29 September 2008 western India bombings

In the 29 September 2008 Western India bombings, three bombs exploded in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 8 persons and injuring 80. Two bombs went off in Malegaon, Maharashtra, which killed seven people while another blast in Modasa, Gujarat resulted in the death of one person.

India witnessed a surge in terror attacks since May 2008, when a series of blasts in Jaipur killed 63. Since then, other major Indian cities including Bangalore,Ahmedabad and Delhi were targeted.

On 29 September 2008, police in Ahmedabad, Gujarat foiled another terror attack when 17 bombs were found and defused. However, a low-intensity bomb exploded at a market packed with Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast, killing one and wounding 15. Another bomb placed near a Temple in Faridabad was found and defused. Furthermore, the bombs were purportedly similar to those that exploded in Delhi two days before this attack.

The explosions in Malegaon and Modasa took place on the eve of Navratri, a major Hindu festival celebrated across India.

The Malegoan blast occurred near a hotel at Bhikku Chowk in Maharashtra. The bombs were allegedly fitted onto a Hero Honda motorcycle and rigged to detonate. Both blasts were said to be of low intensity.

There had been confusion earlier about what had caused the blast with some suggesting that it was caused by an accidental explosion of a gas cylinder. But the police later confirmed that the blast was a terrorist attack.

The Modera blasts, resulting in the death of a 15-year-old boy, as well as several others injured, was a result of a low-intensity bomb kept on a motorcycle that went off near a mosque at the Muslim-dominated Sukka Bazaar. The incident took place around 21:26 when special Ramzan prayers (tarawih) were being offered inside the mosque.