Category: Internal Security

Introduction The 2005 assault on the makeshift shrine at the contested Babri Mosque site in Ayodhya represents a localized but significant exemplar of how symbolic communal locations become targets in broader patterns of militancy and communal contestation. The attack occurred in Ayodhya — the focal point of a decades-long dispute over the Babri Masjid and…

Jaunpur train bombing: analytical introduction On 28 July 2005 an explosive device detonated aboard a long‑distance passenger train in Uttar Pradesh, producing a localized but deadly blast that destroyed one carriage. Rapid action by train crew to stop the engine and by passengers and nearby residents to assist the injured limited further casualties and prevented…

The shooting on 28 December 2005 at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore represented an unusual instance of lethal violence within a premier scientific campus, challenging assumptions about the security of academic environments in India. The attack resulted in the death of Professor Munish Chandra Puri, identified with an academic appointment at IIT…

2005 Delhi bombings — Introduction On 29 October 2005, the national capital experienced a coordinated mass‑casualty attack that produced significant civilian loss and disruption. Three explosive devices detonated in crowded urban settings—two in commercial market areas and one on a public bus—resulting in dozens of fatalities and many more injured. The timing, shortly before a…

2004 Dimapur bombings — Introduction On 2 October 2004, Dimapur experienced a pair of near-simultaneous explosive attacks that struck two densely used civilian locations during the morning period. The timing and selection of targets — a major transport node and a busy commercial market — indicate deliberate operational planning aimed at maximizing disruption and casualties…

Introduction On 15 August 2004, during Indian Independence Day observances, a bomb detonated at a school gathering in Dhemaji, Assam, producing significant civilian casualties and shock to the local community. The attack resulted in the deaths of 18 people and numerous injuries; victims were predominantly young adolescents and accompanying family members, underscoring the civilian and…

Introduction On 23 March 2003 a small village in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir became the scene of a lethal attack that resulted in multiple civilian fatalities among the region’s remaining Hindu minority. The incident was executed by militants associated with an Islamist extremist organisation and targeted an already vulnerable community that had largely…

Introduction The 2002 attacks on the Raghunath Temple in Jammu, executed as two separate fidayeen-style assaults, represent a targeted strike against a major religious site with longstanding historical significance. The temple, an established symbol of religious practice in the region, carries both cultural and devotional value for local Hindu communities; an attack on such a…

2002 Ghatkopar Bus Explosion — Introduction On the evening of 2 December 2002, an improvised explosive device detonated on a municipal bus at a busy suburban rail interchange in Mumbai, producing fatalities and a large number of injuries concentrated in the station area. The timing and placement of the device, in the rear of the…

Introduction On 13 May 2002 a derailment near Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh exposed a deliberate mode of rail sabotage in which essential track fastenings were removed to induce structural failure. Official inquiries attributed the proximate cause to targeted interference with the components that join and stabilize rail sections; this technical finding framed the incident not…

Introduction On 1 October 2001, a coordinated Islamist militant operation targeted the heart of regional governance in Jammu and Kashmir when assailants attacked the state legislative complex in Srinagar. The operation was conducted by a small, armed team affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, employing suicide commando tactics and a vehicle-borne explosive device to breach the complex’s main…

Introduction The 13 December 2001 attack on India’s Parliament in New Delhi represented a deliberately symbolic strike against the heart of the country’s democratic institutions. Executed by a small team of armed intruders who reached the parliamentary complex, the incident tested the resilience of urban counterterrorism capabilities and exposed vulnerabilities in the protection of high-value…

Introduction On 22 December 2000 an armed assault at the Red Fort in New Delhi drew immediate national and international attention due to its location, timing and attribution. Reporting at the time attributed the operation to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan–based militant organisation implicated in multiple cross‑border attacks. The incident resulted in the loss of life among…

Introduction The 2000 attacks on Christian places of worship in southern India constituted a coordinated campaign of violence that targeted church interiors across multiple states. Carried out by a small, organized extremist group, these incidents were not isolated criminal acts but a series of linked strikes with a clear sectarian focus. By attacking sacred spaces…

Introduction The February 1998 Coimbatore bombings represent a concentrated episode of urban terrorism that combined tactical coordination, politically symbolic targeting, and communal grievance. Multiple explosive devices were detonated across the city within a limited geographic radius, producing significant fatalities and injuries and disrupting daily life and local commerce. The pattern of attack—simultaneous strikes at distributed…

1996 Lajpat Nagar blast — Introduction On 21 May 1996 a bombing in the densely frequented Lajpat Nagar market in New Delhi resulted in multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries, striking a civilian commercial hub and producing significant public alarm. The attack occurred in close temporal proximity to another explosion in Dausa the following day,…

1996 Dausa bus bombing — analytical introduction On 22 May 1996 an explosive device detonated on a public transport bus in the Dausa area of Rajasthan, producing significant fatalities and injuries and occurring almost concurrently with other attacks elsewhere in India. The timing placed the incident within a short temporal cluster of bombings in May…

1993 Bowbazar bombing — introduction The Bowbazar explosion of 16 March 1993 constitutes a discrete, well‑bounded incident in the study of urban violent events in India: it occurred in Bowbazar, a commercial district of Calcutta (Kolkata), on the night of 16 March 1993 and resulted in the confirmed deaths of 45 people. These three data…

Introduction The bombing of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Chennai on 8 August 1993 was a notable instance of communal-targeted violence in India during the early 1990s. The attack, which produced a significant civilian toll, occurred against a backdrop of heightened sectarian tensions nationally and regionally. As an incident directed at a political‑social…

1993 Bombay bombings — Introduction On 12 March 1993, a concerted series of explosives attacks struck multiple locations across Bombay, producing one of the deadliest urban terrorism incidents in post‑independence India. The coordinated nature of the strikes, executed within a single day, amplified their human cost and exposed acute vulnerabilities in urban security, crowd management…

1991 Rudrapur bombings — Introduction On 17 October 1991, Rudrapur—a town in what is today Uttarakhand—was the scene of a coordinated terrorist operation that used improvised explosive devices to strike civilian targets. The attack unfolded in two phases: an explosion at a crowded public performance and a follow-on blast near the medical facility receiving casualties….