Jalandhar: All of 20 years of age, Gurpreet Singh does not feel like eating and can’t hear properly from his right ear, but is still worried about how he is going to make ends meet in the near future.The 20-year-old delivery worker’s scooter caught fire during Tuesday night’s blast outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters in Jalandhar. Now, however, he is hoping for some help. “I want to appeal to the govt for compensation for my scooter, as my family is struggling financially,” he adds.Gurpreet was initially questioned by police after his scooter was found at the blast site. His father, Kashmir Singh, a former cook with the BSF, said the family was trying to help him recover from the shock. “We keep telling him the worst is over. Even his friends are trying to reassure him, but he is still in trauma. He is not eating properly,” he said.Gurpreet, who works with an online delivery company, said he had gone to the BSF complex to collect a return parcel. “I used to visit there regularly for deliveries and parcel pickups. I was standing near my scooter when the blast took place. I ran towards the BSF gate and even my clothes caught slight fire. I could not understand anything and called my father while crying,” he said.He said BSF personnel gave him first aid, while police took his phone during questioning. “For 15-20 minutes, I could not speak. Initially, I could not even hear the police officials properly. I still cannot hear properly from my right ear,” he said.Gurpreet said he suffered injuries on his right shoulder and back, a gash on his neck and pain in his right foot.He said the police questioned him thoroughly but did not mistreat him. “Even the commissioner of police questioned me,” he added.‘I was a victim, treated like a suspect’Gurpreet said he was deeply hurt by speculation linking him to the blast. “I was treated like a suspect even though I was also a victim,” he said.
