-Ramesh Sharma
A society, a culture, and a nation endure when they learn from the experiences of the past. History carries within it both the foundations of achievement and the scars of negligence. The Mumbai bomb blasts of 25 August 2003 embody both of these lessons—warning us of past carelessness and urging us toward future vigilance.
The month of August holds special significance for India. It was in this very month that the country was freed from foreign rule. Yet, alongside the joy of freedom came the pain of partition on 14 August 1947 and the horrific carnage of Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946, when the Muslim League unleashed mass killings, abductions of women, and the anguish of millions of refugees. Earlier still, on 9 August 1942, the Quit India Movement had witnessed brutal British repression, with bullets fired at countless patriots. These painful memories are etched deep into the pages of India’s history.
But these were tragedies of the pre-independence era. The harsh truth is that India remains one of the few nations in the world whose peace and happiness have been continuously targeted even after independence. The 25 August 2003 bombings were part of this dark conspiracy.
On that day, two powerful car bomb blasts ripped through Mumbai—one at Zaveri Bazaar and the other at the Gateway of India. In total, 54 innocent lives were lost, and more than 244 people were injured; several among the injured later succumbed to their wounds.
The first explosion struck the bustling Zaveri Bazaar, killing 29 people. The blast was so powerful that the ground shook for nearly 200 meters around, cracks appeared in nearby buildings, and the glass fronts of several shops, including a jewellery store, shattered instantly. Even as police and emergency workers rushed to rescue the victims, news broke of another bomb blast—this time at the iconic Gateway of India.
The second explosion claimed 25 lives and injured over 200 people. Both attacks had been carried out using bombs hidden inside taxis. The terrorists had hired the taxis, left bomb-laden bags inside, and stepped away on the pretext of returning shortly. Timers ensured the blasts occurred with precision.
At Zaveri Bazaar, the unsuspecting taxi driver waited inside his vehicle for his passengers to return—tragically losing his life in the explosion. At the Gateway of India, however, the driver survived. By chance, he had stepped out of his taxi to stretch his legs while waiting. His testimony proved crucial, as it helped the police trace the suspects.
The investigation soon revealed the culprits: Hanif Sayed, his wife Fahmida, and their associate Ashrat Ansari. They admitted to planting the bombs—first at Zaveri Bazaar, then at the Gateway of India. The trio was connected to the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. On 31 August 2003, the Mumbai Police arrested them, and later, two more men—Mohammad Ansari Ladduwala and Mohammad Hasan Batterywala—were apprehended on 1 October 2003.
In 2009, a trial court sentenced the main accused to death. On 12 February 2012, the Bombay High Court upheld the death penalty for Hanif, Fahmida, and Ashrat Ansari, while overturning the acquittal of the other two accused under POTA, ordering that they instead face trial under the IPC. Appeals dragged on for years in higher courts. Ultimately, one of the principal conspirators, Hanif Sayed, died of illness in a Nagpur hospital in 2019.
The 25 August blasts thus remain etched in India’s collective memory as both a warning and a lesson: the danger of neglect in the past and the call for vigilance in the future. August, a month that gave India freedom, also reminds us of the sacrifices, the tragedies, and the ongoing struggle to safeguard that hard-won liberty.
