Brief facts of the case:
The Chief Investigating Officer of Anti Terrorism Squad, Mumbai CR No 05/2006 submits report as contemplated under section 173 (2) of The Code of Criminal procedure as under:

Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is also the financial capital of the country. About 3 million commuters travel each day Southwards in the morning and Northwards in the evening on the Western Railway suburban trains between the 60 kms railway tracks of Churchgate and Virar Stations during peak hours. The commuters mostly include executives, businessmen and persons in employment at various levels in Government as well as private establishments and students as well. No wonder, the Suburban trains, are aptly called essential services and life line of the Mumbai Metropolis.

This life however, came to a grinding halt on the evening of 11th July 2006 when seven high intensity, highly sophisticated explosive devices ripped through the first class gents’ compartments of seven suburban trains, all headed towards the distant western/northern suburbs. Two of the blasts, at Mahim and Borivali, occurred while the trains were near the stations, while the remaining five took place in moving trains and away from platforms. The explosions were so powerful that they ripped through the double layered steel roof and sides of each of the seven compartments, throwing injured and dead passengers out of the compartments. At Mahim and Borivali stations, apart from the passengers in the compartment, the explosions even killed and injured passengers waiting on the platform and even those traveling by trains proceeding in the opposite direction. Roof of platform No 3 of Mahim station was also blown off by the explosion. Few passengers from the Borivali bound train that witnessed an explosion near Mahim station, jumped off the compartments on hearing the explosion, only to get killed under a local train proceeding in the opposite direction.

From the records, three blats simultaneously took place at 18.23 hrs near Mahim, Bandra and Mira Road stations, while the last took place at 18.28 hrs near Borivali station suggesting thereby that timer devices were used to cause the blasts simultaneously and at specific places, aimed at large scale devastation of life and property and wide spread panic and chaos with an intension to cripple the economy. The Public Transport was extensively damaged and disrupted with a view to overawe the Govt. As the entire western railway, suburban as well as main line, came to a grinding halt, the commuters poured on the western express highway, thereby disrupting the north as well as south bound vehicular traffic and causing hindrance to the rescue and relief operations. Till date 187 persons have lost their lives in the explosions while 817 others have suffered injuries of various gravities in the above blasts. Railway property worth Rs 85,61,039=00 has reportedly been damaged. One of the unclaimed dead has been identified as a Pakistani national involved in the planting of explosive laden bag in one of the compartments. Three of the injured are still hospitalized and unconscious.

The individual cases of bomb blasts were initially registered separately at the respective railway police stations as below:

Photograph: Arun Patil

Also see: The Mumbai Blasts: Complete Coverage

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