Septuagenarian whose son was gunned down near Nariman House says she still mourns his fate daily
Damyantiben Gohil (right), and a relative, at her Colaba residence. Pic/Shadab Khan
Seventeen years on, the wounds of November 26, 2008, haven’t healed for 75-year-old Colaba resident, Damyantiben Gohil, whose 26-year-old son, Harish Gohil, was shot by terrorists who were firing indiscriminately from Nariman House. To this day, Damyantiben hopes for her son’s miraculous return and weeps for him daily.
Harish, who worked as a dancer and performed at shows and events, was engaged to be married in May 2009. The family was filled with joy, but what transpired on 26/11 shattered their lives forever, turning happiness into lifelong grief.
Damyantiben told mid-day, “I lost my husband, Dullabhbhai, when Harish was just four months old. My husband was crushed to death while trying to save someone about to be run over by a truck. After his death, Harish became my entire life, but even that happiness was snatched away on November 26, 2008.”
Harish Gohil, youth who was killed by terrorists on November 26, 2008. Pic/Shadab Khan
Recalling the night of the attack, she said, “Harish was watching a cricket match with his friends when he heard loud noises resembling those of firecrackers and stepped outside to check. The terrorists were firing from Nariman House, and a bullet hit him. My son died on the spot. Amid the firing, we somehow dragged his body inside the house and rushed him to the hospital, but he was declared dead before admission.”
“I lost everything in this terror attack,” she said. “Now, only my married daughter and my 91-year-old mother-in-law, Nandubaa, are with me. I am still waiting for my son to come home one day. I cry for him every single day. Terrorists have no hearts — they can never understand a mother’s pain.”
Sunil Pandey, a lawyer and Harish's childhood friend, points to a mural of Nariman House. Pic/Shadab Khan
Sunil Pandey, a lawyer and Harish's childhood friend, recalled that tragic day.
"We were both 25 years old. We were watching the match together when Harish went outside on hearing the noise. A bullet hit him in the chest, and he died on the spot. Terrorists are heartless."
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