Waiting for justice

Now that Indian law enforcement agencies have laid their hands on Salem Qayyum Ansari — aka Abu Salem — they are optimistic he will help them bring out the skeletons that have been in the closet for more than a decade now.

Salem could provide crucial leads to the serial bomb explosions that rocked Mumbai on March 12, 1993. His confessions could taint heavyweights from the world of glamour, real estate, cricket, law enforcement and the bureaucracy. Judgement on the blast case is likely to be passed in December.

Indian authorities have always suspected the involvement of Pakistan’s ISI in the blasts, which followed quick on the heels of the December 6, 1992, demolition of the Babri Masjid structure in Ayodhya, and the riots triggered by that seminal event.

The Babri incident triggered a communal carnage of unprecedented proportions. The violence that spread like wildfire through large swathes of the country ‘officially’ claimed 900 lives in Mumbai, where several hundred were reported missing. Unofficial estimates pegged the loss of life far higher. The hostilities continued in areas such as Jogeshwari and Bandra (E) for nearly two months after the dark day.

The scale of social damage was far more telling. A wedge was driven between communities that had lived amicably for ages. Speeches by politicians such as Bal Thackeray — with his infamous statement to an international magazine: “Kick them out” — aggravating the damage.

Fundamentalist groups swayed the semi-literate, unemployed youth of the Muslim community with counter propaganda and, in the absence of a strong Muslim leadership that could counter the saffron onslaught, many looked to extra-legal elements for physical and psychological protection. The underworld made the most of the chaos, striking back, viciously, on March 12, 1993.

Bombs ripped through 14 strategic locations, including the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Air India building, Hotel Airport Centaur, Zaveri Bazar, Century Bazar, Katha Bazar, Plaza Cinema and near Shiv Sena Bhavan. The blasts killed around 300, left more than 1,500 injured and shook the foundations of the country's commercial capital.

The Maharashtra Government appointed the Justice BN Shrikrishna Commission of Inquiry for the riots and since the issue was linked, even the bomb blasts were added to its terms of reference.

Nearly 2,126 affidavits were filed in the riots case, including two by the government, 549 by the police and the rest by members of the public. It recorded evidence of 502 witnesses, whose depositions run into 9,655 pages. The Commission took on record 2,903 documents totaling to over 15,000 pages as exhibits. And 536 orders were passed.

The blasts trial alone had over 13,000 pages of hard evidence of 684 witnesses, and 9,162 pages of statements of the 122 accused. All combined, this is billed as one of the biggest trials in recent Indian history.

However, there are several gaps and some of these can probably be filled by Salem. His statements could throw new light on the riots and blasts, and the perpetrators.

 Order of horror

December 6, 1992

The world was stunned as a group of young saffron activists climbed to the top of the disputed Babri Masjid structure in Ayodhya and began to tear it down. The BJP was in power in Uttar Pradesh, where Ayodhya is located, and the demolition triggered one of India’s worst outbreaks of communal rioting, which left more than 2,000 people dead. Till date, the issue is simmering at the political level.

December 9, 1992 — January-end 1993
Mumbai engulfed in a communal cauldron, riots broke out between the communities living peacefully since long.

Nearly 900 persons from both communities lost their lives and many were injured and missing.

For days together, Mumbai literally burned and finally the army managed to quell the situation.
n It resulted in the then CM (late) Sudhakarrao Naik losing his seat and was replaced by Sharad Pawar, who led the party to a disaster in the elections two years later.

March 12, 1993
Mumbai was the target of one of the biggest terrorist operations of the century.

Powerful RDX bombs went off at several sites that were important from the commercial and tourism point of view. It started with a car bomb going off at exactly 1.30 pm in the basement of the Bombay Stock Exchange building. Between 1.30 and 3.40 pm 13 bombs exploded throughout Mumbai.

Three hotels — Sea Rock, Juhu Centaur and Airport Centaur — were targeted by suitcase bombs left in rooms. Banks, the regional passport office, hotels, the Air India building, and a major shopping complex were also hit. Bombs exploded at Zaveri Bazar, Century Bazar, Katha Bazar, Shiv Sena Bhawan, and Plaza Theatre. A double decker bus was very badly damaged in one of the explosions and allegedly accounted for the greatest loss of life (90 deaths).

Over 250 dead and another 1,400 injured and several others missing, properties worth several crores destroyed/damaged.

The name of actor Sanjay Dutt came up during the investigations and he was arrested as soon as he landed at Mumbai Airport after shooting in Mauritius.