THREE BLASTS IN MUMBAI

THREE BLASTS IN MUMBAI

(3 blasts in Mumbai, 21 killed, 141 injured)

      Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said 21 people had died in the back-to-back explosions which struck in a div of 14 minutes, apparently aimed at causing maximum casualties during the peak hour.Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram said the quick succession of the blasts showed that it was a 'coordinated attack by terrorists. 'All the explosions were triggered by Improvised Explosive Devices(IED), a Home Ministry official said, adding
141 were injured. The first explosion rocked Zaveri Bazar, a popular jewellery market, at 6.50 pm and a minute later another blast shook the busy business area Opera House. A third blast ripped through crowded Dadar area in Central Mumbai at 7.04 pm. The blast sites were splattered with blood as some bodies lay strewn around while cars and motorcyles were charred in the impact of the explosions in the country's financial capital.The terror strike revived memories of the Mumbai attack that left 166 dead.

      No group claimed responsibility but Mumbai police suspects the hand of Indian Mujahideen (IM). Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan declined to speculate on who could be behind the attack.
'It is a pre-meditated, cold-blooded murder of innocents,' Chavan said asserting 'we will get to the bottom of this.' The chief minister said police have found 'some clues' which were being followed up. They also have video clippings that can help in the investigations. Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik said the blasts at Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar were of a higher
intensity than the one at Dadar.'It is a terror act. Quite obvious that some terror element is involved in the attack. Zaveri Bazaar blast exploded with use of IED kept in an abandoned umbrella,' Patnaik said.

Three blasts between 6.54 p.m. and 7.05 p.m. on Wednesday rocked the crowded areas of Mumbai, killing 21 persons and injuring 141 others. The most powerful one, suspected to have been set off by an IED (improvised explosive device), occurred at Zaveri Bazaar in south Mumbai, a congested part of the city, the second at Kabutarkhana near the Dadar suburban railway station in central Mumbai and the third at Opera House, also in south Mumbai. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, confirming the death toll, said the blasts were a terror strike and the police would get to the bottom of it. He said the blasts occurred at 6.54 p.m., 6.55 p.m. and 7.05 p.m. Appealing to Mumbaikars to remain calm, Mr. Chavan said he had spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and both of them assured the State all help.

In the blast near a bus stop at Kabutarkhana, according to eyewitness accounts, a car that was passing by was shattered and its driver injured. The damaged bus stop and broken glass of nearby shops bore testimony to the intensity of the bomb, which was placed near the Hanuman Mandir, according to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Umeshkumar Sarangi. Mr. Sarangi said the bomb at Zaveri Bazaar was placed in an umbrella, while the one at Opera House was in a manhole. While Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik confirmed that it was an IED that was used at Zaveri Bazaar, investigations are still on to confirm the kind of explosive used at the other two places.  At Dadar, eyewitnesses said, the explosion was so loud many thought a building had collapsed. Rajendra Rathod, who has a shop just opposite the place where the bomb went off, told The Hindu that the intensity caused him to fall on the ground. A motorcyclist riding by also suffered the impact. The police cordoned off the entire area which was crammed with onlookers and the media.  There was a scuffle as workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) insisted the police were late in taking away the injured persons to hospital. People said they saw at least four persons lying injured and one dead.

Luckily, no schoolchild was injured, said Amruta Parab. For at this time of the day, usually lots of children and parents would be moving around the nearby school. Kabutarkhana is one of the most crowded areas outside the Dadar suburban station and usually there would be 150-200 people around. Rahul Gokhale heard the blast sound a little away at Portuguese Church where he lives in, and came to the site, where he witnessed chaos and confusion.  Pointing out that it was a difficult situation, Mr. Patnaik said Mumbai had witnessed blasts again and again. He promised the people that the guilty would be brought to book.

This is the third bomb blast at Zaveri Bazaar, the heart of the diamond trading area of the city. The earlier two happened in 1993 and in 2003. On Wednesday (13^TH ,July,2011), the bomb exploded in an area popularly called “Khau Galli” where people gather to have a snack in the evenings. It was littered with shattered glass and crowds surged to the site. Jayesh Labdhi, a diamond merchant, was coming out of his office when he heard the loud explosion which he thought was caused by firing. Then he heard people running around and saying it was a blast. He said that he took 14-20 people to hospital. He saw almost 30 people lying around with injuries. Some eyewitnesses said that they heard two blasts one after the other. Pravinbhai Tanna said the bomb exploded outside a shop called Super Tools. Its owner Syed Radhanpurwalla and some others inside the shop were seriously injured.

  Mustafa Patakdawalla, who was helping the injured, saw a huge plume of smoke rising into the sky. Dheeraj Degliya was injured in the leg and hurt by metal particles. After the explosion there was complete darkness in the smoke-filled area. He said rains were a blessing because fewer people were out on the road. In Opera House the bomb exploded outside the J K building in the Panchvati diamond chowk area. Pankaj Jain, a diamond trader, was in his ground floor office nearby when he heard the explosion which brought a sleet of shattered glass inside. He sustained head injuries and fled the scene to get admitted to the Saifee Hospital. There were scenes of chaos at both the Saifee and Harkisondas hospitals with relatives and the media thronging the place for information. Jayant Sanghvi lost his hearing after the explosion. Speaking to The Hindu at the Saifee hospital, he said he had suffered head injuries too. The blast was heard a km away and even two streets down the road. On a normal day there would be 3,000 to 4,000 people in the area. At the GT Hospital, Sadashiv Bhane was badly shaken as his son, who works in Kalbadevi as a clerk, was injured. Barun Samanta, a gold worker is frantically searching for his colleague, Kamal Dalai. A hospital worker said nearly 30 injured persons were brought from Zaveri Bazaar and most of the serious cases were tran

    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday,13^th,July,2011, strongly condemned the serial blasts in Mumbai Wednesday evening and urged the people of that city to remain calm and and united in the face of the first major terror attack since 26/11. 'I strongly condemn the bomb blasts in Mumbai this evening,' Manmohan Singh said in a statement. Manmohan Singh said he had asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan 'to do whatever is possible to provide relief to the injured and to the families of the deceased citizens'.He added that he had asked Home Minister P. Chidambaram 'to provide all possible expert assistance to the state government'.
'I appeal to people of Mumbai to remain calm and show a united face,' Manmohan Singh said.

        UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday strongly condemned the bomb attacks in Mumbai, saying no cause or grievance can justify the indiscriminate violence against civilians, 'The secretary-general condemns the attacks that have killed and injured many today (Wednesday) in Mumbai,' said a statement issued here by his spokesperson. 'No cause or grievance can justify indiscriminate violence against civilians,' it quoted Ban Ki-moon as saying.The secretary-general expressed his solidarity with the government and people of India, and extended his sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the statement added.Three bomb attacks that occurred within minutes of each other in Mumbai's Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Dadar Wednesday, left 21 people dead and over 140 injured.

      US President Barack Obama Wednesday strongly condemned the 'outrageous attacks' in Mumbai and offered help in investigating the serial terror strikes that killed at least 20 people and injured over 100.'I strongly condemn the outrageous attacks in Mumbai, and my thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and those who have lost loved ones,' Obama said in a statement.'The American people will stand with the Indian people in times of trial, and we will offer support to India's efforts to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice,' he said.Recalling his trip to Mumbai during his maiden visit to India in November last year, Obama said he saw 'firsthand the strength and resilience of the Indian people.' 'I have no doubt that the India will overcome these deplorable terrorist attacks,' he added.

      Condemning the attacks, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that the U.S. will help India with its investigation of the bombings in every possible way. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns telephoned Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to 'strongly condemn the Mumbai blasts'.'US Under Secretary of State Bill Burns calls FS to strongly condemn Mumbai blasts, offers US support & any assistance that India may require,' Vishnu Prakash, spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, said in a tweet posted on the social networking site.The blasts took place ahead of the visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to India July 19-20 for the annual foreign ministers dialogue here.

                                         

                                                                Prof. John Kurakar