his nephew, told TOI.

Relatives of victims, who died in the blast near Red Fort metro station, mourn, in New Delhi, Tuesday, 11 November, 2025.

(Photo: PTI)

Among the injured are also two minors, Misbah (13) and Abdulahad (11). "We saw tempos flying and panicked," their cousin Fatima told TOI, adding that Abdulahad has severe chest injuries.

28-year-old Ankush Sharma and 20-year-old Rahul Kaushik had gone to the Gauri Shankar temple in Shahdara when they were caught in the blast. Both are grievously injured. Ankush has sustained 80 percent burns on his face and body, his family told NDTV.

'No Conspirators Will Be Spared'

The death toll in the car blast near Delhi's Red Fort has now risen to 12, even as the injured continue to receive treatment at LNJP Hospital. On Monday evening, a high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving Hyundai i20 at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station. The blast took place at 6:52 pm on 10 November, damaging several vehicles in the vicinity.

While addressing the people from Thimphu, Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while condoling with the families of the deceased, said, "I was in touch with all the agencies investigating this incident throughout last night. Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind the blast will not be spared; all those responsible will be brought to justice."

While no terror angle has officially been confirmed yet, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that "all angles will be probed."

(With inputs from ANI, PTI, TOI, NDTV).