Serial Blasts Rip Through Zaveri Bazar, Opera House & Dadar During Evening Rush Hour 21 Killed In Terror Strikes

YET AGAIN

Serial Blasts Rip Through Zaveri Bazar, Opera House & Dadar During Evening Rush Hour 21 Killed In Terror Strikes, Many More Fight For Life

Team TOI 

Mumbai: No other city in the world has been the tragic target of as many serial terror attacks and bombings as Mumbai: 1993, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and now July 13, 2011. On Wednesday evening, three serial bomb blasts in the span of 12 minutes ripped through three of the busiest hubs in the city—Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Dadar—at rush hour, killing 21 
people and injuring 130. 
    The first explosion was at 6.54 pm at Zaveri Bazar, followed by another at Opera House a minute later.The third explosion was at 7.06pm outside Kabutarkhana, a few metres away from the western side of Dadar railway station.This is the third terror attack at Zaveri Bazar. 
    The high explosives with timer devices were kept on or near vehicles at Opera House and Zaveri Bazar while at Dadar a bus stop was the target. Police said that the three locations,two of which were khau gallis, had been chosen for maximum impact.Police chief Arup Patnaik said it was a terror attack. 
    While the police have not named any outfit responsible for the blasts, sources say that it could be the handiwork of a banned outfit, the Indian Mujahideen (IM), which recently formed a group called the 313 Squad and has been recruiting youngsters to it. Security agencies suspect the use of ammonium nitrate in the blasts.Splinters of nuts and bolts, which were used in the bombs, were found and removed from the injured. Police had reportedly zeroed in on a CCTV camera near Opera House but later found that it was damaged in the blast. 
TIME AFTER TIME 
Mar 12, 1993: 11 blasts in city. 257 dead, 713 hurt Jan 23, 24 & 27, 1998:Blasts on tracks/stations at 6 locations across city. Four killed Dec 2, 2002:Explosion in BEST bus at Ghatkopar. Two killed Mar 13, 2003: Blast on Karjatbound train in Mulund. 11 killed Aug 25, 2003: Blasts in taxis at Gateway, Zaveri Bazar. 52 dead July 11, 2006: 7 blasts in 7 locals in 7 minutes. 188 killedNov 26-29, 2008: LeT strikes at CST, the Taj, Oberoi-Trident and Chabad House. 166 killed

NOT AGAIN: Victims of the Zaveri Bazar blast are rushed to GT Hospital in a tempo