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Mumbai remembers train blasts
11/07/2007 12:37 - (SA)
Mumbai - The residents of India's financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday recalled horrific bomb blasts that ripped through its packed train network, killing 186 people, as the city marked the attack's first anniversary.
At the bustling Mahim railway station, one of seven hit by the serial bombings, commuters passed by a signboard that the authorities erected to commemorate the victims.
"We offer our condolences to those who lost friends and relatives," it read.
Millions of residents who use the city's train network - the lifeline of India's financial capital - made their daily commute amid increased security.
"The threat remains. It's impossible to monitor the baggage and movement of 6.5 million train commuters daily, but we just have to be more alert," said Ashraf Ali, a computer hardware salesman.
'I will never forget'
Others said the events of July 11, 2006 were still fresh in their minds.
The seven bombs ripped through crowded carriages packed with people travelling home from work, in the space of 15 minutes.
Analysts believe the bombers hoped to fuel tension between Hindus and Muslims by targeting first-class carriages to maximise casualties among wealthy Hindus.
"I will never forget this throughout my life... I think I will have to deal with it the rest of my life," another commuter told the Headlines Today television station.
More than 800 people were injured in the blasts, which were the worst bombings in India in a decade.
Railway authorities said they would mark the anniversary by running a restored coach mangled by the attacks to symbolise the commuter network's recovery.
18 charged
Police have filed charges against 18 Indian nationals, five of whom allegedly planted the bombs, and 10 Pakistanis, who are reported to be on the run. Trials are expected to start at the end of July.
Indian police last year blamed the bombings on rival Pakistan's intelligence service and the outlawed pro-Pakistan militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, but the claim is not listed in any of the charges.
Islamabad rejected the allegations as "totally baseless".
- AFP
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