Author: Ashish Vashi
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 29, 2008
Introduction: Panchal Who Came To Help in
Gujarat Hosp Dies In Blast
He was among those who wanted to save the
blast victims, but Paresh Panchal (38) didn't know that death was waiting
for him at the Civil Hospital where he voluntarily went to donate blood.
On Saturday evening, Panchal was on his way
to Shahibaug to attend English classes when he came to know about the blasts.
He rushed to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to donate blood as he used to do after
every major tragedy. "Instead of going to donation camps, Panchal used
to donate blood directly in hospitals during a crisis. Yesterday, too, he
came to the civil hospital with the same intention,'' said his friend Vijay
Javia. On his way to the hospital, Panchal called up home and told his wife
he would return after some time. But he never came back.
His family members tried to call him but couldn't
get him as all phonelines were jammed. When all attempts to contact him failed,
his friends started looking for him at the blast sites. Finally on Sunday
morning, they found his body in the Civil Hospital. They also found one of
their friends, who accompanied Panchal to the hospital, lying among the dead.
Panchal's son Swapnil (12) and daughter Karishma (10) are still waiting for
him. "He will return after a few days,'' Karishma said.
Like Panchal, Rajkumar was at the wrong place
for the right cause. The father of two girls rushed to the Civil Hospital
to help the victims. He also fell prey to the terror ploy-collect and kill.
Rajkumar died as he was getting victims out of an 108 ambulance. The vehicle
blew up, leaving Rajkumar dead. "It is easy to kill innocent people but
only the brave can lay their lives for strangers," said Rajkumar's uncle
Dinesh Shah. When duty called, Rajendra Bihola, too, did not wait. The contractor
with the hospital, Bihola rushed to help victims and lost his life.
