A year after 38-year-old Amar Kataria was killed in the car bomb blast near the Red Fort, his wife, Kriti, has barely stepped out of their home, according to her father, Sudesh Sethi.
“It has been a year, and she refuses to step out of her house. It feels as though the incident happened only yesterday,” Mr. Sethi said.
Thirteen civilians were killed and 20 others injured when a bomb exploded in a car near the Red Fort on November 10, 2025. The bomber was also killed in the explosion.
A year later, families of those killed and the survivors continue to struggle with grief, health problems and financial difficulties.
Kataria, who ran a pharmaceutical shop at Bhagirath Palace, was returning to his home in Sriniwaspuri when he was killed in the blast.
Since his death, Kriti has devoted herself to raising their three-year-old son. “She has been mustering the strength to bring him up. He is too young to understand what is happening. Apart from him, Kriti takes no interest in any other aspect of her life,” Mr. Sethi said.
Bhawani Shankar Sharma, 34, who suffered a head injury in the blast, continues to experience intermittent memory problems, according to his elder brother, Vishnu Sharma. He was dropping off a customer in his taxi when the explosion occurred.
“We remember the blast like a nightmare. My brother had an extremely happy life before the blast. He lost his car, his only source of livelihood, and has faced financial difficulties in addition to his injuries,” Vishnu said.
Mr. Bhawani lives in Noida with his wife, three children, parents and his brother’s family.
“We like to believe he was saved by his daughter, who was only a year old at the time. The hope of seeing her again kept him alive,” Mr. Vishnu said.
The family of 18-year-old Nouman Ansari from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, who was killed in the blast, is also facing financial difficulties and health-related problems.
His father, Imran Ansari, fractured his spine in a fall last week, three months after donating a kidney to his elder son.
“Nouman’s father donated a kidney to his elder son about three months ago. Now, both are on bed rest, and there are three younger daughters to care for,” said Nouman’s uncle, Mehbub Ansari.
“Nouman was the only earning member of his family and wanted to get his brother treated at a private hospital. He was a cheerful young man and a source of happiness for everyone, especially his ageing parents,” he added.
Families seek more support
The Delhi government had announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹10 lakh each to the families of those killed, ₹5 lakh to those rendered permanently disabled, ₹2 lakh to the seriously injured and ₹20,000 to those with minor injuries.
However, some families said the assistance had failed to address their needs, including loss of livelihood and medical expenses.
Mr. Sethi described the government’s response as “cold-hearted”, saying his family had sought employment assistance for Kriti but received no favourable response.
“We do not need money. My son-in-law earned ₹5 lakh a month. What we needed from the government was intervention that would genuinely help us. We sought a job for Kriti, who has an MBA, but the Chief Minister did not pay heed to our requests,” he said.
Mr. Vishnu said the government should have considered the financial and emotional impact of the blast on the affected families.
“We are grateful that my brother is alive, but so many have lost family members. We received ₹2 lakh despite suffering much greater losses, including his car, treatment expenses and income lost during his recovery. The government did not acknowledge these losses,” he said.
Ashok Randhawa, president of the South Asian Forum for People Against Terror, said several injured victims had received only ₹20,000 despite spending days in hospital. He has been seeking enhanced compensation for those whose injuries, he said, had been classified as minor despite having long-term consequences.
“The government said they had sustained minor injuries, despite medical records showing life-changing injuries, such as hearing loss, in some cases. The Union Home Ministry has also sent a letter stating that the victims should be compensated under the CSACV scheme, and the High Court has directed the government to address our concerns. We are urging the government to compensate the victims appropriately,” he said.
The Central Scheme for Assistance to Civilian Victims (CSACV) provides financial assistance to civilian victims of terrorist violence and other specified incidents.
Mr. Randhawa will organise a tribute meeting near the Lal Qila Metro station on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the blast.
Published – November 10, 2026 05:00 am IST
