Mumbai Serial Bomb Blasts Dadar 13/7 Remembered, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
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I shot the Mumbai Serial Bomb Blasts at Dadar in the rains ..and documented the destruction chaos and tears on the Soul of Amchi Mumbai.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2011 Mumbai bombings (often referred to as 13 July or 13/7) were a series of three coordinated bomb explosions at different locations in Mumbai, India, on 13 July 2011 between 18:54 and 19:06 IST.[5] The blasts occurred at the Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar, and Dadar West localities,[6] leaving 26 killed, and 130 injured.[2][3][4]
The first device was planted on a motorcycle at Khau Gali in south Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar and exploded at 18:54 local time. The second device, planted in a tiffin box[7] at the Opera House near Charni Road, exploded at 18:55. The third device was placed on an electric pole at a Kabutar Khana bus stand in Dadar area and exploded at 19:06.[8][9]
Following the blasts, phone lines were jammed and communications ceased or were available intermittently for at least a few hours. Other metropolitan cities like Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore were also put on high alert.[10] Immediately after the blasts, the Mumbai Police sent an SMS to a few mobile phone users in Mumbai reading "Bomb blasts reported at Zaveri Bazaar, Dadar. Please be careful. Stay indoors. Watch news channels".[11] Most of the injured were rushed to various hospitals in Mumbai, such as J.J. Hospital, St. George's Hospital, Harikishandas Hospital and G.T. Hospital.[12]
Mumbai has been hit by terrorist incidents at least half a dozen times since the early 1990s, with over 600 people dying in these attacks. In an editorial, the Times of India described the city as having become a "hot hunting ground for terror."[13][14
Casualties and compensation
A Maruti Esteem car shattered by the blast in Dadar
The blasts claimed 26 lives and injured an additional 130 others.[3][4][15][16]
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian National Congress leader Sonia Gandhi visited Mumbai the next day and met with those injured in blasts at Saifee Hospital.[17] Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a compensation of 2,00,000 to the kin of each of those killed and 1,00,000 to the seriously injured. Meanwhile, the Maharashta Government also announced 5,00,000 in compensation to the families of each of those killed and about[vague] 50,000 to the injured.[18]
[edit]Investigations
[edit]Speculations
There was speculation that the pattern of the blasts suggested involvement of Indian Mujahideen. According to the Special cell of the Delhi Police, Indian Mujahideen has been conducting blasts on the 13 or 26 of the month. [nb 1][19] Speculation was also rife that the Mumbai underworld could be behind these blasts, in the light of the killing of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, as well as the attempted assassination of Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Iqbal Kaskar on 3 May. 13 July is also observed as Kashmir Martyr's day, and there could be a possibility that the attacks were carried out by Kashmiri groups.[20] There is also a view that the attacks could have been plotted by those trying to derail the Indo-Pakistani peace process.[21]
The slain MiD DAY crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey had previously reported that a huge cache of 35 detonators, gelatin sticks and large quantity of ammonium nitrate explosives had been seized on 20 May 2011 from Umarkui and Sayli village in Silvassa. Ammonium nitrate, gelatin and detonators have been used in several bomb blasts in Mumbai previously. The report also mentioned that this cache had gone missing soon after local police took custody.[22] The journalist had also speculated that the cache might be used to trigger terror attacks in the city.[22] There were calls for further investigations into this link to the Mumbai blasts by his employer MiD DAY.[23]
[edit]Timeline of investigations
The Home Ministry classified the bomb blasts as a terrorist act and dispatched a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team to the bomb site.[24] The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan said that the bombs used could have been fuel filled, much like molotov cocktails.[25] Preliminary investigations suggested the use of multiple IED explosives in the blasts with ammonium nitrate-based explosives mixed with fuel oil.[26] The explosives indicate some level of sophistication. It is also believed that remote detonators may have been used, with two of the three blasts being high-intensity.[27][28] The Home Minister also announced that his office would be updating the people through the media every two hours.[11]
The Maharashtra ATS was reported to have sought a list of passengers traveling from Kolkata to Mumbai and Kolkata to Kanpur from the Kolkata police. The suspicions were a result of a Kolkata man with Indian Mujahideen link having gone missing in the previous few days.[29] A NIA team visited Ahmedabad on 15 July to meet an Indian Mujahideen suspect who was arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with the Ahemdabad blast in 2008.[30] On 16 July, Maharashtra ATS Chief Rakesh Maria said that, based on forensic opinion and visit to the various sites, the possibility of a suicide bomber was being ruled out. However, a sketch of a possible suspect based on CCTV footage from one of the blast sites was being prepared. He added that in light of the sensitive nature of the investigation, the entire detail of the probe could not be revealed at that particular stage.[31][32]
On 4 August, Home Minister PC Chidambaram suggested indications of involvement of a home-grown terror module in the blasts.[33][34]
On 9 August, the Maharashtra ATS arrested one person it claimed had stolen a bike used in the Zaveri Bazaar explosion. The bike had been stolen from one Amit Singh a few hours before the blasts.[35] CCTV footage showed one person with long hair riding a stolen red colour Honda Activa, entering the crowded lane, taking two left turns, placing the scooter at the spot of the explosion and walking off.[36]
On 23 January 2012, the Mumbai Police claimed that it had solved the Mumbai Blasts case with the arrests of two suspects – Naqi Ahmed Wasi Ahmed Sheikh (22) and Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaq Sheikh (23) – hailing from Darbhanga district of Bihar.[37] The Mumbai Police's ATS claimed that the two had stolen two scooters used in the blasts according to a scheme whose logistics were managed by Yasin Bhatkal, the mastermind of the blast.[38] However, this televised announcement baffled the other intelligence agencies. It was later revealed that Naqi Ahmed was assisting the Delhi Police and other central intelligence agencies in tracking down two other perpetrators of the blast.[37] Further investigations revealed that the two Pakistani bombers; named Waqqas and Tabrez staying in Byculla used as many as 18 SIM cards and six handsets. The duo received sim cards from the co-accused Naqi Ahmed, who was arrested by the ATS in January 2012 for possessing SIM cards obtained with fake documents, following which Naqi admitted his role in the blasts and also admitted working with Indian Mujahideen's founder member Yasin Bhatkal in arranging accommodations for the bombers.[39]
On 25 May 2012, Maharashtra ATS filed a chargesheet against Naqee Ahmed, Nadeem Shaikh, Kanwar Pathrija and Haroon Naik (all are under arrest). Additionally, the chargesheet named six others including Indian Mujahideen mastermind Yasin Bhatkal and Riyaz Bhatkal, Waqas Ibrahim Sad, Danish alias Tarbez, Dubai based Muzaffar Kolah and Tehseen Akhtar as wanted accused on the run.[40][41]
[edit]Allegations of police brutality
The Mumbai Police detained several men for questioning. One of those detained—Faiz Usmani—died while in police custody on 17 July,[42] sparking allegations of police brutality. Usmani was the brother of one of the accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad bombings case. It was alleged by his family members that Faiz Usmani was healthy when the police picked him up and that he was subjected to torture in police custody. The police dismissed these charges and countered that Usmani was suffering from hypertension and complained of giddiness after walking himself into a police station. He was admitted to the Lokmanya Tilak hospital, Sion, Mumbai, following which he died quickly due to blood clots in brain and a heart attack.[43] A CID probe has been ordered into Usmani's death.[44]
