25 August 2003 Mumbai Bombings

The 25 August 2003 Mumbai bombings were twin car bombings in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 54, and injured 244 people. It is considered to be a retaliation to the 2002 Gujarat violence where 790 Muslims were killed by Hindu rioters. One of the bomb explosions took place at the Gateway of India, which is a major tourist attraction. The other bomb went off in a jewellery market Zaveri Bazaar near the Mumba Devi temple in central Mumbai. Both the bombs were planted in parked taxis and exploded during the lunch hour. No group initially claimed responsibility for the attack, but Kashmir rebel group and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba was blamed for it.

On 31 August 2003, three suspects — Ashrat Ansari, Haneef Sayyed and his wife Fahmeeda were arrested. All three were convicted and sentenced to death in August, 2009 by a special POTA court in Mumbai. Later, the death sentence was upheld by Bombay High Court in February 2012. Haneef was recruited in Dubai, UAE by Pakistani nationals to avenge anti-Muslim riots in India. His wife assisted and chose targets, while Ansari planted the bomb at Zaveri Bazar.