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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]
Injured110[3]
PerpetratorIndian Mujahideen

2008 Ahmedabad bombings occurred on July 26, 2008 in Ahmedabad, India. A series of 16 bombs exploded within a span of 70 minutes, in which over 45 people were killed and over 145 injured. [1] [2] [5] [6]The blasts were considered to be of low intensity, and were similar to the blasts in Bengaluru which occurred the day before.

Ahmedabad is the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat state, and a large part of western India. In 2002, Gujarat suffered from communal riots.

Several TV channels said they had received an email from a terror outfit called Indian Mujahideen claiming responsibility for the terror attacks, [1] [7] however, Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami has claimed to be responsible for the attacks. [8]

These bombings occurred a day after the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts and a day before a bomb blast in the Indian state of Jharkhand. [9]

The bombings

It was initially reported that nine blasts took place within 20 minutes at around 6:45 PM IST [1] [10][11].

The bombings took place at following places:

The bombs were planted in Tiffin carriers on bicycles, a pattern similar to 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.[12] A bomb was further found and defused on the following day in the Hatkeshwar area. [5] Two live bombs were also retrieved from Maninagar]], Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's constituency. [5]

Gujarat police recovered and diffused two more bombs in Surat, another major city in Gujarat, a day after the Ahmedabad blasts. A car filled with materials required to make explosives including detonators was also found parked on a roadside near a hospital.[13][14]

Casualties

According to news reports till 12 midnight (IST), at least 44 people have been killed in the blasts. [1][2] More than 88 are injured.

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.[15]

Reaction

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"[16].
  • Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts, and appealed for calm[17]
  • 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."[18]
  • Chief Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and called for calm.[19] 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."[20]
  • 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."[21]
  • 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". [22]
  • Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader L. K. Advani condemned the blasts as dastardly acts by terrorists and pointed towards the sinister designs of terrorists.[23] 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.[24]
  • 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.[25]
  • 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.[26]
  • 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."[27]
  • 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."[28]

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." [29][30]

 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. [29]

Investigations

Several TV channels stated that they had received an email from a terror outfit called Indian Mujahideen claiming responsibility for the terror attacks. This email has been traced to a locality in Navi Mumbai [31][7] This outfit in the past claimed responsibility for the 13 May 2008 Jaipur bombings.[32] 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."[33]

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.[34]

Arrests

Similarities

Similarities between the Bangalore and Ahmedabad bombings were investigated, where the former suffered from eight blasts and the latter sixteen.[36] 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"[37] and were planted in crowded areas.[36] Furthermore, both states - Karnataka and Gujarat - have BJP led governments.[37]

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."[38] 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)".[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 16 blasts in Ahmedabad; 45 dead, 145 injured India Today Group Online
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sixteen blasts in Ahmedabad". NDTV. July 26, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b Nair, Rupam Jain (2008-07-26). "Sixteen bombs hit India's Ahmedabad". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  4. ^ "At least 15 dead, 100 wounded in new India serial blasts". AFP. 2008-07-26.
  5. ^ a b c "Another bomb defused in Hatkeshwar". NDTV. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  6. ^ "17 Bomb Blasts Rock Ahmedabad, 15 Dead". CNN IBN. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  7. ^ a b "14 killed as 16 bombs go off in Ahmedabad". Hindustan Times. July 26, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ India Blasts. 'CNN Wire. Retrieved on 2008-07-26.
  9. ^ "Five persons injured in Jharkhand blast". Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  10. ^ "Blasts rock Ahmedabad". Sify News. July 26, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Dozens hurt in west India blasts". BBC News (UK). July 26, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Blasts in Indian city kill at least 29". CNN. 26 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Live bombs defused in Ahmedabad, Surat- Zee news
  14. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP225114
  15. ^ http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Ahmedabad-blasts--PM-asks-people-to-maintain-communal-harmony/340868/
  16. ^ "President deplores blasts, asks people to maintain peace". The Hindu. July 26, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "President, PM condemn blasts". Rediff. July 26, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ http://howrah.org/india_news/20061.html
  19. ^ http://howrah.org/india_news/20061.html
  20. ^ http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20080727/134703.htm
  21. ^ "Vice President condemns serial blasts in Ahmedabad". Outlook India. July 26, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=e8033298-ca23-415f-958a-03c778f6a3ab&ParentID=ea524d97-da77-40aa-870e-09ca9febc619&&Headline=Sonia+condemns+Ahmedabad+serial+blasts
  23. ^ "Govt, BJP condemn Ahmedabad blasts". Zee News. July 26, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=4bb09b61-110d-4adf-bf70-c7906bd2bfb3&ParentID=ea524d97-da77-40aa-870e-09ca9febc619&&Headline='Lack+of+tough+anti-terror+law%2c+weak+intelligence+cause+of+blasts'
  25. ^ http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14724645
  26. ^ http://howrah.org/india_news/20061.html
  27. ^ http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20080726/134686.htm
  28. ^ http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14724629
  29. ^ a b US, Pak condemn serial blasts India Today Group Online
  30. ^ http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080058880&ch=7/26/2008%2011:50:00%20PM
  31. ^ E-mail threat: Police raid Navi Mumbai residence India Today Group Onlin
  32. ^ Ramesh, Randeep (May 15 2008). "Indian Mujahideen claims responsibility for Jaipur blasts". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/BJP-ruled_states_incur_wrath_of_terrorists/articleshow/3286115.cms
  34. ^ http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf /0/D23ED8E0B649667C652574920057FFB2?OpenDocument
  35. ^ "Ahmedabad blasts: SIMI activist held". Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  36. ^ a b [http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080058893&ch=7/27/2008%207:39:00%20AM Ahmedabad, Bangalore blasts share similarities- NDTV news}
  37. ^ a b http://www.ibnlive.com/news/bangalore-ahmedabad-blasts-uncannily-similar/69675-3.html
  38. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/BJP-ruled_states_incur_wrath_of_terrorists/articleshow/3286115.cms
  39. ^ http://www.ibnlive.com/news/bangalore-ahmedabad-blasts-uncannily-similar/69675-3.html
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