27 September 2008 Delhi blast
Encyclopedia
The 27 September 2008 Delhi blast in India
’s second largest metropolis left three people dead and twenty-three more injured. The explosion occurred at 14:15 IST, in Mehrauli
’s flower market. Initially, there were reports of two persons, including a nine-year-old boy, being killed in the attack. However, the next day the death toll rose to three. About 23 others were injured and were treated at AIIMS and Fortis Hospital. The bombing took place exactly two weeks after the five serial blasts in Delhi
on 13 September 2008.
declared a compensation of Rs.
500,000 to the kin of the dead and Rs. 50,000 plus all costs of treatment to those injured. The blast was condemned by several Indian politicians including Pranab Mukherjee
and Lal Krishna Advani
. Main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), accused the government of India of being soft on terror. Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee
said, "The Government is determined to wean out the culprits."
The series of attacks across major Indian cities since May 2008 reportedly created a sense of fear and insecurity among India's populace. According to a survey held by CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times
, 81% of urban Indians felt scared after the recent surge in terror attacks. Of those who were surveyed, 90% said that India needed much stronger laws to tackle terrorism, while the remainder said India did not need any such tougher laws.
The Hindu
reported that usually crowded shopping areas in Delhi bore a deserted look during the weekend as a consequence of the blast. According to the Indian Express, shopkeepers had kept away from the flower market in Mehrauli, the blast site.
Following the blast, the security arrangements for the Australian cricket team
, currently on a tour of India, was tightened. Cricket Australia
was reported to be reviewing security arrangements in Delhi where it is scheduled to play a test match against Indian cricket team
in late October 2008. However, in a statement Cricket Australia said that the test match in Delhi will go ahead as per schedule.
were used to cause the low-intensity blast.
A team of National Security Guards
was deployed to assist the investigating authorities. Delhi Police had detained five persons at the Indira Gandhi International Airport
whom they suspected of having a role in the blast. According to Hindustan Times
, the police also selected several Bangladesh
is for interrogation. NDTV
said that there was a possibility that the attack was not carried out by the Indian Mujahideen
, which claimed responsibility for the serial attacks in Delhi two weeks before, since the bomb which went off in Mehrauli was quite different.
Police in Faridabad
had identified and held the man who sold the sim card to the terrorists from which the attackers had made a call to media agencies threatening another terror strike moments before the blast. The police also detained the person whose cell phone was used to make the call. The police across NCR had increased patrolling at various access points.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police
for Delhi, Alok Kumar, said, "The evidence collected so far indicates that the bomb had no timer or detonator and it was low-intensity. We do not think it was linked to the Indian Mujahideen or any other terror group. In the recent past, in the stretch between the IP flyover and the Andheria road-junction in Mehrauli, there have been instances when bike-borne youths have dropped bombs in crowded streets." The Indian Express revealed that the bomb was quite similar to those made by Abdul Karim Tunda, an alleged terrorist who has been linked to several prior terrorist attacks in India.
The police also reported that they had received a call before the blasts saying, "Save Delhi, there will be blast!"
Unlike the Mehrauli and Malegaon blasts
investigations, police in Delhi have ruled out Hindu groups as having perpetrated the blasts, a move drawing increasing polarization as a result of the aforementioned investigation. The groups had been "under the scanner." The police cited their ruling out of the Hindu groups as the "signature (type) of the explosive used in Mehrauli was different from those used in Modasa and Malegaon." He did add that while "Low-intensity explosives were used in [all] three places... they were not identical. The timer mechanism used in Mehrauli was different from the one used in Malegaon/Modasa that indicates the former was the handiwork of a separate outfit. In Mehrauli, the bomb was timed by its acidic contents, while in Malegaon/Modasa the bomb was set off by a timer based on the batteries of the bikes used to plant them."
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
’s second largest metropolis left three people dead and twenty-three more injured. The explosion occurred at 14:15 IST, in Mehrauli
Mehrauli
Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in the South West district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is located close to Gurgaon.-History:...
’s flower market. Initially, there were reports of two persons, including a nine-year-old boy, being killed in the attack. However, the next day the death toll rose to three. About 23 others were injured and were treated at AIIMS and Fortis Hospital. The bombing took place exactly two weeks after the five serial blasts in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on 13 September 2008.
The blast
Eyewitnesses reported that the blast took place after two men in black dress and wearing helmets and riding a motorcycle dropped a tiffin box in which the bomb was placed. A boy picked up the box in an attempt to return it to the bikers, but they refused and fled. People nearby witnessed smoke coming out of the box and advised the boy to get away, but it was too late. The resulting explosion killed the boy and injured 18 others. The Washington Post reported that seven of them were in critical condition. The police said that the blast was similar to those near IIT Delhi and Lado Sarai in January and February respectively this year.Aftermath and reaction
The Chief Minister of DelhiChief Minister of Delhi
The Chief Minister of Delhi ) is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in Delhi assembly. The Chief Minister leads the executive branch of the Government of Delhi....
declared a compensation of Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
500,000 to the kin of the dead and Rs. 50,000 plus all costs of treatment to those injured. The blast was condemned by several Indian politicians including Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Kumar Mukherjee is the current Finance Minister of India and leader of the current Lok Sabha.Mukherjee is a senior member of the Cabinet Committees on Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Parliamentary Affairs, Political Affairs, Prices, Security, Unique Identification Authority of India,...
and Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Kishanchand Advani known as Lal Krishna Advani is a Veteran Indian politician. A former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party , which is currently the major opposition party in the Indian Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004...
. Main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP), accused the government of India of being soft on terror. Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Kumar Mukherjee is the current Finance Minister of India and leader of the current Lok Sabha.Mukherjee is a senior member of the Cabinet Committees on Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Parliamentary Affairs, Political Affairs, Prices, Security, Unique Identification Authority of India,...
said, "The Government is determined to wean out the culprits."
The series of attacks across major Indian cities since May 2008 reportedly created a sense of fear and insecurity among India's populace. According to a survey held by CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
, 81% of urban Indians felt scared after the recent surge in terror attacks. Of those who were surveyed, 90% said that India needed much stronger laws to tackle terrorism, while the remainder said India did not need any such tougher laws.
The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
reported that usually crowded shopping areas in Delhi bore a deserted look during the weekend as a consequence of the blast. According to the Indian Express, shopkeepers had kept away from the flower market in Mehrauli, the blast site.
Following the blast, the security arrangements for the Australian cricket team
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
, currently on a tour of India, was tightened. Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
was reported to be reviewing security arrangements in Delhi where it is scheduled to play a test match against Indian cricket team
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in late October 2008. However, in a statement Cricket Australia said that the test match in Delhi will go ahead as per schedule.
Investigation
According to the Hindu, two men on a motorcycle wearing black shirts, jeans and helmets planted the bomb. Investigating authorities revealed that ammonium nitrate, sulphur and potassiumPotassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
were used to cause the low-intensity blast.
A team of National Security Guards
National Security Guards
The National Security Guard is a Special Response Unit in India that has primarily been utilized for counter-terrorism activities and was created by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of the Indian Parliament in 1986...
was deployed to assist the investigating authorities. Delhi Police had detained five persons at the Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India, situated in West Delhi, 16 km southwest of New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in India in...
whom they suspected of having a role in the blast. According to Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
, the police also selected several Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
is for interrogation. NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
said that there was a possibility that the attack was not carried out by the Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist group based in India, known for carrying out several attacks against civilian targets in India....
, which claimed responsibility for the serial attacks in Delhi two weeks before, since the bomb which went off in Mehrauli was quite different.
Police in Faridabad
Faridabad
Faridabad is a city in the south-east of Haryana state in northern India, in Faridabad district. It lies at 28º 25' 16" N Latitude and 77º 18' 28" E Longitude. The district shares its boundaries with the National Capital and Union Territory of Delhi to its north, Gurgaon district to the west and...
had identified and held the man who sold the sim card to the terrorists from which the attackers had made a call to media agencies threatening another terror strike moments before the blast. The police also detained the person whose cell phone was used to make the call. The police across NCR had increased patrolling at various access points.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police
Deputy Commissioner of Police
Deputy commissioner of police may be:* Deputy commissioner of police , a senior police rank in Indian Police* Deputy commissioner of police of the metropolis, the deputy head of the London Metropolitan Police* Deputy commissioner of police...
for Delhi, Alok Kumar, said, "The evidence collected so far indicates that the bomb had no timer or detonator and it was low-intensity. We do not think it was linked to the Indian Mujahideen or any other terror group. In the recent past, in the stretch between the IP flyover and the Andheria road-junction in Mehrauli, there have been instances when bike-borne youths have dropped bombs in crowded streets." The Indian Express revealed that the bomb was quite similar to those made by Abdul Karim Tunda, an alleged terrorist who has been linked to several prior terrorist attacks in India.
The police also reported that they had received a call before the blasts saying, "Save Delhi, there will be blast!"
Unlike the Mehrauli and Malegaon blasts
29 September 2008 western India bombings
In the 29 September 2008 Western India bombings, three bombs exploded in the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 8 persons and injuring 80...
investigations, police in Delhi have ruled out Hindu groups as having perpetrated the blasts, a move drawing increasing polarization as a result of the aforementioned investigation. The groups had been "under the scanner." The police cited their ruling out of the Hindu groups as the "signature (type) of the explosive used in Mehrauli was different from those used in Modasa and Malegaon." He did add that while "Low-intensity explosives were used in [all] three places... they were not identical. The timer mechanism used in Mehrauli was different from the one used in Malegaon/Modasa that indicates the former was the handiwork of a separate outfit. In Mehrauli, the bomb was timed by its acidic contents, while in Malegaon/Modasa the bomb was set off by a timer based on the batteries of the bikes used to plant them."
See also
- List of terrorist incidents, 2008
- Jaipur bombings
- Bangalore bombings
- 2008 Ahmedabad bombings
- 13 September 2008 Delhi bombings13 September 2008 Delhi bombingsThe 13 September 2008 Delhi bombings were a series of five synchronised bomb blasts that took place within a span of few minutes on Saturday, 13 September 2008 at various locations in Delhi, India...
- 29 September 2008 western India bombings29 September 2008 western India bombingsIn the 29 September 2008 Western India bombings, three bombs exploded in the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 8 persons and injuring 80...