2011 Delhi bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Delhi bombing took place in the India
n capital Delhi
on Wednesday, 7 September 2011 at 10:14 local time outside Gate No. 5 of the Delhi High Court
, where a suspected briefcase bomb was planted. The blast killed 12 people and injured 76.
The attack took place while Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh
was on a historic two-day official state visit to Bangladesh
, to discuss Bangladesh–India relations. The attack also happened less than two months after bombings in Mumbai
on 13 July which killed 26 people.
, convicted for the 2001 Indian Parliament attack
, should not be hanged as ordered by the Supreme Court. However, Afzal Guru
strongly denied any such link to the attack, and said that his name was being "unnecessarily" dragged into the "cowardly act" which "must be condemned by all".
A day after this email, another email was sent by the Indian Mujahideen
to television media, allegedly claiming that the attack was carried out by IM and not HuJI and also threatened it would carry out more attacks on shopping complexes on the coming Tuesday.
On 10 September, the Indian Union Home Secretary
stated that it was not necessary that the emails claiming responsibility for the Delhi High Court blast were sent by the actual perpetrators and added that it could have been other people who, when they heard about the blast, sent the emails.
on the day of the bombing. According to police sources, the sketches were based on the description given by an eyewitness. The sketch showed one person in his 50s, and another in his mid-20s.
The National Investigation Agency
(NIA) took over the investigations, and set up a 20-member team to examine the email. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory
is examining the composition of the explosives and it is expected to release the results in the next few days, on which NIA will act accordingly. The email sent by HuJI with the email address harkatuljihadi2011@gmail.com was traced to have been sent from a cyber cafe named Global Internet Cafe located at Malik Market in Kishtwar
, Jammu and Kashmir
. The NIA team in Jammu and Kashmir detained three suspects including the cyber cafe owner and his brother for questioning. However, the Director-General
of the NIA, said that it was too premature to comment on the HuJI mail but (they) were looking at it seriously because HuJI was a very prominent group which considered India its primary target. A NIA team arrested a man from Patna
due to his alleged involvement in misusing a stolen ATM card and was cross-examined by the NIA team. Another email sent in the name of Indian Mujahideen
was traced to a Monu Ojha, a 22-year-old school dropout in Ahmedabad
, who confessed to deliberately creating a hoax email.
A separate investigation was set up by the Delhi Police Department after the Intelligence Bureau
said that only one input was received, which specifically cited Sikh extremists
who are supporters of the Khalistan movement
and may conduct illegal activities in the city.
On 7 October, the National Investigation Agency arrested a medical student from Kishtwar
, Jammu and Kashmir
named Wasim Akram Malik, who they claimed was a key conspirator of the blast . Akram, a student of Unani
medicine in Bangladesh, was arrested from the Indo-Bangladesh
border, on basis of leads derived from other detained suspects. The NIA team had zoomed in on Kishtwar after receiving emails from a cyber cafe in the area. The NIA claimed that the arrested have strong links to the terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami.
condemned the blast and condoled the loss of lives in the incident. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
, while on a two-day stay in Dhaka
, remarked: "I just heard the sad news from Delhi about the bomb blast. I am told that 10 people have been killed. This is cowardly act of terrorist nature. We will deal with it. We will never succumb to the pressure of terrorism." Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram
said the blast was likely a job of local militants and remarked that "India was concerned about how to prevent the radicalisation of its youth."
Indian Muslim
religious leaders termed the blast as an act against humanity and suspected that it could be a deep conspiracy to destabilize the secular system of India. They appealed to the members of Muslim community to oppose such acts with loud voice and extend all possible support to the government in tackling the crisis.
As attack coincided with Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh, and also because of the 13 July 2011 Mumbai bombings
coincided with meetings between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, some analysts suggested the attack was an attempt to divert attention from the agreements reached between Bangladesh and India.
strongly condemned the terror attack in Delhi.
- Prime Minister
Julia Gillard
said that: "The government and people of Australia unreservedly condemn the bombing. Our thoughts are with the families of the innocent people who have been killed and with those injured by the blast." The shadow
foreign minister Julie Bishop
called the attack a blow to Indian society.
- Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina
's office released a statement reading that she "conveyed [her] heartfelt sympathies and profound condolences to the members of the bereaved families. She also offered prayers for the "eternal peace of those who have passed away, and for the people of India to bear this shock with fortitude."
- The embassy issued a statement reading: "The Brazilian Government expresses its solidarity to the Government of the Republic of India and to the relatives of the victims...The Brazilian Government reaffirms its repulse to all forms of violence, carried out under whatever pretext."
- Foreign Minister
Kōichirō Genba
said that: "Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations cannot be justified. Japan firmly condemns these atrocious acts of terrorism that victimise so many innocent people."
- A statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
, and attributed to President
Asif Ali Zardari
and Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gillani
, condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the victims: "The Pakistani leadership has expressed their deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of the bombing, to the government and people of India. They have expressed the hope that the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice."
- Foreign Secretary
William Hague
condemned the bombing and said that: "I was appalled to hear of the bomb blast outside the High Court in Delhi today. I condemn this cowardly attack and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones or who have been injured."
- Charge d’Affaires Peter Burleigh
condemned the bombing and said: "On behalf of all Americans, I extend deep condolences to the Government of India and the families of those harmed in this morning’s attack on the New Delhi High Court. Terrorism is a crime that affects us all. Bombings like today’s demonstrate that our shared struggle continues against those who would commit such atrocities."
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n capital Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on Wednesday, 7 September 2011 at 10:14 local time outside Gate No. 5 of the Delhi High Court
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi was established on 31 October 1966. The High Court of Delhi was established with four judges. They were Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. K. Kapur.-History:...
, where a suspected briefcase bomb was planted. The blast killed 12 people and injured 76.
Background
Previously, a low-intensity blast also occurred at the High Court outside Gate No. 7 on 25 May with no reported casualties.The attack took place while Indian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
was on a historic two-day official state visit to Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, to discuss Bangladesh–India relations. The attack also happened less than two months after bombings in Mumbai
2011 Mumbai bombings
The 2011 Mumbai bombings were a series of three coordinated bomb explosions at different locations in Mumbai, India, on 13 July 2011 between 18:54 and 19:06 IST...
on 13 July which killed 26 people.
Attack
The blast took place at 10:14 IST on 7 September 2011. Explosives were placed in a briefcase at the high court reception where hundreds of people throng every day to attend court cases, home secretary R.K. Singh said to reporters. According to the special secretary in the Home Ministry, two kilos of explosives were used, with ammonium nitrate and PETN to cause considerable damage even though used in a small amount.Responsiblity
According to reports immediately following the blasts, responsibility for the bombings was claimed by the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) group. In an email attributed to HuJI, the group is alleged to have demanded that Mohammed Afzal GuruAfzal Guru
Mohammad Afzal, also known as Afzal Guru, is a Kashmiri who was convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India in 2004. The sentence was scheduled to be carried out on 20 October 2006...
, convicted for the 2001 Indian Parliament attack
2001 Indian Parliament attack
The 2001 Indian Parliament attack was a high-profile attack by Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists against the building housing the Parliament of India in New Delhi...
, should not be hanged as ordered by the Supreme Court. However, Afzal Guru
Afzal Guru
Mohammad Afzal, also known as Afzal Guru, is a Kashmiri who was convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India in 2004. The sentence was scheduled to be carried out on 20 October 2006...
strongly denied any such link to the attack, and said that his name was being "unnecessarily" dragged into the "cowardly act" which "must be condemned by all".
A day after this email, another email was sent by the Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist group based in India, known for carrying out several attacks against civilian targets in India....
to television media, allegedly claiming that the attack was carried out by IM and not HuJI and also threatened it would carry out more attacks on shopping complexes on the coming Tuesday.
On 10 September, the Indian Union Home Secretary
Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
Ministry of Home Affairs , known as the Home Ministry or MHA, is an Indian government ministry. It is an interior ministry mainly responsible for the maintenance of Internal security and domestic policy.-Ministerial Team:...
stated that it was not necessary that the emails claiming responsibility for the Delhi High Court blast were sent by the actual perpetrators and added that it could have been other people who, when they heard about the blast, sent the emails.
Investigations
A sketch of two suspected persons was released by the Delhi Police DepartmentDepartment of Police, Delhi
The Department of Police , also known as Delhi Police , is the main law and order agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
on the day of the bombing. According to police sources, the sketches were based on the description given by an eyewitness. The sketch showed one person in his 50s, and another in his mid-20s.
The National Investigation Agency
National Investigation Agency (India)
National Investigation Agency is a federal agency approved by the Indian Government to combat terror in India. The agency is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states. The National Investigation Agency Bill 2008 to create the agency was...
(NIA) took over the investigations, and set up a 20-member team to examine the email. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory
Central Forensic Science Laboratory
The Central Forensic Science Laboratory is a wing of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, which fulfills the forensic requirements in the country...
is examining the composition of the explosives and it is expected to release the results in the next few days, on which NIA will act accordingly. The email sent by HuJI with the email address harkatuljihadi2011@gmail.com was traced to have been sent from a cyber cafe named Global Internet Cafe located at Malik Market in Kishtwar
Kishtwar
Kishtwar is a town and a notified area committee in Kishtwar District in Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India.-Geography:Kishtwar is located at...
, Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. The NIA team in Jammu and Kashmir detained three suspects including the cyber cafe owner and his brother for questioning. However, the Director-General
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the NIA, said that it was too premature to comment on the HuJI mail but (they) were looking at it seriously because HuJI was a very prominent group which considered India its primary target. A NIA team arrested a man from Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
due to his alleged involvement in misusing a stolen ATM card and was cross-examined by the NIA team. Another email sent in the name of Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist group based in India, known for carrying out several attacks against civilian targets in India....
was traced to a Monu Ojha, a 22-year-old school dropout in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, who confessed to deliberately creating a hoax email.
A separate investigation was set up by the Delhi Police Department after the Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Bureau (India)
The Intelligence Bureau also known as IB is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's oldest intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs...
said that only one input was received, which specifically cited Sikh extremists
Sikh extremism
Sikh extremism refers to threats or acts of violence against civilians, or material support for the acts of violence.Some extremists have been separatists pursuing the formation of a Sikh state, often referred to as Khalistan....
who are supporters of the Khalistan movement
Khalistan movement
Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh state, called Khālistān , carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region of India, depending on definition....
and may conduct illegal activities in the city.
On 7 October, the National Investigation Agency arrested a medical student from Kishtwar
Kishtwar
Kishtwar is a town and a notified area committee in Kishtwar District in Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India.-Geography:Kishtwar is located at...
, Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
named Wasim Akram Malik, who they claimed was a key conspirator of the blast . Akram, a student of Unani
Unani
Unani-tibb or Unani Medicine also spelled Yunani Medicine means "Greek Medicine", and is a form of traditional medicine widely practiced in South Asia...
medicine in Bangladesh, was arrested from the Indo-Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
border, on basis of leads derived from other detained suspects. The NIA team had zoomed in on Kishtwar after receiving emails from a cyber cafe in the area. The NIA claimed that the arrested have strong links to the terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami.
Domestic
President Pratibha PatilPratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...
condemned the blast and condoled the loss of lives in the incident. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
, while on a two-day stay in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, remarked: "I just heard the sad news from Delhi about the bomb blast. I am told that 10 people have been killed. This is cowardly act of terrorist nature. We will deal with it. We will never succumb to the pressure of terrorism." Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
said the blast was likely a job of local militants and remarked that "India was concerned about how to prevent the radicalisation of its youth."
Indian Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
religious leaders termed the blast as an act against humanity and suspected that it could be a deep conspiracy to destabilize the secular system of India. They appealed to the members of Muslim community to oppose such acts with loud voice and extend all possible support to the government in tackling the crisis.
As attack coincided with Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh, and also because of the 13 July 2011 Mumbai bombings
2011 Mumbai bombings
The 2011 Mumbai bombings were a series of three coordinated bomb explosions at different locations in Mumbai, India, on 13 July 2011 between 18:54 and 19:06 IST...
coincided with meetings between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, some analysts suggested the attack was an attempt to divert attention from the agreements reached between Bangladesh and India.
International
- Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
strongly condemned the terror attack in Delhi.
- Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
said that: "The government and people of Australia unreservedly condemn the bombing. Our thoughts are with the families of the innocent people who have been killed and with those injured by the blast." The shadow
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
foreign minister Julie Bishop
Julie Bishop
Julie Isabel Bishop is an Australian politician and the current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia. She holds this title as the deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. She is the party's first female Deputy Leader and the third woman in Australian history to...
called the attack a blow to Indian society.
- Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the Head of the Government of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Jatiya Sangsad Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate...
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
's office released a statement reading that she "conveyed [her] heartfelt sympathies and profound condolences to the members of the bereaved families. She also offered prayers for the "eternal peace of those who have passed away, and for the people of India to bear this shock with fortitude."
- The embassy issued a statement reading: "The Brazilian Government expresses its solidarity to the Government of the Republic of India and to the relatives of the victims...The Brazilian Government reaffirms its repulse to all forms of violence, carried out under whatever pretext."
- Foreign Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...
Kōichirō Genba
Koichiro Genba
is the current Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs. He belongs to the Democratic Party of Japan and is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...
said that: "Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations cannot be justified. Japan firmly condemns these atrocious acts of terrorism that victimise so many innocent people."
- A statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also known as Foreign Ministry, is a Government of Pakistan's federal and executive Ministry which is responsible for international and Foreign Affairs. The ministry was created in 1947, and was one of the first ministries to be established...
, and attributed to President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
and Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...
, condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the victims: "The Pakistani leadership has expressed their deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of the bombing, to the government and people of India. They have expressed the hope that the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice."
- Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
condemned the bombing and said that: "I was appalled to hear of the bomb blast outside the High Court in Delhi today. I condemn this cowardly attack and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones or who have been injured."
- Charge d’Affaires Peter Burleigh
Peter Burleigh
Albert Peter Burleigh is a United States foreign service officer and diplomat. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy....
condemned the bombing and said: "On behalf of all Americans, I extend deep condolences to the Government of India and the families of those harmed in this morning’s attack on the New Delhi High Court. Terrorism is a crime that affects us all. Bombings like today’s demonstrate that our shared struggle continues against those who would commit such atrocities."