Pawan was 16 when he came to Ludhiana from a village in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh to help his father, a farm labourer, make ends meet. He just looked on as the doctors examined him and then signed the consent form on his behalf. Dr Rajesh Kaul of the Christina Medical College here said there was no other way out. “He would have lost his life had we not performed this amputation,” the doctor said.

Outside, his elder brother Raju is relieved to know that Pawan is safe. He, however, doesn’t know that his brother will not be able to walk again. “Together both of us earn over Rs 5,000, most of which we send home,” said Raju, explaining how he rushed to the cinema hall after hearing of the blast and found his brother lying in a pool of blood. “I hope he will be fine soon,” he murmured.

It’s a wish echoed by Mohd Shahid, two of whose nephews—Mohd Imtiyaz (25) and Mehraz (26)—are in the OT. Sitting on a bench outside the hospital, he lets out a prayer: “I hope everyone survives, with their limbs intact.” He doesn’t know that both his nephews have lost a leg each.

Shahid said Imtiyaz had come to the city from Bihar only a few months ago. “He is a hardworking lad and had only recently found a job as a painter.” He was celebrating Id as well as his new job. Lallan Prasad, a 25-year-old worker from Punjabi Bagh, and Ram Baran (21) from Kailash Nagar too had their legs amputated.

Many others won’t be able to leave bed for months. Hari Kesh (20), who had come to visit Ludhiana from Mumbai last week, won’t be able to return for several months now due to multiple fractures. “I wish he hadn’t come at all, he used to earn Rs 10,000 a month in Mumbai,” sighs brother Suresh, an embroiderer.