2006 Mumbai train bombings

The 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts on 11 July. They took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the nation's financial capital. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains plying on the Western Line Suburban Section of the Mumbai Division of Western Railway. The blasts killed 209 people and injured over 700 more.

Quotes

• The breaking news of a blast at the time of leaving the office could spoil any prime time anchor’s whole night. Any media professional would understand what I mean to say. Such a moment presented itself on the evening of 11 July 2006. At around 7 pm, Mumbai’s local trains were rattled with seven blasts one after another. All the bombs exploded within a span of 11 minutes, leaving 209 people dead and over 700 injured. It was a well-coordinated attack, and the terrorists had used the ‘pressure cooker bombs’ to turn the city’s lifeline into a ‘deathline’.
  • Tiwari, D. P., (2019). The great indian conspiracy. London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

• All major TV channels received an e-mail after three days. A little-known organisation called ‘Lashkar-e-Kahar’ had taken responsibility for the 7/11 attacks. The mail also claimed that the perpetrators were free and out of bounds for the law enforcement agencies. Such an e-mail was unprecedented at that time. However, it later became a trend among the terrorist outfits. The terrorists were now almost teasing India’s security establishment with such tactics. Several terror groups often made contradictory assertions to claim a terror act.... As usual, politicians sought to reap dividends out of this attack. Imam Bukhari and some other leaders opposed the detention of suspects belonging to the Muslim community. Anees Durrani, a prominent leader of the community, asked why only Muslims were being blamed after every blast. The train bombings had opened the old wounds of India’s commercial capital.
  • Tiwari, D. P., (2019). The great indian conspiracy. London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

• On 11 July 2006, seven serial blasts occurred in First Class compartments of Mumbai suburban trains causing death of 187 people (including one Pakistani who had planted the bomb) and injuries to about 872 people. The Mumbai police Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chargesheeted 13 Indian nationals on 30 November 2006 for these serial blasts. All these 13 accused have been arrested by the police. Subsequently, on 1 December 2006, 15 wanted accused (10 Pakistanis and 5 Indians) were chargesheeted. The MCOCA designated court, Mumbai has issued Non Bailable Warrants against these 15 absconders. Out of these 15, Red Corner Notices have been issued against Rahil Sheikh and Rizwan Mohammad Dawrey. One Pakistani who was involved in the case was killed in a police encounter in Mumbai. These are facts available in the police records, court records and public domain. But what is salient here and needs to be noted is that it took nearly five months for the ATS, which was directly mandated to investigate and identify the perpetrators, to do their jobs.
  • Mani, R. V. S. (2018). The myth of Hindu terror: Insider account of Ministry of Home Affairs 2006-2010.