Mumbai 2006 Train Bombings Anniversary: The Incident and The Aftermath

ON THIS DAY IN 2006: July 11, 2023, marks the 17th anniversary of the deadly Mumbai train blasts that brought the financial capital to a standstill in 2006. The scars of the incident, also known as the 7/11 attacks, remain afresh in the minds of people. It was a series of seven bomb blasts that ripped through trains on Mumbai Suburban Railway’s Western Line. The devastating explosions killed around 200 people and injured many more.

The seven explosions went off in quick succession over the course of around 11 minutes. The explosives were reportedly put into seven pressure cookers before being transported to various sites to carry out synchronised explosions. According to investigations, the criminals used a combination of RDX and ammonium nitrate in the blasts.

2006 Mumbai Train Bombings: The 7 Stations

6.24 pm: Khar Road

Deaths: 9

6.24 pm: Bandra station

Deaths: 22

6.25 pm: Jogeshwari station

Deaths: 28

6.26 pm: Mahim

Deaths: 43

6.29 pm: Mira Road

Deaths: 31

6.30 pm: Matunga Road

Deaths: 28

6.35 pm: Borivli

Deaths: 26

2006 Mumbai Train Bombings: The Incident

1. The first bomb detonated around 6:20 PM, during peak traffic hours. The first explosion happened inside the First Class compartment of a Western Railway train on its way to Borivali. The explosive was ignited between the stations of Khar and Santacruz.
2. At the same time, another explosion took place in a local between Bandra and Khar Road.
3. Five further explosions happened at Jogeshwari, Mahim Junction, Mira Road-Bhayander, Matunga-Mahim Junction, and Borivali as a result of this.

A memorial service for the victims was conducted in Mumbai a week after the blast. Sirens rang out across Mumbai to pay homage to those who died, and then-President Abdul Kalam led people in a two-minute silence.

2006 Mumbai Train Bombings: The Probe

1. Between July and October 2006, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) arrested 13 people in connection with the bombings.
2. They were charged under the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
3. Mumbai’s special MCOCA court ruled 12 of the 13 suspects in the case guilty, while one was acquitted on all counts.
4. Five of the offenders were put to death, while the remaining seven were sentenced to life in prison.
5. Shahid Azmi, a lawyer who represented several of the suspects in the Mumbai explosion case, was assassinated at his Mumbai office in 2010.