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The 1993 Mumbai bombings were a series of 13 bomb explosions that took place in Mumbai (Bombay), India on March 12, 1993. The attacks were the most destructive and coordinated bomb explosions in the country's history. The attacks are widely believed to be the retaliation by the underworld for Babri Mosque demolition in December, 1992.
Background
In December 1992 and January 1993 there was widespread rioting in Mumbai following the destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu groups led by the RSS. Between January 1 and 5, the city witnessed a series of riots in which 1,788 (official figures) people, mostly Muslims, lost their lives.
The bombings
At 1:30 p.m. a powerful car bomb exploded in the basement of the Bombay Stock Exchange building. The 28-story office building housing the exchange was severely damaged, and many nearby office buildings also suffered some damage. About 50 were killed by this explosion. About 30 minutes later, another car bomb exploded elsewhere in the city, and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. a total of 13 bombs exploded throughout Bombay. Most of the bombs were car bombs, but some were in scooters.
Three hotels, the Hotel Sea Rock, Hotel Juhu Centaur, and Hotel Airport Centaur, were targeted by suitcase bombs left in rooms booked by the perpetrators. Banks, the regional passport office, hotels, an airline office (the Air India Building), and a major shopping complex were also hit. Bombs exploded at Zaveri Bazar, Century Bazar, Katha Bazar, Shiv Sena Bhawan, and Plaza Theatre. A jeep-bomb at the Century Bazar exploded early, thwarting another attack. Grenades were also thrown at Sahar International Airport and at Fishermen's Colony, apparently targeting Hindus at the latter. A double decker bus was very badly damaged in one of the explosions and that single incident accounted for the greatest loss of life - perhaps up to ninety people were killed.
Aftermath
The official number of dead was 257 dead with 1,400 others injured (some news sources say 317 people died; this is due to a bomb which killed 60 in Calcutta on March 17). Several days later, unexploded car bombs were discovered at a railway station. Islamic terrorist groups based in Pakistan were suspected to be responsible for these bombings, and evidence uncovered pointed to the involvement of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Many hundreds of people, predominantly Muslim, have been arrested and detained in Indian courts and are undergoing or awaiting trial. So far, no convictions have resulted twelve years after the blasts
More than ten years later, on August 25, 2003, two large bombs left in taxis exploded in south Mumbai - the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar in the busy Kalbadevi area - killing 52 people and wounding more than a hundred others. India blamed two Islamic militant groups, Jaish-e-Mohammed or Lashkar-e-Toiba, for the attacks. This is believed by some to be a response for the 2002 Gujarat riots, which left more than 2,000 dead, mainly Muslims.
See also
- 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings
- Mumabi Bombings: conversation with departed soulAn article on 11th July Blasts
External links
- The Mumbai bombings
- At least 48 die in Mumbai blasts in 2003
- Institute for Policy & Research Development March 2002 Communal Violence and the Institutionalization of Religious Discrimination
- 2003 report: "Why is Mumbai a tempting target?"
History of Mumbai | Terrorist incidents in the 1990s | Terrorism in India
"1993 Mumbai bombings"