Families identify victims through tattoos, torn clothes

In the chaos that followed the Red Fort blast, tattoos, torn shirts and jackets were all that was left for families to identify the loved ones they lost in the ghastly tragedy that struck the capital city Monday.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

On the corridors of the LNJP Hospital, they clung to hope until it broke, when a familiar pattern of ink, a torn sleeve or a blue shirt confirmed their worst fears.

Among the victims was 34-year-old Amar Kataria, a pharmaceutical businessman from Chandni Chowk.

His body was charred beyond recognition, but his family knew it was him when they saw the tattoos he had inked, each dedicated to his parents and wife. What was once a ges-

For many who spent the night outside hospitals and police stations, the fragile traces of the ordinary -- a tattoo, parts of torn clothing -- carried unbearable weight