Jaipur bombings

Jaipur bombings
Part of Islamic terrorism
LocationJaipur, Rajasthan, India
Coordinates26°55′34″N 75°49′25″E / 26.9260°N 75.8235°E / 26.9260; 75.8235
Date13 May 2008 (2008-05-13)
19:35 (UTC+5:30)
Attack type
Bicycle bombs, ammonium nitrate, RDX
Deaths80[1]
Injured216
PerpetratorsIndian Mujahideen (claimed responsibility)
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (also suspected)
Accused5
VerdictAcquittal
ChargesIndian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy for waging war against government, sedition, promoting enmity between groups and criminal conspiracy[2]

The Jaipur bombings were a series of nine synchronized bomb blasts that took place on 13 May 2008 within a span of fifteen minutes at locations in Jaipur, the capital city of the Indian state of Rajasthan and a tourist destination.[3] Official reports confirm 71 dead with 216 or more people injured.[4] The bombings shocked most of India and resulted in widespread condemnation from leaders across the world with many countries showing solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism.[5]

This was the first time terrorists had targeted Jaipur,[6] India's tenth largest city and one of its most popular tourist destinations. The bombs went off near historic monuments at one of the busiest times of the day. One of the bombs exploded close to Jaipur's most famous landmark, the historic Hawa Mahal (palace of winds).[7]

Two days after the blasts, a previously unknown Islamic terrorist group[8] known as Indian Mujahideen, sent an e-mail to Indian media in which they claimed responsibility for the attacks[9] and said they would "demolish the faith (Hinduism)" of the "infidels of India".[10] Though the Indian authorities said that the e-mail was genuine, they also added that there were some contradictions and the primary motive of the e-mail might be to mislead investigating agencies.[11] Indian Home Ministry sources said that a Bangladesh-based organization, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI) or "Islamic Holy War Movement", was suspected to be behind the attack. The police were also able to find credible evidence linking the suspected bombers to Bangladeshi militants[12] which resulted in backlash against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Rajasthan.[13][14]

In December 2019, 4 (Mohammed Saif, Mohammed Sarwar Azmi, Saifur Rehman and Mohammed Salman) of the 5 accused Indian Mujahideen terrorists were convicted and sentenced to death by a special court in Rajasthan under the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosives Act, in eight cases registered by the Anti-Terrorism Squad.[2] In March 2023, all four were acquitted of the charges by the Rajasthan High Court.[15]

  1. ^ Bombings Kill 80 in Western India – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency. Novinite.com (14 May 2008). Retrieved on 2013-08-17.
  2. ^ a b Iqbal, Mohammed (20 December 2019). "Four sentenced to death in 2008 Jaipur serial blasts case". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Defused bomb in Jaipur had only RDX traces", Thaindian News, 20 May 2008.
  4. ^ Majumdar, Bappa. "Unknown terror group claims responsibility: report[dead link]", Hindustan Times, 15 May 2008.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference IndiaTimes-condemn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "For the first time in 280 years", The Times of India, 14 May 2008.
  7. ^ "Curfew imposed after India blasts", BBC News, 14 May 2008.
  8. ^ "Unknown Islamic group threatens more blasts in tourist India Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine", Agence France-Presse, 14 May 2008.
  9. ^ "Indian Mujahideen sends pre-blast video footage", India Today, 14 May 2008.
  10. ^ "Outraged India set to expel migrants Archived 16 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine", The Australian, 19 May 2008.
  11. ^ "Jaipur blasts: Terror email genuine", The Times of India, 16 May 2008.
  12. ^ "Bangladeshi Immigrants Stoke Terror in India", Asia Sentinel, 15 May 2008.
  13. ^ "After blasts, Rajasthan govt targets illegal Bangladeshi migrants", The Times of India, 16 May 2008.
  14. ^ Loudon, Bruce. "Outraged India set to expel migrants Archived 16 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine", The Australian, 19 May 2008.
  15. ^ "2008 Jaipur blasts: Rajasthan HC acquits all four who got death penalty". The Indian Express. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.