ByDr Javed Jamil
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The following is the list of famous attacks that have been attributed to Muslims:
Karnataka
2008 Bangalore serial blasts occurred on 25 July 2008 in Bangalore, India. A series of nine bombs exploded in which two people were killed and 20 injured. According to the Bangalore City Police, the blasts were caused by low-intensity crude bombs triggered by timers.
[Dr Javed Jamilis India based thinker and writer with over a dozen books including his latest, “Muslims Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough” and “Muslim Vision of Secular India: Destination & Road-map”. He can be contacted at doctorforu123@yahoo.com or 91-8130340339]
Recently, some of the statements made by Congress Muslims made headlines. These statements that apparently sought to link the creation of Muslim terrorist outfits to anti-Muslim riots were dismissed by Congress and widely criticized in media.
The trend in recent years has been that while the Hindutva lobbies and the media try to project all terrorist violence as Muslim, some Muslim leaders and mediamen behave as if a Muslim cannot be a terrorist at all. Both are extreme positions that need to be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. The truth is that while the majority of terrorism related violence in India in last 40 years has been non-Muslim, some terrorist attacks might have been perpetrated by Muslims. But If we count the deaths in terrorist attacks allegedly by Muslim outfits, these do no cross 1500. These include all the major attacks including the serial Mumbai attacks after Babri Masjid demolition and 26/11 attack in Mumbai.
Terrorist attacks in Mumbai include:
· 12 March 1993 - Series of 13 bombs go off, killing 257
· 6 December 2002 - Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkopar, killing 2
· 27 January 2003 - Bomb goes off on a bicycle in Vile Parle, killing 1
· 14 March 2003 - Bomb goes off in a train in Mulund, killing 10
· 28 July 2003 - Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkopar, killing 4
· 25 August 2003 - Two Bombs go off in cars near the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar, killing 50
· 11 July 2006 - Series of seven bombs go off in trains, killing 209
· 26 November 2008 to 29 November 2008 - Coordinated series of attacks, killing at least 172.
· 13 July 2011 - Three coordinated bomb explosions at different locations, killing 26
Terrorist attacks elsewhere in Maharashtra
· 13 February 2010 - a bomb explosion at the German Bakery in Pune killed fourteen people, and injured at least 60 more
· 1 August 2012 - four bomb explosion at various locations on JM Road, Pune injured 1 person
29 October 2005 Delhi bombings
Three explosions went off in the Indian capital of New Delhi on 29 October 2005, which killed more than 60 people and injured at least 200 others. The high number of casualties made the bombings the deadliest attack in India in 2005. It was followed by 5 bomb blasts on 13 September 2008.
2001 Attack on Indian parliament
Terrorists on 13 December 2001 attacked the Parliament of India, resulting in a 45-minute gun battle in which 9 policemen and parliament staff were killed. All five terrorists were also killed by the security forces and were identified as Pakistani nationals.
Uttar Pradesh
2005 Ayodhya attacks
Following the two-hour gunfight between Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists based in Pakistan and Indian police, in which six terrorists were killed, opposition parties called for a nationwide strike with the country's leaders condemning the attack, believed to have been masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim.
2010 Varanasi blasts
On 7 December 2010, another blast occurred in Varanasi, that killed immediately a toddler, and set off a stampede in which 20 people, including four foreigners, were injured.
2006 Varanasi blasts
A series of blasts occurred across the Hindu holy city of Varanasi on 7 March 2006. Fifteen people are reported to have been killed and as many as 101 others were injured.
Karnataka
2008 Bangalore serial blasts occurred on 25 July 2008 in Bangalore, India. A series of nine bombs exploded in which two people were killed and 20 injured. According to the Bangalore City Police, the blasts were caused by low-intensity crude bombs triggered by timers.
2010 Bangalore stadium bombing occurred on 17 April 2010 in M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India. Two bombs exploded in a heavily packed Cricket stadium in which fifteen people were injured. A third bomb was found and diffused outside the stadium
Major Bombings
September 13, 2008: Serial blasts in Delhi killed at least 24 people and injured more than 100.
May 2008: Eight serial blasts rock Jaipur in a span of 12 minutes leaving 65 dead and over 150 injured.
August 2007: 30 dead, 60 hurt in Hyderabad 'terror' strike.
September 2006: 30 dead and 100 hurt in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon.
July 2006: Seven bombs on Mumbai's trains kill over 200 and injure 700 others.
October 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets a day before Diwali kill 62 people and injure hundreds.
August 2003: Two taxis packed with explosives blow up outside a Mumbai tourist attraction and a busy market, killing 52 and wounding more than 100.
October 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets a day before Diwali kill 62 people and injure hundreds.
August 2003: Two taxis packed with explosives blow up outside a Mumbai tourist attraction and a busy market, killing 52 and wounding more than 100.
September 24, 2002: Militants with guns and explosives attack the Akshardham Hindu temple in the western state of Gujarat, 31 killed, More than 80 injured.
March 1993: Mumbai serial bombings kill 257 people and injure more than 1,100.
As can be seen, the number of deaths in all these attacks does not cross 1500. Now let’s have a look at the other terrorist attacks in the country.
Deaths related to Naxalite violence
Deaths related to Naxalite violence
Period | Civilians | Security forces | Insurgents | Total per period |
1989–2001 | 1,610 | 432 | 1,007 | 3,049[79] |
2002 | 382 | 100 | 141 | 623[80] |
2003 | 410 | 105 | 216 | 731[80] |
2004 | 466 | 100 | 87 | 653[80] |
2005 | 524 | 153 | 225 | 902[81] |
2006 | 521 | 157 | 274 | 952[81] |
2007 | 460 | 236 | 141 | 837[81] |
2008 | 399 | 221 | 214[82] | 834[83] |
2009 | 586 | 317 | 217 | 1,120[84] |
2010 | 713 | 285 | 171 | 1,169[85] |
2011 | 275 | 128 | 199 | 602[86] |
2012 | 144 | 104 | 116 | 364[87] |
TOTAL | 6,432 | 2,312 | 2,965 | 11,709 |
Based on the above displayed statistics, it can be determined that more than 11,700 people have been killed since the start of the insurgency in 1980, of which more than half died in the last ten years. The unofficial figures put the toll several times higher.
In the violence related to Sikhs, several hundreds have been killed by Sikh militants. In Hindu-Sikh riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, more than 10000 Sikhs died.
Then there are killings related to ULFA. According to a Wikipedia report, .” In the past two decades some 18,000 people have died in the clash between the rebels and the security forces.
So it can be seen that the violence involving Sikhs, Naxalites and ULFA has killed more than 40000 people in last 30 years.
Hindu violence is not confined to India. In Sri Lanka, more than 60000 people have died in Tamil related violence.
In Nepal, Maoist violence has also killed hundreds.
There are people who try to argue that Naxalites, Maoists and ULFA activists are not religion-inspired. But the truth remains that they are all Hindus according to demographic records. And violence is violence, whether related to communal sentiments or to any other cause. Violence in the name of religion cannot be described as more condemnable than that related to any other ideology. Violence has to be condemned in proportion to the casualties it causes. Moreover, the killers of Sikhs in Delhi riots and those of Muslims in various riots have been the hardcore believers in Hindu scriptures. This does not in any way mean that Hinduism or any other religion is responsible for such violence. This shows that mutual hatred often leads people to indulge in violent attacks against one another. The majority communities or powerful groups anywhere in the world routinely indulge in riots or the government forces act on their behalf. The weaker communities and groups resort to terrorism and other forms of hit and run strategies.
In my previous article on riots, I have already shown that the number of Muslims killed in riots in India is at least three times the number of Hindus killed.
Link of Terrorism with Riots
While it will be wrong to assume that the anti-Muslim riots and Babri Masjid demolition were the only factors responsible for the rise of some alleged Muslim terrorist organizations, it will be totally out of place as well to dismiss this factor altogether. Some analysts have argued that “terrorists” are the product of a certain mindset. They may be partially right. But it is also right that such a mindset needs fuel to prosper, and events like Babri Masjid demolition and Gujarat riots multiplied with a widespread feeling of discrimination provide sufficient fuel for that purpose to be achieved. While on one hand, terrorism, in fact violence of all hues and colours, whoever the culprits, whoever the victims, whatever the place, has to be condemned in no uncertain terms, on the other hand, all the factors related to the rise of terrorism of any colour have to be addressed if it is to be controlled. The role of the precipitating factors, the media in fanning hatred, the politicians, community leaders and executives, the military and the police – all have to be analysed. On top of tem, all communities have to be socioeconomically empowered and all kinds of discrimination have to be eradicated. Only then we can hope of a lasting peace.