Mumbai: After nearly five years of legal battles, Devika Rotawan, the youngest survivor and a key eyewitness of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, is finally set to move into her new home.
Now 25, Devika was just nine years old when she sustained a bullet injury to her leg during the terrorist shooting at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station. She had been there with her father and brother, both of whom were also injured. Two of the ten terrorists had opened fire indiscriminately at night, leaving 58 dead and 104 injured.
Devika later played a crucial role in the trial before a special court by identifying Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive. On Monday, in an X post by noted industrialist Harsh Goenka lamenting that "At 9 she faced bullet in the 26/11 attacks. She looked Kasab in the eye and testified sending a terrorist Ajmal to the gallows. What did Devika get in return? No job. No support. No home for years....If this is how we treat our bravest? What does patriotism even mean?" Obviously Goenka was not updated about the facts.
Devika told the FPJ on Tuesday “We have been allotted a house in Andheri (W) by the state government, and soon we will be shifting there from our hut in Bandra (W) where I live with my father and brother both of whom suffer from serious health issues and are unable to work. The family has been living in poverty and facing the threat of eviction due to unpaid rent."
Devika’s struggle for housing began in 2020 when she first approached the Bombay High Court, seeking a government-allotted home. After two failed attempts, it was only during the third round of litigation that the state finally acted. In March last year, following a strong observation by the High Court, the government assured it would allot a home to Devika under MHADA or SRA schemes within six months.
The court had directed the housing minister to consider the matter with “sensitivity,” noting it was an “exceptional and genuine case” deserving special attention. Previously, the housing department had denied her request for a flat under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota.
Though a flat was allotted last year, the project was incomplete and plagued with issues, leading to the cancellation of the allotment. Two months ago, the government finally allotted Devika a one-BHK flat in Andheri.
“We will be shifting there soon after the tiling work is completed,” she said. “The paperwork is complete and we are excited to shift to the new place.” While the building was ready, the family had to wait for water connections and other facilities to be finalized — which are now in place.
Devika has completed her Bachelor of Arts and is actively looking for a job to support her family. In court, she had argued that her family could not sustain itself as her father and brother were incapable of working and they faced the risk of homelessness.
She had first filed a similar plea in 2020, when the court asked the government to consider her plea and pass appropriate orders. She once again approached the HC in 2022, stating that the government had rejected her representation.
At the time, the government said that it had granted a compensation of Rs 13.26 lakh to her, on compassionate grounds. The HC, once again, asked the government to consider her representation for allotment of residential premises.
As the same was rejected, Rotawan approached the HC again through Advocate Kunickaa Sadanand. The HC once again intervened and asked the state to consider her request saying: “When a genuine case is presented before the department, the same would certainly require more human sensitivity, and basic human rights, and more particularly being a victim of a terrorist attack.”
After the flat was allotted, the judge had acknowledged the move: “We appreciate the decision taken by the (housing) minister, which according to us has granted real justice to the petitioner considering her suffering which we have noted in earlier order.”
