whodunit?

The timing of the blasts is significant. Indo-Pak talks have resumed; Pak military is under attack; Kasabs trial is on. How does Pak army respond? They attack India. Its a diversionary tactic. The intention is to provoke India.
CD Sahay, former RAW chief
MUMBAI, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011 Total: 28 pages
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Terror reared its ugly head in Mumbai with three blasts in the heart of the city during peak hour on Wednesday. As innocent Mumbaikars lost their lives, the govt only managed to ask people to keep calm. For how long, we ask?

MUMBAI BOMBED. AGAIN 21 130 20

DEAD IN 3 BLASTS AT DADAR, OPERA HOUSE AND ZAVERI BAZAAR INJURED IN FIRST MAJOR ATTACK IN CITY AFTER 26/11 NUMBER OF MINUTES WITHIN WHICH COORDINATED BLASTS TOOK PLACE. ATTACK CAME TWO DAYS AFTER THE 11/7 SERIAL TRAIN BLASTS ANNIVERSARY

AT OPERA HOUSE

Courtesy: Zee News

The entire stretch of road was bloody

Team DNA MUMBAI
The feeling was sickeningly familiar when three bombs ripped through the city on Wednesday evening killing 21 and injuring 130. The figures are expected to rise. Exactly five years ago on July 11, a series of seven blasts on local trains on the Western line had killed 188 and injured 824. Wednesdays mayhem started at 6.45pm when a powerful IED went off at the 3rd Agyari Lane, behind Bank of Indias Bullion Exchange branch, near Khau Galli in Zaveri Bazaar. Investigations showed bombs fitted with timers were kept in a scooter and a bike, parked at a distance of 6-7ft of each other, outside a shop. At least seven people were killed and 17 injured. Devendra Dagia, a jeweller from Zaveri Bazaar who was in his office when the blast took place, said he rushed out when he heard a loud noise. Initially I thought it was a cylinder blast in one of the food stalls. Later I found out it was a bomb blast, he said. The effect was such that the entire spot was strewn with body parts. The entire stretch of road was bloody Many of the dead or . injured are familiar faces. Within 10 minutes another bomb went off in a lane next to the Pancharatna Building at 6.55pm. Investigations showed the bomb was planted on a motorcycle parked next to a Wagon R. Jitendra Shah, a Bhayander resident, who works at a brokerage firm in Pancharatna building, said he could not feel anything after hearing the blast. Initially I thought it was a cylinder blast; later I saw people lying on the floor and blood splattered everywhere, Shah said. I and a few other people moved 10 bodies to hospital. Exactly 10 minutes later, at 7.05pm, a bomb went off near a bus stop outside the Dr Antonio DSilva School near Kabutarkhana, Dadar (West). The entire bus stop was ripped apart and a Maruti Esteem car passing by was damaged. The police said the motive was clear: maximum damage by targeting crowded areas. The modus operandi is typical of the Indian Mujahideen.

WILL CITY SPRING BACK TO LIFE TODAY?

Schools/Colleges: Dadars Antonio DSilva School near which a blast took place will remain shut today. Other institutes will remain open. We advise parents to take their own decisions, said Sunil Chavan, deputy director of education. Suburban trains: Suburban trains will run as usual. Security has been stepped up across all rail networks. There will be no curtailment or changes in services, chief spokespersons for the Central and Western Railways said. BEST buses: Commuters wont
be inconvenienced as BEST buses too will ply without any change in routes. Our services will be on as usual. There will be no diversions either, NA Walawalkar, BEST spokesperson, told DNA.

DADAR: KABUTARKHANA

People just ran; the sight was depressing

Mihir Vasavda MUMBAI
I have a habit of walking into trouble. I dont know if it is my bad luck that Im invariably at the wrong place at the wrong time. After the serial train blasts in July 2006, I found myself in the middle of another nightmarish situation on Wednesday . I was cursing the peak-hour rush and potholed roads near Dr Antonio DSilva School near Dadar. The pheriwalas were doing brisk sales and officegoers were muscling their way to wards Dadar station. Suddenly, there was a deafening sound not once, but twice. The first blast was followed by a relatively lower one. But it was enough to create panic. I could see people running for their lives amid huge billows of smoke everywhere. There were cars with broken windows, damaged shops and injured people. The sight was depressing.
Mihir is a sports correspondent with DNA

TERROR COMES CALLING AFTER 26/11 Home ministry confirmed that Extreme high alert in Mumbai it was a terrorist attack All states in country put on Seven Improvised Explosive high alert Devices were used in the CCTV has captured images at three blasts Opera House till the blast took Ammonium Nitrate is place, but the camera was suspected to have been used damaged after the attack in the three blasts Cellphone timer devices NIA team sent from Delhi to likely to be used to detonate collect forensic evidence the IEDs

Hospital

Dead Injured

JJ St George GT Saifee Harkisondas KEM Nair Bhatia Sushrusha Bombay

1 1 4 5 5 1 -

13 14 10 37 36 9 1 2 2 6

PG Panic, chaos, anger at the

2 3 4 5 6 7

three blast sites overdrive

PG City hospitals go into PG July jinx: An unending

list of tragedies

Four other bodies were found at the blast sites and later taken to hospitals

PG Will home minister Patil

survive this attack? Mujahideen in Mumbai

Courtesy: Zee News

Indian Mujahideen the prime suspect

DNA Correspondent MUMBAI
The investigating agencies, working to find out the perpetrators behind the triple blasts that rocked Mumbai on Wednesday are prima facie suspecting the in, volvement of the terror outfit, Indian Mujahideen (IM), which has been instrumental in a series of blasts across the country since 2006. Investigators suspect that the way in which the blasts have been executed point to the involvement of the terror group, which has earlier used similar modus operandi. The usage of vehicles, IEDs, cars and motorbikes show their involvement. Initial investigations indicate that cell phone alarms were used to detonate the IEDs, a police officer said. The intensity of the blasts indicate the use of RDX, which the group has used in earlier blasts like the German bakery blast in 2010. The Bhatkal brothers (Riyaz and Iqbal) from Karnataka head the IM group, which claims responsibility by sending emails to various media houses. Intelligence agencies suspect both brothers to be hiding in Bangladesh. At present, more than 20 IM operatives are lodged in various jails in the country awaiting trial.

PG All about the Indian PG Previous terror strikes PG Alarmed India on its toes

Did the IB see it coming?

Last week, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) alerted all states that the Jamaat ud Dawa and the IM were planning to send in fresh batches of militants in the country According to the input, IB agents had intercepted . telephonic conversations from within Pakistan occupied Kashmir indicating fresh infiltration plans as the current batch of sleeper cells and operatives were either exposed or arrested. A central intelligence officer based in Delhi said there was a lull in terror activities after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Now, it is clear they were merely regrouping, he said.

15 17

again after the blasts

PG It seems nothing has

changed since 26/11

Zaveri Bazaar, immediately after the blast

Suicide bomber at work?

Doctors at JJ Hospital taking X-rays of the blast victims bodies before conducting post-mortems found what appeared to be a circuit in one of the corpses. An investigation is on to find out if the object entered the body during the blast or if the victim was a suicide bomber.

MUMBAI | THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011

www.dnaindia.com | epaper.dnaindia.com

Triple blasts rock business hubs

Blast
Somendra Sharma and Divyesh Singh
The Zaveri Bazaar blast took place at third agyari lane behind Bank of Indias Bullion Exchange branch, near Khau Galli between 6.45 pm, on Wednesday. The timer-fitted bombs were suspected to be placed on two vehicles -- a scooter and a motorbike, which were parked outside a shop at the spot. Two vehicles were parked within 6 to 10 feet distance. Total 7 persons were declared dead and 17 injured. The spot where the blast occurred is a very narrow lane and hence it was difficult for people to run and for fire-brigade to reach the spot. In this blast, the third agyari lane, Khau gully has lost its one of the most famous papad-seller who was fondly known as Ajay Khichiyawala. People from all over Zaveri Bazaar visited Ajays makeshift stall in the agyari lane almost every evening to munch on the delicious khichiyapapdad that he sold. Ajay who was in his late 30s has been in the business from past more than three years. Jagdish Das, who works as a watchman for D D Plaza, which is ten meters away from the blast spot said, There was

Zaveri Bazaar hit by terror thrice since 1993; all blasts within a 100m radius
a loud noise followed by sudden fire and smoke. People started running helter skelter in panic. The glasses of window panes fell down crashing. Another eyewitness, Jitendra Jain, who runs a jewellry shop in DD Plaza said, There was a chaotic situation at the blast spot. After the blast, within around three minutes police reached the location from their regular bandobast spot of Mumbadevi temple. Entry and exit of all the bylanes have been barricaded by police. BJP leader, Raj Purohit,said This is the third blast in this particular area. In 1993, it was Kamba Kata area, in the year 2003 it was near Mumbaievi temple and now this. All these blasts have occurred within 100 meters of area. The reason of targeting this location is bacause it is financial hub of the city It is an as. sault on the economy of the city . A senior ATS official who was at the spot, said, It is suspected that the bombs were planted on a scooter and a motorbike which was parked outside a shop. Timer-fitted bombs were used. It is also suspected that ammonium nitrate could have been used in the IED.

Blood-soaked victims lie at the blast site at Opera House in south Mumbai on Wednesday. AP

Bang
Shahkhar Abidi
A thunderclap sounded in a lane next to Pancharatna Building at Opera House in south Mumbai at around 6.55 pm, taking the passersby and residents by surprise. The blast, the most intense of the three, is suspected to have been triggered in a motor cycle parked next to a Wagon R car. The police suspect the explosives were kept in the motorcycle because the damage caused to it is the maximum. Jitendra Shah, a Bhayander resident, who works for a broking firm at Pancharatna, and an eyewitness, said, I heard the blast sound and went numb. Initially I thought , it was a cylinder blast, but later when I saw people lying on the floor and blood splattered everywhere it sank that it was a blast. After that, I helped move 10 bodies with the help of others to the hospital. The area was thereafter cordoned off and people from local areas and shops rushed to the spot to help the injured

RUMOUR-MONGERING
There were rumours that Wednesdays blasts were a birthday gift for 26/11 terror attack convict and Pakistani national Ajmal Kasab. Messages on Facebook and Twitter that said Kasab was born on July 13, 1987 went viral in Mumbai. However, Kasabs real birth date, according to jail records, is September 13, 1987. A Wikipedia entry that showed his birth date as July 13 had apparently been changed by a Chennai-based bank executive. He has been traced by the IP address he logged in from to change the Wikipedia entry. Kasab, one of the terrorists involved in 26/11, is is in Arthur Road jail.

Fear let loose at Kabutarkhana

Akshay Deshmane
A relatively less intense bomb ripped through the Hanuman Mandir bus stop near Kabutarkhana at 7.05pm on Wednesday evening. The damage to the people in the surroundings was thus correspondingly lesser: only seven people suffered serious injuries. A smaller number considering the fact that the road is usually choked during the evening rush hours with people. The bus stop, residents in the vicinity said, is most utilised by commuters who alight at the stop for reaching the Dadar station. A resident even said, The footpath on which the BEST bus stop is located is the students footpath during the evenings as their classes get done by 6.15 pm. The resident was referring to the Dr Antonio Da Silva High School and Junior college of commerce. Ravindra Sawney another resident of the , building located opposite the bus stand where the blast took place said, When the blast happened I rushed to my balcony and saw that the air was filled with heavy smoke and things were barely visible. However, I could see three people lying injured and two bikes had also fallen. Also, when the blast happened, the rubble came flying to his house. Luckily the crowd was less and even the children of the school behind the bus-stand had left home. The Police came within 10 minutes of the blast and rushed the injured to the hospital, he added. Not to be left alone in publicly expressing their sympathies, many politicians made it a point to visit the location while the media was hungry for prominent persons voices on the blast. Manohar Joshi, Nitin Sardesai, Ramdas Athavle, deputy CM Ajit Pawar and the chief minister also registered their presence at the chaotic site. The blast site lay exposed to bystanders and anyone in the vicinity as the police struggled to control the mobs and the convoy of the politicians raising questions about how secure was he site for investigators to collect evidence from.

Boom
When the blast happened I rushed to my balcony and saw that the air was filled with heavy smoke and things were barely visible. However, I could see three people lying injured and two bikes had also fallen.
Ravindra Sawney,
Dadar resident

Opera House is worst hit

and deceased. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals like Saifee and Harkishondas, while those who suffered minor injuries were treated at private clinics. Family members of Asgar Faiz Mohammed, 25, who died in the blast, said, We rushed to the spot hoping that he would be safe but we found he was no more. The government should do something to ensure that such blasts dont occur repeatedly and our loved ones dont have to lose their lives. Kalpesh Surakhia, another broker working at Pancharatna, said I passed the blast spot just two minutes before and heard the thunder as I was walking and then saw bodies lying on the ground. I was lucky to survive and my first response to the blast was to help those injured and lying on the ground. The police arrived at the spot and cordoned off the area, while traffic around the zone was diverted to other routes.

Letters to the editor

A firm stand
Solicitor General (SG) Gopal Subramanium deserves praise for taking a firm stand. For the past couple of years, the Union government has come under severe strictures from the Supreme Court over the way it handled the various scams and the court cases related to them. Though the SG's office did a valiant job of defending the government, unwillingly at times, it was at the receiving end of the apex court because of the enormity of its guilt in acquiescing to great improprieties. The SG could hardly be blamed for the predicament it finds itself in. By putting in his papers, citing the government's interference in his work as the reason, the SG has shown that he is a law officer of the court and not the servant of the government. He has also protected the dignity of his office. VS Kaushik, Bengaluru the T20, ODI and now the test series convincingly, if not comprehensively . Deendayal M Lulla, Mumbai for which present government is being blamed are not of recent origin. Corruption has been around for a long time but this is the first time that the government is seen taking some action. What we have seen is some people mocking those who want to take action. Simply saying 'I do not fear bullet and lathis' will not bring any result. SS Nair via email ,

TELANGANA TWIST
A threat mail was sent from India, routed through a Saudi Arabian proxy, claim sources in Mumbai police cyber cell. Most of the cops feel it is not a genuine mail and could be a fake entity trying to gain mileage by infamy. Investigators feel the MO is distinctly that of IM and not that of LeT. Besides, an, an aberration from IM MO is that there is no warning mail that has been sent before today's attack. IM religiously follows the Islamic rule that the enemy should be warned before attack and hence they shoot a mail minutes before the attack. The organisation claiming responsibility for 13/7 attack is the Joint Action Wing of the Hyderabad based Telangana Agitation Movement (Terror Wing) --- a hitherto unknown entity.

II
India's decision to settle for a draw in the third and final test against West Indies is not without its quota of criticism ('Fear of losing overcomes Dhoni & Co', July 12). It was too timid a decision to pull down the shutters without really attempting a win. Buckling up without facing

It is suspected that the bombs were planted on a scooter and a motorbike which was parked outside a Zaveri Bazaar shop. Timerfitted bombs were used
Sr ATS official

II
In the national interest, it is the paramount duty of the Parliamentary committee and the accounts in-charge to expose all the corrupt people in the government. But most unfortunately, the corruption is propagated by those who are supposed to protect the interests of the aam aadmi. If our clean prime minister, Manmohan Singh would have taken tough steps against such traitors on time, the national scenario could have been different. Similarly what steps have been taken to curb the spiralling prices of all the essential commodities by the government? And even as the prices increase tonnes of foodgrains are left out in the open to rot. Hansraj Bhat, via email

Convincing victory
This is with reference to 'Fear of losing overcomes Dhoni & Co' (July 12). I totally disagree with the report that the fear of losing has prompted Dhoni and co. not to attempt a gettable score. Dhoni is the best captain India has ever had. With three wickets down for 94 runs and Suresh Raina back in the pavilion, chasing a target of 180 on a difficult track would not have been easy as correctly observed by Dhoni. No doubt Rahul Dravid may be the man of crisis, but the speed with which he plays may not be sufficient to achieve the target in the in ODI or T20. Dhoni knew this and no sensible captain will take such risk, with the series already in his pocket. India has won

the challenge was not expected especially when we had 7 wickets in hand. Not attempting to chase a gettable score not only shows disregard for the fans but also brings home the fact that they gave up even before the real battle was fought. To complete the match would have given them the confidence to take on a better team while facing the Englishmen. Blaming the pitch is a lame excuse. Risks are to be taken, without which there cannot be any gain. Prem K Menon, Mumbai

Popular leader
It seems that the leaders of the ruling Congress party don't ever come out of the dynastic mindset, whereby they always need some one from the Gandhi-Nehru family to lead the party. Till date, Rahul Gandhi hasn't shown any qualities required to lead our country. He can hardly be considered a popular leader, as there is hardly any indication of a wave in his favour. Ketan R Meher Thane ,

Dealing with corruption

In the recent past there has been severe criticism about the way the ruling combine and the prime minister have handled various issues like black money, corruption, J & K, Telangana and other issues. It is to be noted that some of the issues

The editor welcomes your views and feedback: inbox@dnaindia.net

> Printer & Publisher: Deepak Rathi > Editor-in-chief: Aditya Sinha >

VOL 6 ISSUE NO. 298 > R.N.I. No. : MAHENG/2005/15154. Printed & Published by Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. > Printed at DNA, EL201, MIDC, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai 400 705, Phone No: 3980-2200 > Published at DNA Wing, 1st Floor, Oasis Complex, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Kamala Mills Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai-13, Phone No: 4388-8888

MUMBAI
OUTRAGED
They have struck Mumbai again to disturb communal harmony. The governments priority is to reach out to the injured. We are determined to fight the terrorists
Prithviraj Chavan, CM

MUMBAI | THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011

www.dnaindia.com | epaper.dnaindia.com

I appeal to the people of Mumbai to remain calm. Preliminary reports confirm blasts have been carried out by terrorists. It is not just an attack against Mumbai but the entire country
Ajit Pawar, deputy CM

People shouldnt rely on the govt to combat terrorists. The only weapon we seem to have is issuing high alerts. People are paying the price of having an inefficient govt
Bal Thackeray, Sena chief

It is not clear if the targets of the blast were the school children since the bus stop is hardly 5-10 metres from the school. However, we are not ruling out any possibility
Arup Patnaik, police chief

Hospitals go into overdrive

Splintered
DNA Correspondent
As soon as the blasts took place the injured were rushed to the nearest hospitals. Sir Hurkisondas Nurrotumdas (HN) Hospital near Charni Road station was the nearest hospital where injured were brought from the Opera House blast. The hospital has received the maximum number of those caught in the blast as according to a senior official from HN hospital 34 people were brought to the hospital. They immediately started treating the injured, however two people died soon after admitting. According to sources, the death toll rose to 5 by 10pm. 30-year-old Narpat Bhai who was discharged after being administered first aid told DNA, I was standing outside my shop when the blast occurred and I got injured. Mayor Shraddha Jadhav visited HN hospital around 9pm. Two people were dead on arrival and 3 died later on due to serious injuries. At the time of going to press, 5 were in operation theatre, 3 in ICU and rest in other wards. The hospital said it had enough blood and other essentials to manage the tragedy All the bodies . have been sent to JJ Hospital for post mortem. Meanwhile Goculdas Tejpal (GT) Hospital in south Mumbai received bodies of three blast victims, a head without body and 28 injured, from the Zaveri Bazar blast. The authorities are in a fix over the head found at the spot. When chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, accompanied by commissioner of Mumbai police Arup Patnaik, visited the hospital, they were heckled and mobbed by the crowd in protest. But Chavan managed to inquire about the patients well-being. The seven people who were injured in the blast at Dadar have been admitted to KEM, according to ATS PI Ravindra Doiphode. In the meantime, a victim, Mohammad Mustafa (21) was caught in the blast at Opera House near the Panchratrna building was taken to the Saifee Hospital. However, he was turned away due to high casualty at the hospital. Mustafa was then rushed to Noor Hospital at Mohammed Ali Road where he was operated upon.

IRREGULAR

Manjul

More than 130 people were rushed to various city hospitals where services were pushed to the limits
We had stepped out to have tea and Kisan was in office. When we came back, there was chaos and Kisan was missing. We are now running to Saifee Hospital where some injured have been shifted to see if he has been taken there
Rajan Mandlik,
who was searching for his friend Kisan

NAMES OF THE DEAD

> Himmatbhai > > > > > > >
Kalubhai Gudiya,49 Lalchand Ahuja, 45 Mohan Naik, 46 Sunil Kumar Jain, 45 Bhupat Nawadia, 42 Rajesh Khairkar, Pankaj Soni, 20 Deepchand Soni The rest of the dead have still not been identified

??????????
HOSPITAL NAME
Nair Hospital KEM G T hospital J J hospital Harkisandas Sushrusha St George Saifee hospital Bhatia hospital Mumbai hospital

INJURED DEAD
1 9 10 13 36 2 14 37 2 6 1 0 4 1 5 0 1 5 4 0

TOTAL

130

17

TWITTER
The generous people of Mumbai are offering help to #Mumbaiblasts victims via Googledocs online spreadsheet: spreadsheets.google.c om/spreadsheet/lv Shiv Sena

Aurindam Mukherjee
BBC reporting that Mumbai blasts coincide with Ajmal Kasabs birthday!!! bbc.co.uk/news/world -sou

Amrita Dutt
Roads are okay. Slow moving traffic but nothing to panic!

Madhuri Khanduja
Just got back from Worli to Cuffe Parade; Parel, Worli, Peddar Road, Kemps Corner, Marine Drive & Colaba are fine. Traffic is normal

ET Phone Home

Hospital authorities and locals wheel in an injured to GT hospital Salman Ansari DNA

People took pictures Samaritans make social instead of helping out networking forum for help
We were in the middle of a meeting in our office right opposite Kabutarkhana, Dadar, when we heard a huge boom. I first thought the roof of our office building had collapsed. We rushed outside to find people running helter-skelter. We could hear the screams of people injured. The bus standing at the bus stop where the blast took place was completely damaged. The windows were shattered, and there were glass pieces and blood on the road. I saw a woman with her ear cut open. It was a gruesome sight. We gathered the injured but could not find a cab to take them to a hospital. One cab driver refused to take the injured to the hospital. An angry crowd beat him up, after which the driver agreed to take us to KEM Hospital. We had rounded up nearly six injured people. We later heard that one of them died at the hospital. The traffic police were regulating traffic but not a single cop ventured near the site of the bomb blast. After ten minutes of the blast, the fire brigade arrived on the scene and the police cordoned off the area. However, most people were busy taking pictures on their cell phones rather than helping out. Initially we , thought the blast was due to a cylinder bursting in a private car, but news poured in that it was a bomb blast and had occurred in other places as well.

Ground-0 Web wise

It knocked me senseless
I was talking on the phone when the blast rocked my building. Soon after the explosion, I stopped my conversation on the phone and came out to the balcony to see what had happened. All I could see was a cloud of black smoke rising in the air. I was speechless for sometime. After regaining my senses, I called my brother. When the smoke cleared and I could see something of the site, I saw the body of a plumpish man lying inverted on the street. I thought he was dead but when people in the vicinity came for the rescue, they detected some motion in his body. A taxi driver was asked to take the body to hospital. He seemed hesitant. But then some volunteers took the body to hospital in a taxi. The injured body of a sariclad woman was carried on a yellow tarpaulin sheet, put inside another taxi and taken to hospital.

Gosh it really is a Wednesday. Life imitates art in some dark horrid way

Nikunj Mehta
Most claiming now that its Ajmal Kasab bday and its a revenge.. Who are they going to blame? Pakistan again?

Barkha Dutt
Anger, frustration and helplessness is NOT the answer. Hanging the terrorists already convicted is. Prayers for all.

Ammar Haider
A very sad day indeed and am sure the taxi unions of Mumbai would reconsider their decision it is no ordinary time

Anupam Kher
Early days, but eyes on Pakistan after Mumbai blasts. Pak Foreign Ministry says its working up a response

Gunjan Chakrabarty
Cant help but wonder: blasts come ahead of Hillary Clintons visit next week and the visit of Pakistans foreign minister later this month

Tom Wright
Dadar resident: big explosion around 6:30 pm. Thought the roof was collapsing. I was terrified. I couldnt move. Significant damage at a bus station near chidia ghar, Dadar. Nearby shops suffered some broken glass. Lots of bystanders.

Team DNA
They may not have been where the blasts happened or anywhere close, but that did not stop netizens from offering whatever little help they could. Micro-blogging site Twitter, which played a significant role in recent events like the revolts in the Middle East and the earthquake in Japan, was abuzz with people sharing information, expressing anger and, most importantly, putting up their mobile numbers and locations in case someone needed them. Anyone stuck in Bandra West, feel free to call me @ 97xxxxxxxx for a safe place, tweeted Jacob Rohan Joseph (number masked for privacy). While netizens are usually reluctant to share numbers online, Wednesday saw a slew of twitter users openly sharing their mobile numbers in a rare gesture of help. 982xxxxxxx. Crossing elphinstonematunga-sion-Heading to chembur. Anyone. Call me, wrote Neha. Some tried to work around privacy filters that block any standard data like ten-digit numbers or email IDs. If youre around Lower Parel and got no place to go, drop by at my office. Text me on 9XXXX seven two nine nine zero, Dharmesh Gandhi tweeted. There were also people seeking help, like Anja Kovacs: Anyone going towards Andheri, can you pick me up from Opera House? While there were words of rage like Baksh do hamare desh ko kameeno!!!! Were just regular peo-

Nidhi Razdan
If someone can explain how bombing innocent civilians solves anything I am all ears... God bless us

Mahesh Bhupathi
Cowards strike again! Condolences to all who have lost someone dear. To the rest, please do not panic. Get home safe.

Vikas Bajaj
The area where the blasts have taken place is Shiv Sena centric. Obviously terrorists have something against

Jayant Jain, president of

NGO Forum for Fairness in Dadar (West)

Daughter couldnt stop crying

I had just finished some domestic shopping at Dadar market with my wife and twoyear-old daughter. We were planning to eat bhelpuri at the corner of DSilva school (five minutes away from the blast site) but decided against it due to the traffic and rains. Instead, we walked into an inner lane and escaped the tragedy The sound . of the blast made us shiver. People were running in a state of panic and I decided to take my family home. It took more than an hour to calm down my daughter who couldnt stop crying.

Farhan Akhtar

The blast site at Opera House Zee Network

ple trying to make it in this world! why all the hate against us!, there were also those who urged each other to avoid spreading panic and show restraint in passing on unverified information. While a few asked searching questions on terror striking Mumbai in less than three years since the last attacks, an avalanche of twitterati descended on them, asking them to keep the tirade for some other day . There were a few who even took on TV channels as the electronic media convulsed erratically in its coverage of the tragedy. Stop irresponsible reporting! Stop rumour mongering! Mumbai is reeling yet again. Star anchors keep out! Dont endanger lives. Where is the CM, riposted celebrity author Shobhaa De. Several users also offered prayers. Pervin Sanghvi tweeted, Prayers and hugs my beloved city . City hospitals also saw a number of good Samaritans offering whatever help they could. Waiting at HN hospital was diamond merchant Sanjay Doshi, 32. His employee of many years Sonu, 60, had been injured in the blasts. Sonu has no relatives in the city and so its my duty , to take care of him, said Doshi. There was a flood of blood donors at the hospital. Deepti Mehta, 40, came with her husband to donate blood. However, officials told them that they had enough blood. They noted down their number for future reference.

first person account

Chandrika Bauwa,
resident of a building close to Hanuman Mandir bus stop in Dadar (West)

Paresh Thirkud, resident, Cadell Road, Dadar (West)