Category: Internal Security

Introduction On 7 March 2017 an improvised explosive device detonated on an intercity passenger service linking the state capital of Madhya Pradesh with a regional hub, causing injuries to several travelers and interrupting rail operations. The attack occurred at a small station in Shajapur district and, while not producing large-scale fatalities, carried symbolic weight by…

Introduction The 10 July 2017 attack on pilgrims associated with the Amarnath Yatra is best understood within a long-standing pattern of targeted violence against Hindu civilians and religious sites in India. Security studies that catalogue such events treat them as part of broader concerns about religiously motivated violence, freedom of worship, and the protection of…

Introduction — Uri attack (18 September 2016) On 18 September 2016 a small group of armed attackers struck an Indian Army brigade headquarters near the town of Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. The operation, executed against a fixed military installation, produced a comparatively large number of military fatalities and injuries, underscoring both the tactical lethality…

Introduction On 2 January 2016 a coordinated armed assault struck a major Indian Air Force facility at Pathankot, a site of strategic importance within the IAF’s Western Air Command. The attackers targeted a high‑value military installation and engaged security forces in a prolonged, complex encounter that unfolded over several days. Early reporting reflected confusion common…

Introduction — Strategic and Security Context In June 2016 an armed assault occurred in the vicinity of Pampore, a town located along the principal north–south arterial route linking Srinagar with the rest of India. The incident targeted a high-visibility segment of this transportation corridor, underscoring the strategic vulnerability of linear infrastructure in a region already…

Introduction On 29 November 2016 an armed group targeted an Indian Army facility at Nagrota in the Jammu and Kashmir theatre, precipitating a sustained engagement between the assailants and base personnel. The confrontation culminated in significant casualties among the defending forces and the neutralization of all attackers involved. The incident exemplified the continued operational focus…

Introduction During the night between 2 and 3 October 2016, an armed assault was carried out against a forward Indian Army unit in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. The engagement began late in the evening and developed into a close‑quarters firefight within and around the army camp. The immediate human cost included security‑force casualties…

Introduction The 4 June 2015 ambush in Manipur’s Chandel district marked a significant escalation in the long-running low-intensity insurgency in India’s northeast. A well-planned attack against an Indian Army convoy produced substantial military casualties and was claimed by a coalition of separatist actors operating across state and international boundaries. This episode underscored persistent vulnerabilities along…

2015 Gurdaspur Attack — Analytical Introduction On 27 July 2015, a coordinated assault in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, combined close‑quarters gun attacks and attempts to disrupt transport infrastructure, producing a prolonged counterterrorism engagement. Attackers wearing military-style uniforms targeted a civilian bus and subsequently engaged police at the Dina Nagar station, precipitating an almost 12‑hour encounter that…

Introduction On 11 March 2014 a lethal ambush in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh resulted in multiple fatalities among security personnel and at least one civilian. The attack is situated within the long‑running Maoist (Naxalite) insurgency that has periodically targeted Indian paramilitary and police convoys in forested and rural districts. Such incidents typically reflect…

2014 Chennai train bombing — Introduction On 1 May 2014, a pair of low-yield explosive devices detonated at Chennai Central railway station in the early hours, striking a stationary long-distance express service. The blasts were confined to two adjacent coaches, producing a limited but lethal effect: a female passenger was killed and a number of…

2013 Patna bombings — Introduction On 27 October 2013 a series of coordinated explosions struck a mass political rally in Patna, Bihar, held during the national election campaign. The gathering drew an exceptionally large crowd—on the order of hundreds of thousands—making it both a high-visibility political event and a particularly vulnerable soft target. Multiple discrete…

Introduction On 25 May 2013 a highly lethal ambush in Jhiram Ghati, Darbha Valley (Sukma district, Chhattisgarh) resulted in the deaths of a large number of political functionaries accompanying a government convoy, with several senior state leaders among the casualties. The attack, attributed to the Communist Party of India (Maoist), combined explosive devices and concentrated…

Kamtapur Liberation Organisation — Introduction The Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) is a militant political movement in India’s northeastern theatre that articulates a separatist objective rooted in ethnic and regional grievances. Its claim is for a distinct Kamtapur entity, framed as a remedy to perceived economic and sociocultural marginalisation. The organisation situates itself within the long-standing…

Introduction On the evening of 21 February 2013, Hyderabad’s Dilsukhnagar—a dense commercial and pedestrian precinct—was struck by a pair of improvised explosive detonations separated by a short interval and a small geographic distance. The dual blasts, occurring in quick succession within a concentrated market and transport node, produced civilian casualties and significant local disruption. The…

2012 Pune bombings — Introduction On the evening of 1 August 2012, Pune experienced a series of small, coordinated explosive incidents concentrated along a major central thoroughfare. Four devices detonated within a short span of time and a compact geographic area, and authorities later located and made safe an additional live device. Although physical injuries…

Introduction — 13 February 2012 incidents involving Israeli diplomatic personnel On 13 February 2012, a set of linked security incidents across multiple capitals drew attention to the vulnerability of diplomatic personnel and their conveyances. The most consequential event in New Delhi involved an explosive device detonated against a vehicle associated with an Israeli diplomatic mission,…

Introduction On the evening of 13 July 2011, a sequence of near-simultaneous explosions struck three densely frequented neighbourhoods in Mumbai, producing a short, concentrated period of violence that caused loss of life and substantial injuries. The timing and selection of targets—busy commercial and transit-oriented localities—demonstrated an intent to maximize civilian impact and disrupt normal urban…

Introduction The 2011 bombing outside the Delhi High Court constituted a deliberate assault on a central institution of the Indian state and jurisprudence. Occurring during weekday court hours, the explosion used a concealed improvised device placed at an access point to the court complex, and produced multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, generating immediate public alarm…

Introduction On 7 December 2010 an explosive device detonated at a riverside ghat in Varanasi during the evening aarti, a high-density religious ritual that draws both local worshippers and tourists. The device, concealed in an ordinary container and placed amid the crowd on the stone steps, produced a limited blast but precipitated widespread panic. The…

Introduction On the evening of 13 February 2010, a crude explosive device detonated at a well-known café in Koregaon Park, Pune, an area frequented by domestic patrons and international visitors. The blast, widely reported as the German Bakery bombing or “13/7,” produced multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, including several foreign nationals. The attack drew immediate…

Dantewada bus bombing (17 May 2010) On 17 May 2010 a passenger bus detonated a buried explosive approximately 50 kilometres from the Dantewada town in Chhattisgarh, producing a high fatality event that reports place in the range of roughly thirty to forty-four deaths. The casualties included both civilian commuters and locally recruited Special Police Officers…

Overview A coordinated series of explosions struck the urban centre of Guwahati on 1 January 2009, producing multiple casualties and widespread alarm. The incident was attributed to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), an insurgent organisation that has contested the Indian state’s authority in Assam for decades. Reported immediate effects included six fatalities and…

2009 Assam serial blasts: introduction and analytical summary On 6 April 2009 multiple explosive devices detonated in urban localities of Guwahati, Assam, producing a sequence of attacks that attracted attention because of their timing and location. The incidents were concentrated in the Maligaon and Dhekiajuli areas of the city and therefore represented an attack pattern…

2008 Mumbai attacks (26/11) — Introduction The November 2008 Mumbai attacks constituted a coordinated, multi‑site terrorist operation that exposed key vulnerabilities in urban security, counterterrorism preparedness, and cross‑border intelligence. Over approximately four days, small armed teams struck multiple high‑profile civilian and commercial locations across Mumbai, producing substantial loss of life, extensive property damage, and a…

Introduction On 21 October 2008, an explosive device detonated in Imphal, the capital of Manipur in India’s northeastern region, resulting in substantial loss of life and multiple injuries; the incident occurred at approximate coordinates 24°49′N, 93°57′E (about 24.82°N, 93.95°E), which situates it within the contested and porous borderlands of the so‑called Seven Sisters states. The…

Introduction On 25 July 2008 Bangalore experienced a sequence of nine near‑simultaneous explosions at multiple urban locations. Official counts indicated one death and approximately twenty injuries, a casualty profile that, while limited relative to large‑scale attacks, produced significant public alarm and operational strain on emergency and investigative services. Forensic examinations characterized the devices as low‑intensity,…

Introduction On 30 October 2008 a coordinated series of explosive incidents struck urban market areas in and around Guwahati, western Assam. The operation targeted densely populated commercial nodes during daytime hours, producing a cascade of blasts across the city and nearby localities. The simultaneous nature and geographic dispersion of the devices indicated planning intended to…

Overview On 26 July 2008 a series of small, coordinated explosions struck Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s principal commercial and cultural centre. Over the course of roughly seventy minutes multiple low-yield improvised explosive devices detonated across the city, producing substantial civilian harm and disruption: the incident resulted in dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries. The attack typified…

Agartala blasts, 1 October 2008 — situational overview On 1 October 2008, Agartala, the administrative capital of Tripura, experienced a rapid sequence of explosive incidents that produced fatalities and a substantial number of injuries and overwhelmed local emergency services. Multiple devices detonated in quick succession over a short period, while additional unexploded devices were subsequently…

Introduction and significance On the night of 18 February 2007 a bombing on the Samjhauta Express — a bi‑weekly passenger train linking India and Pakistan — produced extensive loss of life and a complex, contested investigative record. The attack occurred shortly after the train passed the Diwana area near Panipat, north of New Delhi, killing…

Introduction In March 2006 a sequence of explosive attacks struck Varanasi, producing significant loss of life and numerous injuries. The incidents targeted densely frequented locations, including a major religious site, and resulted in dozens of fatalities and over a hundred wounded. The selection of targets within a city regarded as one of Hinduism’s most important…

2006 Mumbai train bombings — Introduction On 11 July 2006, a coordinated series of explosions struck Mumbai’s suburban rail network during the evening commuter peak, producing mass casualties and profound public shock. The attacks were executed in a compressed timeframe on a heavily used commuter artery, producing a high number of dead and injured and…

Introduction and significance On 8 September 2006, a series of explosions struck a densely populated town in Maharashtra, producing significant civilian casualties and heightening communal anxiety in the region. The incident rapidly became a focal point for debates about the drivers of political violence in India, the reliability of investigative processes, and the protection of…

2006 Ahmedabad railway station bombing — Introduction The 2006 attack at Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad represents a case in which target selection and timing were central to both the tactical objective and the limited human toll. Explosive charges placed in payphone/PCO enclosures on a platform detonated in the early hours, narrowly missing the arrival…