Terror Attacks

India faced several terror attacks in 2007–08. Even as terrorist acts were carried out by Islamic groups, there were also a number of bomb attacks in which the ostensible targets were Muslims, investigations into which pointed to the role of Hindu groups and individuals. In 2006, a series of explosions occurred at a Muslim cemetery in Malegaon, in Maharashtra. In May 2007, a blast took place in the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, then in Andhra Pradesh. In 2007, a bomb exploded at the Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan. These blasts claimed many lives.

In February 2007, a blast on the Samjhauta Express took place as the train was on its way to Attari in Amritsar, the last railway station on the Indian side. Many Pakistanis were killed as well as some Indians. Initially, it was reported that the main suspects in the terrorist act were the Lashkar-e- Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. In 2009, the United States Treasury and the United Nations Security Council put in place sanctions on Lashkar-e-Toiba, and Arif Qasmani was named for having had a part in the Samjhauta Express bombing. However, in 2011, the National Investigation Agency (NIA),

established after the NIA Bill was passed in December 2008 following the Mumbai terror attacks, accused eight people of involvement in the Samjhauta blasts. These were all Hindus with extremist views who were, said the NIA, “angry with attacks on Hindu temples by jihadi terrorist activities”. They included Naba Kumar Sarkar, alias Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan, and Rajinder Chaudhary among others. [In March 2019, however, the four were acquitted by the NIA court citing lack of evidence.]

There was a series of bomb blasts in 2008 in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. In September 2008, bombs were set off in a busy marketplace in Delhi. These acts of terrorism were carried out by Islamic fundamentalists often aided by Pakistan. The worst incident was the attack on November 26, 2008, perpetrated by Pakistani terrorists when a group of these young men went through Mumbai and created havoc. They entered the prestigious Taj hotel and held the guests hostage before killing many. They attacked the busy Shivaji rail terminus, again causing the death of innocent people. India’s security weaknesses were exposed as these terrorists had apparently reached the coast of India in a small boat and entered the country unnoticed. In the end, nine of the terrorists were killed and one, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was captured. The captive’s confession confirmed that Pakistan and, more particularly, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, had masterminded the attack. [On November 11, 2012, a special court issued Kasab’s death warrant after a trial. He was hanged to death after being held guilty of 80 offences, including waging war against India.]