Mecca Masjid blast

The Mecca Masjid blast occurred on 18 May 2007 inside the Mecca Masjid, (or "Makkah Masjid") a mosque located in the old city area of Hyderabad, capital of the Indian state of Telangana located very close to Charminar. The blast was caused by a cellphone-triggered pipe bomb placed near the Wuzukhana, a spot where ablutions are performed. Two more live IEDs were found and defused by the police. Sixteen people were reported dead in the immediate aftermath, of whom five were killed by the police firing after the incident while trying to quell the mob. On 16 April 2018, the NIA Court acquitted all 11 who were accused in the blasts, citing lack of evidence.

Quotes

• On May 18, 2007 a bomb blast took place in Mecca Masjid near Charminar in Hyderabad wherein 9 persons were killed and 58 others injured... These are information available in public domain, in the court records of the Special CBI Judge at Hyderabad. Certain similarities between the Samjhauta Express blasts and the Mecca Masjid blast were noticed in so far as both used batteries of 6 volts and cast iron pipes etc.
  • Mani, R. V. S. (2018). The myth of Hindu terror: Insider account of Ministry of Home Affairs 2006-2010.

Tiwari, D. P. The great indian conspiracy. 2019.

Tiwari, D. P., (2019). The great indian conspiracy. London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

• Hyderabad’s famous Lumbini Park and Gokul Chaat shop areas also came under attack during this so-called ‘Hindutva Phase of terror.’ Two terror suspects Shahid and Bilal were arrested in connection with this act. The initial investigation suggested it was the handiwork of HuJI. The police and ATS probe established that the masterminds of this blast and that of Mecca Masjid bombing were the same. Such a clear connection between these two acts punches several holes in the theory that Hindu extremists had perpetrated the Mecca Masjid explosion.

• On 18 May 2007, a blast in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid claimed 9 lives and injured 60 others

• The angle of the investigation changed when the NIA took over the probe. Seeking to establish the theory of Hindu terrorism, it arrested Swami Aseemanand and some other suspects.

• However, the theory also needed identification of plotters, executioners and experts for the sake of credibility. The attempt was to portray some of the top RSS leaders as the masterminds. People like Sadhvi Pragya, Aseemanand and Sunil Joshi were painted as their lieutenants. Col. Purohit and his associates were fitted into the role of experts while the remaining accused were shown as the executioners of the terror plan. The latter category of people included characters like Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange who remained out of bounds for investigative agencies. Perhaps, the top agencies were not even interested in apprehending these accused, as their real motive was not to reach the truth but to give shape to a fictitious theory to benefit their political masters.... There were no serious efforts to nab these accused as the real motive was to frame the RSS leadership.

• Later, allegations were lifted against Sharma in the Malegaon blast case leading to questions about whether the Mecca Masjid probe was also flawed. There is little doubt that the whole investigation was politically motivated. It seems like a fabricated theory from the outset whose motive was pre-meditated. However, it lacked the backing of solid evidence.

• The hand of Lashkar and HuJI behind the blast had become clear during initial stages of the probe. There was credible evidence against HuJI commander Abdul Shahid in the Mecca Masjid blast case. He was allegedly operating out of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Later, he was reported dead in Pakistan. These clear indications mattered little as a new direction was given to the probe. However, as Indresh Kumar stated, a lie has no feet, and most of the witnesses in the saffron terror theory backed out with time forcing the NIA to admit that it lacked credible evidence.