Remembering the 1993 Mumbai blasts: India's most devastating terrorist attack

Representative image. (REUTERS)

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Bombay blasts that occurred in a dozen spots, killing 257 people and leaving more than 700 people injured.

The event took place on March 12, 1993 when the bombs, suspected to be smuggled in by the sea, were let off in what is termed as one of India’s deadliest terrorist attacks.

Key locations include the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Air India building, Zaveri bazaar and other locations.

The main conspirators identified by the Supreme Court are underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, his close aides Anees Ibrahim and Tiger Memon.

Close to 100 people were tried under a special TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities) court. Of these, 23 people were acquitted and 12 were given the death sentence.

The Supreme Court overturned the sentence for 10 people, and were served the life sentence in 2013. Yakub Memon, the brother of Tiger Memon, was hanged in 2015. Abu Salem was arrested in 2005.

Among those accused was actor Sanjay Dutt. He was charged with possession of weapons, supposedly bought through Abu Salem, a close aide of the key conspirators.

Dutt’s defence was that he bought these weapons to protect his family. He was sentenced to five years in jail, and was given an early release in 2016, after serving his sentence.

According to an NDTV report, Supreme Court stated that the Police, customs and coast guards were to share the blame for the event and that it was “Devastating that Pakistan being a neighbor had encouraged terror against India.”

The key conspirators are expected to be hiding in Pakistan, as according to an ex-CBI official who spoke to Mint.

The official further added that the main conspirators were hiding in countries that had extradition laws that were difficult to pin them down.

He said that Dawood being in Pakistan means there is little chance of extraditing him, whereas Ibrahim Mirchi, another one of the accused, died in 2013 without being extradited from the United Kingdom

Farooq Takla, a close aide of Dawood, was arrested by the CBI on 8 March.