Jaipur bombings
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. Official reports confirm 63 dead with 216 or more people injured. 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.
| Jaipur bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part of Islamic terrorism | |
| Location | Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Coordinates | 26.9260°N 75.8235°E |
| Date | 13 May 2008 19:35 (UTC+5:30) |
Attack type | Bicycle bombs, ammonium nitrate, RDX |
| Deaths | 80 |
| Injured | 216 |
| Perpetrators | Indian Mujahideen (claimed responsibility) Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (also suspected) |
| Accused | 5 |
| Verdict | Acquittal |
| Charges | Indian 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 |
This was the first time terrorists had targeted Jaipur, 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).
Two days after the blasts, a previously unknown Islamic terrorist group known as Indian Mujahideen, sent an e-mail to Indian media in which they claimed responsibility for the attacks and said they would "demolish the faith (Hinduism)" of the "infidels of India". 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. 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 which resulted in backlash against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Rajasthan.
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. In March 2023, all four were acquitted of the charges by the Rajasthan High Court.