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2008 Ahmedabad bombings

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2008 Ahmedabad bombings
File:PhotoAhmedabadBlast.jpg
One of the blast sites in Ahmedabad
LocationIndia Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Date26 July 2008
18:45 - 19:55[1] [2] ( IST)
Attack type
16[3] or 17[4] Bomb blasts
Deathsover 45 [1] [2]
Injured160[5]
PerpetratorIndian Mujahideen

The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings were a series of 17 bomb blasts that hit Ahmedabad, India, which occurred on July 26, 2008, within a span of 70 minutes, killing 45 people and injuring over 160.[6][5][2][7][8] Ahmedabad is the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat state, and a large part of western India. The blasts were considered to be of low intensity, and were similar to the Bengaluru blasts which occurred the day before.[9][10]

Several TV channels said they had received an e-mail from a terror outfit called Indian Mujahideen claiming responsibility for the terror attacks; [1] [11] however, Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami has claimed to be responsible for the attacks. [12] In 2002, Gujarat suffered from communal riots.

These bombings occurred a day after the Bengaluru blasts and a day before a bomb blast in the Indian state of Jharkhand . [13]

The bombings

It was initially reported that nine blasts took place within 20 minutes at around 6:45 p.m. IST [1] [14][15].

The bombings took place at the following places:

The bombs were planted in Tiffin carriers on bicycles, a pattern similar to the 13 May 2008 Jaipur bombings.[2] Two blasts took place inside the premises of two hospitals, about 40 minutes after the initial series of blasts. One of the blasts in the hospitals occurred when injured victims of the initial series of blasts were being admitted there.[16] Another bomb was found and defused on the following day in the Hatkeshwar area. [7] Two live bombs were also retrieved from Maninagar, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's constituency. [7]

Gujarat police recovered and diffused two more bombs in Surat, another major city in Gujarat, a day after the Ahmedabad blasts. Two cars filled with materials required to make explosives, including detonators, were also found, one of them parked on a roadside near a hospital[17][18] and the other in the outskirts of Surat.[19]

Warning of attacks through e-mail

Five minutes prior to the explosions, several news agencies reported receiving a 14-page e-mail with the subject line: "Await 5 minutes for the revenge of Gujarat".[20] Apparently refering to the riots of 2002 which took place in Gujarat after the Godhra train burning incident. The e-mail was sent by the group known as “Indian Mujahideen” on July 26 at around 6:41pm IST from an email address alarbi_gujarat@yahoo.com.[21]

The contents of the e-mail warned of attacks in 5 minutes: “In the name of Allah the Indian Mujahideen strike again! Do whatever you can, within 5 minutes from now, feel the terror of Death!”[22]

The e-mail also contained threats against the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, and his deputy, R.R. Patil, with the claim, “We wonder at your memory. Have you forgotten the evening of July 11, 2006 so quickly and so easily?” [23]

Furthermore, the threats went on to warn Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries to “think-twice” before “usurping and building a citadel on a land in Mumbai that belongs to the Waqf board...lest it turns into horrifying memories for you which you will never ever forget.” [24]

The e-mail also reportedly threatened several Bollywood actors, asking them to stop acting. [25]

Casualties

The final death toll was 45, and at least 160 people were injured.[5]

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, sanctioned an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh (US$ 2,300) to the next of kin of those dead. In addition, he also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 (US$ 1,200) for those injured in the blasts.[26]

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh (US$ 11,500) to each victim of the bomb blasts. [27]

Investigation

Several TV channels stated that they had received an e-mail from a terror outfit called Indian Mujahideen claiming responsibility for the terror attacks. This e-mail has been traced to a locality in Navi Mumbai [28][11] This outfit in the past claimed responsibility for the 13 May 2008 Jaipur bombings.[29] Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami has claimed the responsibility of the blasts. The email mentioned that "the innocent Muslims arrested in the (Mumbai) bomb blast case are being tried for years and years."[30]

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta said the Centre has dispatched "One team of bomb experts has already left and another will leave tomorrow" and has further decided to convene a meeting of top officials of state governments to discuss the situation arising out of the recent explosions.[31]

According to the Times of India the intelligence community believes that both blasts of Bangalore and Ahmedabad were executed by a network of Wahabi fundamentalists masquerading as Indian Mujahideen.[32]

Phone calls

The police investigation has centered around the claims made in two phone calls.

  • A doctor who was visiting one of the hospitals where one of the blasts occurred has claimed to have overheard a person talking on his cellphone saying, "Bangalore was a failure, however Ahmedabad will be successful and we will celebrate if God wishes."[33]. A sketch of this person has been released. The doctor described the suspected culprit as being around "30-34 years old; wearing a pink shirt; clean shaven; and seemingly an educated person."[6][34]
  • A person has claimed to have received two suspicious phone calls at around 8:00pm IST[35]. In one of the phone calls, it is reported that the caller said, "Ejaz, kaam ho gaya hai?", which translates to "Ejaz, has the job been done?"[36]

Further threat

Terror for citizens of India contiued even after Ahmedabad blasts. On Sunday following the blasts, live bombs were found in Surat, Gujarat and several more threats were recived by various regions of the country [37].

Kerala

A phone call from Pakistan to a Karnataka journalist claimed there would be more blasts in Kerala on Sunday. Kerala Police chief Raman Srivastava said: "I have been informed by the DGP of Karnataka about the terror threat to Kerala. We spoke to the journalist concerned, who said he had received two calls today - one at 1 pm and another at 3:30 pm."[38]

Surat

Soon after the Ahmedabad blasts, Gujarat police discovered an active bomb which was set to detonate at 12:00am IST in Hatkeshwar, Maninagar [39]. The bomb squad was quick to respond and successfully defused the bomb in front of a large crowd, which rose to jubilation and applause upon bomb's defusion [40].

Two cars, both Maruti Wagon R model and both with stolen vehical license plates reading "GJ-6-CD 3569" and "GJ-5-CD 2908" were also found in Surat, known as the Diamond city of Gujarat. One of the cars had four live bombs which were defused [41]. In addition to that, a wooden box with white powder, wires, a battery and sharpnel near the Nupur hospital was also found [42].

Tamil Nadu

Soon after Ahemdabad bombings in Tamil Nadu, Sheikh Abdul Ghaffoor, 39, was arrested with an alleged plan of carrying out bombings on Independence Day, August 15, 2008 [43]. The plot included bombing the state capital Chennai along with three other cities in Tamil Nadu and at least six trains. The man was detained with a large cache of explosives and two timer devices. Apparently, it is believed that the plot was revieled by an arrested leader, P Ali Abdullah, of an banned organisation, who has been serving sentences in an Indian jail since 2003 [44].

Arrests

So far only Maulana Abdul Halim, a suspected Students Islamic Movement of India activist, was arrested from Dani Limda in the heart of Ahmedabad on July 27, 2008. He was alleged to be involved in instigating the Muslim youth after the 2002 Gujarat violence and sending them to Uttar Pradesh for terror training.[45] Charges have also been laid on him for sending 33 youths for terror training to Pakistan in 2003. [46]

Similarities

Similarities between the Bengaluru and Ahmedabad bombings were investigated, where the former suffered from eight blasts and the latter sixteen.[9] Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Prakash Jaiswal told reporters in Kanpur that the similarities between this and the Bengaluru blasts was that both "blasts were of low intensity"[10] and were planted in crowded areas.[9] Furthermore, both states - Karnataka and Gujarat - have BJP led governments.[10]

Criticism

In criticizing the central government Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management said "India's police to population ratio is one of the lowest in the world, barring the poorer African countries. There is a high deficit of personnel in intelligence gathering. The IB has barely 3,500 field officers. We need to address these shortcomings." Security expert Prakash Singh added "they (terrorists) have no fear of being detected, arrested or prosecuted." PR Chari, a research professor at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, said "the blasts were a demonstration of their (terrorists) capabilities and a terse reminder of the state's helplessness."[47] BJP president Rajnath Singh also blamed the UPA government for its "soft approach" to terrorism that has allowed terrorists to grow bolder. He also took the government to task for repealing POTA and for "sleeping over the anti-terror laws like GUJCOCA (an anti-terror law adopted by the Gujarat Assembly)".[48] Gujarat Congress chief Siddharth Patel said: "'The Gujarat government has failed miserably on the law and order front." Adding that the terror attack pointed to the "total failure' of the state's intelligence machinery."[49]

On an episode entitled "Terror strike and Numb" of "We The People" on NDTV hosted by Burkha Dutta which aired from Ahmedabad after the bombings, one of the guests suggested that after receiving the threatening email, which made a claim to attack Ahemdabad in 5 minutes, the security agencies should have blocked/jammed cell phone networks which would have not only prevented communication between these terrorists but could have also possibly defused bombs that were triggered through cell phones.[citation needed]

Reaction

Hindu-Muslim Unity

It is widely believed that the attacks were carried out to bring about the levels of unrest Gujarat had seen after the Godhra train burning.[citation needed] It is believed that by targeting communally sensitive [50] areas such as Sharkej, Hindus and Muslims, attackers wanted to provoke and reignite communal disharmony and riots.[citation needed] However, the people of Gujarat stood tall in unity against such violence. Peaceful demonstrations held across Gujarat by both Hindus and Muslims called attacks an act of cowardice.[51] Such demonstrations of unity were also held in Delhi and Bhopal where Hindus and Muslims held candle light vigils.[52]

India

  • President Pratibha Patil condemned the blasts and "expressed deep shock at the incident and said that perpetrators were targeting the peace and harmony of the country"[53].
  • Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts, and appealed for calm[54]
  • Home Minister Shivraj Patil said: "This is a time when we should not feel frightened and we should assess the situation correctly and try to help the people, who have suffered and plan to see that these things do not happen afterwards."[55]
  • Chief Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and called for calm.[56] He also added: "The enemies of the nation have today stained with blood the soil of Mahatma Gandhi's Gujarat. Terrorists have continued their war against India... Killing innocent people is not only a crime but is a form of enmity with the humanity. All those who believe in humanity should prepare themselves for a long war - while maintaining peace." He went on to say, "I have spoken to the prime minister and the home minister. There is a similar pattern in all recent terrorist attacks [in the country]. There must be a mastermind operating behind them all." He asserted that those responsible for the blasts will be punished, and urged the people of Gujarat to answer them by "quickening the pace of Gujarat's economic development."[57]
  • Vice-President Hamid Ansari also condemned the blasts and said that "such acts of terrorism intend to disturb the peace and harmony in the country and should be thwarted."[58]
  • Head of the congress party Sonia Gandhi expressed "deep shock" over the blasts. She also added that this was an "act of desperation with a view to disturb the peace and harmony in the country". [59]
  • Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader L. K. Advani condemned the blasts as dastardly acts by terrorists and pointed towards the sinister designs of terrorists.[60] He also added that "It looks like our anti-terror legal framework is not upto the mark and it get exposed." In criticizing the government he said after the abolition of POTA, Gujarat has adopted a Maharashtra-type anti-terror law which has been awaiting Presidential assent for four years. He demanded that both Gujarat and Rajasthan should be allowed to go for their own anti-terror legislation.[61]
  • Minister of State for Home Affairs Shakeel Ahmed said: "We are surprised and shocked. Yesterday, it was Bangalore. Today it is Ahmedabad. This happened even after the government of India issued high alerts to all sensitive states.” He also condemned the blasts and called for the return of normalcy while assuring the Gujarat government "of all possible assistance." He said a report of the state government was awaited befor further comment.[62]
  • Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Prakash Jaiswal termed the attack as being aimed at disrupting communal harmony and hurt India's economic growth.[63]
  • CPI M also condemned the blasts saying there was a "conspiracy" to destablise the country. The party Politburo said of the blasts: "Coming so soon after the blasts in Jaipur and Bangalore, it is clear that there is a conspiracy to destabilise the country and create communal disharmony." Adding that it was "unfortunate that despite a series of such attacks, the government and the intelligence agencies are unable to crack down on those responsible for these heinous crimes."[64]
  • BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "The Centre must bring in a new law as the country requires it in the wake of 42 big incidents of blasts, triggered by the terrorists during the past four-and-a-half years' rule of the UPA in the country." When asked why the BJP-ruled states were targeted in the recent series of blasts, Naqvi said "it is because of the party's firm determination to end terrorism."[65]
  • The Bahujan Samaj Party said: "There was a time when the intelligence agencies would know of a conspiracy to assassinate the Chief Minister and they would be killed in encounter before reaching Gandhinagar. How could such alert system not get a hint of Saturday's blast conspiracy? Why does not the state Congress ask the UPA to approve GUJCOC as demanded by the state government?"
  • Jamat-e-Islami Hind said: "Find out the culprits and hand them the deserving punishment. But care must be taken that innocent are not harassed. No conclusions should be drawn before thorough investigation because this leads investigation to a particular direction only."
  • The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said: "VHP, which plans to start a nationwide anti-jehadi movement from July 28, said that if the government did not meet its demands, Hindus would have to act themselves democratically to protect themselves and their Bharat. They are out to destroy India's economy, infrastructure and majority Hindus. The government must act now before it is late." Praveen Togadia added, "being soft towards terrorists is equally dangerous as terrorism, as both would destroy the country." He also asked the government to snap all ties with countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, which he alleged promote terrorism. All the while he said the VHP was not against minorities imparting religious education to their children but that most madrassas "are training ground for terrorists".[66]
  • BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha: "Let the God give them good sense and such incidents are not repeated in future. Appeal to maintain peace and stay away from all sorts of rumours."
  • Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan: "It has organised Janmagal Shantipath in all temples in India and abroad. Swami Purushottampriyadasji, now in America, has appealed to his devotees to donate blood generously for the victims."
  • JamiatUlma-I-Gujarat: "The anti-humanity blasts need to be investigated thoroughly, impartially and not necessarily in only one direction, because terrorists do not follow any religion."
  • Students Islamic Organisation of India: "Harassment of the innocent in the name of investigations will only help actual criminals. Media should do its duty with a sense of responsibility because it has a major role in diverting such issues from reality."
  • AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa said: "In view of the serial blasts that have rocked the states in quick succession, I reiterate that, in order to defend and maintain the territorial integrity of the nation, a special act like POTA should be revived and allowed to remain in our statute books to effectively counter terrorists and extremist outfits...These dastardly acts of terrorists must be condemned by us in the strongest terms. I urge the central and state governments to make a thorough probe to nab the culprits. We must solemnly resolve to stand firm and united against such acts of mindless terror".[67]
  • Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said: "The Indian people cannot tolerate such violent acts of terrorism any more." He appealed to Muslim leaders "to play a proactive role and isolate the misguided elements spreading terror in the name of religion".[68]
  • Hurriyat conference leader Zaffar Akbar Bhat described the blasts as "inhuman acts against innocent people." He add that it is the innocent Kashmiri students and traders who have to bore the brunt of police action in the wake of the blasts. "Kashmiri people are made the soft targets." Bhat also condemned the Thursday’s blast of Batmaloo in Kashmir which killed five memebrs of a family. He went to say "The way BJP and right wing groups are unleashing terror on Muslims in Jammu and expelling them from Jammu is deplorable."<refhttp://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=28_7_2008&ItemID=41&cat=21></ref>
  • A statement from the All India Muslim Forum said the group "strongly condemns the dastardly terrorist blasts at Banglore and Ahmedabad, claiming scores of innocent lives and injuring hundreds, and appeals to the people to maintain communal harmony in the face of these sinister moves which aim at tearing apart the country's social fabric."[69]

A host of others who condemned the blasts include Sanchetna, Sahrwaru, Safar, AMWA, Muslim Majlise Mushavirat, Sarkhej Muslim Welfare Organisation, Ahmedabad Muslim Welfare Society, Sirat Committee, Aman Samuday, Anhad, Swabhiman Andolan, Lok Kala Manch, Samarpan, Sarvoday Sanskrutik Manch, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Bharatiya Moolnivasi Janjagran Abhiyan, and Action Aid (Gujarat).[70]

International

 Pakistan

  • Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani condemned the bomb attacks in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, describing them as "acts of senseless violence against innocent persons".
  • The Foreign Ministry released a statement saying, "Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani has strongly condemned the acts of terrorist violence in the Indian cities of Ahmedabad and Bangalore and expressed deep sympathies with the bereaved families and the victims of these dastardly acts of senseless violence against innocent persons." [71][72]

 United States

  • The US embassy released a statement "The US condemns the vicious terror attacks in Bangalore on Friday and Ahmedabad on Saturday" and extended condolences to the families of the bereaved. [71]

 European Union

  • European Union condemed the attack in a statment saying "The Presidency of the Council of European Union presents its deepest condolences to India, its government and its people, as well as to the victims and their families"[73].

 Sri Lanka

  • Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the serial blasts in a statment saying "I unreservedly condemn the cowardly terrorist attacks in Ahmedabad, India, yesterday, killing and injuring a large number of persons, as well as the terrorist attacks in Bangalore the previous day"[74].
  • The Executive President said "These wanton acts of terror by the forces are ranged against democracy...Sri Lanka being a country gravely affected by the scourge of terrorism for more than two decades, we understand well how the manipulators of terror seek to destroy harmonious relations among communities and the democratic traditions that prevail in our societies...My Government and I share the determination and commitment of the Government and people of India not to yield to this sustained threat of terror from those who seek to achieve their ends by inflicting maximum damage to the lives and limbs of civilians, disrupting their day to day lives and society at large."[75]

 Afghanistan

  • Afghan President Hamid Karzai called for a "collective struggle against terrorism which threatens the stability of the region. Terrorism is a serious threat against the international community and this evil phenomenon must be fought collectively."[76]

See also

References

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