2006 Malegaon bombings
2006 blasts at Malegaon | |
---|---|
Location | Malegaon, Maharashtra, India |
Date | 8 September 2006 (UTC+5.5) |
Target | Vicinity of Mosque |
Attack type | Bombings |
Deaths | 37 |
Injured | >125 |
Perpetrators | (Suspected outfits)—Lashkar-e-Toiba[1], Students Islamic Movement of India[2] and Bajrang Dal[3] |
The 2006 Malegaon bombings were a series of bomb blasts that took place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon, a town in the Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra, located at some 290 km to the northeast of state capital Mumbai.
The explosions, which caused the deaths of at least 37 people and injured over 125 more, took place in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a mosque, at around 13:15 local time after Friday prayers on the Shab e Bara'at holy day. Most of the blast victims were Muslim pilgrims. Security forces spoke of "two bombs attached to bicycles", but other reports indicated that three devices had exploded. A stampede ensued after the devices exploded. A curfew was imposed in the town and state paramilitaries were deployed in sensitive areas to prevent unrest.
Reactions
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh promised compensation payments of Rs 1,00,000 (approx. €1700 or US$2150) to the next-of-kin of the deceased.
- Relatives of victims cancelled the compensation payments of Rs 1,00,000 (approx. €1700 or US$2150) immediately.
- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm.[4]
- Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the incident seemed designed to "divide the various sections of the public."[5]
- Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has called on Indians to maintain calm.[6]
- A home ministry official in Delhi said central security forces, including personnel from the anti-riot Rapid Action Force, were sent to Malegaon.[7]
- There were episodes of violence when Muslims in Malegaon attacked police and their vehicles following the blasts.[8]
- Various Muslim leaders have denounced the bombings and prayed for peace.[9][10] In particular, Muslims in the state of Gujarat demonstrated against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in the blasts.[11]
- US ambassador David Mulford said he was "shocked and saddened by the brutal terrorist bombings" and that the US stood "with India in its fight against terrorism".[12]
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ATS-files-chargesheet-in-Malegaon-blast-case/413034/
Investigations
Arrests
On 10 September, news channel NDTV reported it had learnt that investigators had identified the owner of one of the bicycles on which a bomb was planted.[13]
On the same day, police released sketches of two suspects wanted in connection with the bomb attacks.[14]
On 11 September, Maharashtra Director General of Police P. S. Pasricha said that the officers investigating the Malegaon blasts probe had gained vital leads and expressed confidence that a breakthrough will be achieved soon.[15]
On 30 October, Times of India reported that first arrest is made in Malegaon blast case. This is the arrest of Noor-Ul-Hooda, an activist of the Students Islamic Movement of India. [1]. The DGP of Mumbai, Mr. Pasricha said the they are very close to crack the case and the two other suspects are Shabeer Batterywala and Raees Ahmad.
On 30 October, many other news media reported from Mr. Pasricha saying that this is the first arrest [2]. An earlier news in Indian express that twenty arrests have been made has not been confirmed by any media including Indian Express. Yahoo news publishes the story with headline first arrest [3].
On 6 November the times of India reported from Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) that the prime conspirator Shabbir Batterywala is an operative of Lashkar-e-Toiba [LeT] and the co-conspirator is Raees Ahmad is from SIMI [4].
the blast at Malegaon, police filed a chargesheet that named Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit as the main conspirator who provided the explosives, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as the prime accused who arranged for the men who planted the explosives.
The 4,000-page chargesheet, filed by Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) before the Special MCOCA court here, stated that Purohit floated right wing group Abhinav Bharat in 2007 with an intention to ‘propagate a separate Hindu Rashtra with its own Constitution’.
According to the document, the Army officer collected ‘huge amounts’ to the tune of Rs 21 lakh for himself and Abhinav Bharat to promote his "fundamentalist ideology."
See also
- 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
- 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing
- 2008 Malegoan & Modasa bombing
- Saffron Terror
- List of terrorist incidents, 2006
References
- ^ Maharshtra doctor arrested for LeT links Times of India - May 15, 2006
- ^ Malegaon blasts: SIMI activist held Times of India - October 30, 2006
- ^ Hari, Kumar (November 11, 2008). "India Police Say They Hold 9 From Hindu Terrorist Cell". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
- ^ Blasts rock Malegaon 38 killed, over 100 injured 'Hindustan Times'
- ^ Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609090030sep09,1,2178741.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true.
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(help) - ^ Khan, Aftab (9 September 2006). "Gandhi Calls on Indians to Maintain Calm Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2009-05-16. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Centre rushing additional forces to Malegaon Indian Express
- ^ "Indian town seething with anger". BBC News. 9 September 2006.
- ^ Religious leaders pray for peace NDTV
- ^ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20384569-1702,00.html.
{{cite news}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) [dead link] - ^ Gujarat Muslims hold anti-Pak rally IBN
- ^ "Blasts kill 37 in India graveyard". BBC News. 8 September 2006.
- ^ Breakthrough in India Blasts Probe Saudi Gazette
- ^ AFP Police release sketches of India blast suspects Yahoo News (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)
- ^ Cops gain vital leads 'Rediff.com'
External links
- Thirty-five people killed in India blasts
- Blasts kill 37 in India graveyard
- 38 killed in Malegaon blasts
- Pictures of the blast
- Voice of America news article
- BBC news article
- Aljazeera news article
- Google news link
- Allegations by Indian Muslim Newspaper of "Corpse with fake beard found"
- http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/ATS-files-chargesheet-in-Malegaon-blast-case/413034/
- Articles needing cleanup from August 2007
- Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field from August 2007
- Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from August 2007
- Articles needing cleanup from October 2008
- Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field from October 2008
- Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from October 2008
- Terrorist incidents in India in 2006
- Islamic terrorism in India
- Hindu terrorism