March 12, 1993, Mumbai serial bomb blasts: 30 years on, the cut still runs deep
The then Inspector of Mumbai police’s Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad recalls how the fateful day of March 12, 1993 unfolded and how the city has never remained the same after the explosions that killed 257 people and wounded 1,400.
Mumbai: Unfortunately, Mumbai is used to jolts. Over the decades, the mega city has been a target of series of terror attacks leading to loss of hundreds of lives and caused other miseries. Be it the November 26, 2008 or the July 11, 2006, the city has been blown apart repeatedly, only to come back together and move on. However, in 1993, when the first of its kind serial blasts hit the city, it was a jolt that the Mumbaikars were not used to. It happened on March 12. Thirty years to the day.
Two hundred and fifty-seven people were killed as a series of 12 bomb blasts ripped through the city at various locations. Nearly 1,400 were injured. And the psyche of the whole city was scarred. It all began with an automobile, which was packed with explosives (RDX), exploded in the basement of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) at around 1.30pm.
“We all thought that we didn’t have much work and were preparing to sit down for lunch. But our phones rang and the Mumbai police control room informed us about the blast at the Bombay Stock Exchange. We reached there before the fire brigade and the scenes were horrific. Soon, there were many other blasts,” recalls Nandkumar Chaugule, who was the first senior inspector of the Bomb Disposal and Detection Squad (BDDS) and one of the first responders on the fateful day.
Speaking to Hindustan Times on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the blasts, Chaugule said, “On the evening of the March 12, we got a call about a deserted Maruti Van behind the Old Passport office. We reached the spot and opened the van with our remote unlocking device and found a cache of weapons.”
“There were five AK 56 assault rifles, some hand grenades and magazines. One of the most important clues that led the Mumbai police crime branch to the Tiger Memon family was a bill, from a petrol pump located in Mahim, that was found on the dash board,” said Chaugule.
“We quickly passed the bill on to Rakesh Maria, who at that time was DCP (traffic) and asked him to investigate. The petrol pump owner confirmed that the vehicle belonged to Tiger Memon and told them where Memon’s house was located. However, Memon and his family had fled.
“The police called the relatives and friends of Tiger Memon and family and it was confirmed on that very night that they were involved in the blasts. For the next few days, Maria saheb was at the Mahim police station, investigating the case constantly picking up people and interrogating them,’’ said Chaugule.
The Mumbai police’s BDDS was formed in 1990s as terrorist Dr Jalees Ansari, Rajasthan serial bomb blast convict, used to plant bombs at various places in the country and important trains. Ansari used basic material such as urea, ammonia, potassium permanganate and gelatine sticks.
Initially, the BDDS had two dozen men and officers. Constables were drawn from state reserve police and trained. The officers including Chaugule were trained at the NSG complex in Manesar and also at army establishments in Pune.
They had one X-ray machine, a protective suit, a robot, explosive detector and just one vehicle. The office was located next to L T Marg police in an old building. Soon after the blasts, their strength was doubled and an office was opened in Kandivli.
Now, each zone in Mumbai has a BDDS unit, says Chaugule. They had one sniffer dog called Zanjeer, who joined them in 1990 after six months of training in Pune. The regular job of the BDDS was to check spots of VVIP meetings and places they visited.
Zanjeer used to play an important role while detecting explosives and help the BDDS.
Soon after the March 12 blasts, the Mumbai police found a deserted scooter at Dadar and the BDDS defused the bombs. Similar scooter bombs were found at Zaveri Bazar and Masjid. The bombs inside these scooters had not exploded as the acids did not trigger well, said Chaugule and added that Zanjeer played an important here, too.
On March 23, the police got a tip off and found a huge cache of arms in Sheikh Memon Street near Zaveri Bazar. They seized 12 AK 56 rifles, five mm pistols, 195 hand grenades called Argees 69 and 5,308 bullets of AK 56 and 600 electric detonators.
There was another raid near Manish market where hand grenades were recovered.
After another tip off led to discovery of a huge quantity of RDX from Nagla Bunder off Ghodbunder Road in Thane. “In all, 5,000 kilograms of RDX was brought into Mumbai and we recovered 3,300 kilograms of it in all the raids,” says Chaugule.
In December 1993, 13 grenades were found behind Haji Ali and while defusing it, Chaugule lost a part of his little finger on his right hand and sustained three fractures as the detonator exploded. The then joint commissioner of police (law and order) O P Bali also sustained injuries in the blast.
Recalling those days, Chaugule said that after the serial blasts people in Mumbai had grown extremely cautious and used to call BDDS if they spotted any suspicious substance or vehicle.
He said that more Labrador dogs joined the BDDS and Zanjeer was felicitated at many places and so were the members of BDDS. Labrador also became a popular breed among public and many wanted to keep them as pets, he said.
Chaugule has received over 450 commendatory notes and 80 appreciation letters. Chaugule was transferred as senior inspector of Oshiwara police in 1994. The BDDS played a big role subsequently in investigating many other blasts that hit Mumbai.
“Till 1993 blasts, there was barely any input from agencies like the Intelligence Bureau and thereafter, IB became very active,” he said.
Chaugule (67) retired as deputy commissioner and stays in Versova. He says that there are many lessons learnt from the 1993 blasts. “One has to be alert constantly. We should get inputs like how Israel does and act like how it does against such agents of terror.”