23 November 2007 Uttar Pradesh Serial Blasts | |
---|---|
Location | Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad, India |
Date | 23 November 2007 13:05 – 13:32 (UTC+5:30) |
Target | District Courts of India |
Attack type | Bombings |
Weapons | Improvised explosive devices made with Ammonium nitrate[1] and RDX[2] |
Deaths | 18 |
Injured | 81 |
Perpetrators | Indian Mujahideen[3] Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (also suspected)[4] |
Accused | 4 |
Convicted | 2 |
Verdict | Life sentence |
Charges | Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act |
Six consecutive serial blasts rocked Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad courts in Uttar Pradesh on 23 November 2007 afternoon in a span of 25 minutes, in which reportedly many people were killed and several others injured.[5]
Bombs were explicitly targeted to the lawyers who were working in courts premises at these cities. The first blast occurred in Varanasi civil court and collectorate premises between 13:05 and 13:07 pm. Two successive blasts occurred in Faizabad district court around 13:12 and 13:15, closely followed by one at Lucknow at 13:32.
In December 2019, 2 (Tariq Quasim and Mohammad Akhtar) of the 4 accused were given a life sentence by a special anti-terror court in Faizabad for carrying out the attacks under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, while one was acquitted and another had died in police custody.[6]