Thread by @TheCommuneMag

26 years ago on this day, Coimbatore saw back-to-back bomb blasts orchestrated by Islamist terrorist SA Basha, the founder of terror organization Al-Ummah.

This devastating series of 12 bomb attacks unfolded across 11 different locations killing 58 and leaving 252 seriously injured for life.

The bombings were part of a larger conspiracy with the sinister aim of targeting BJP leader L.K. Advani, during his election meeting scheduled for 4 PM on that ill-fated day. Fortunately, Advani’s flight was delayed, and he narrowly escaped the horrors of that day.

The horrific terror attack occurred under the watch of the then DMK government led by Karunanidhi.

The memories of the blasts may have faded in the minds of some politicians, as is evident from the way the DMK, ADMK and the Dravidianist media have been humanizing these terrorists upon their release.

However, the wounds are far from healed for the survivors and their families.

A thread (1/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

"Today is the death anniversary of my son who I toiled so hard to bring up. He would have been 35 today, I am extremely upset. All my sons have passed. He promised me as a child that he would study well and take good care of me." cries a mother who lost her son in the blast. (2/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

https://twitter.com/Hariindic/status/1711680873270292866

Rangaraj, a survivor of the Coimbatore blasts that occurred on 14 February 1998, still bears the physical and financial scars of that fateful day. Over 26 years and 6 surgeries, he continues to grapple with the aftermath.

His body is filled with shrapnel, necessitating scans and specialised treatment. However, financial constraints serve as a formidable obstacle.

He says, “The blasts occurred in a Muslim-dominated area, but eerily, no one was present when the explosions transpired. It was as if they had prior knowledge. We behaved and worked with them as if we were family.” (3/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

Here is another emotionally overwhelmed victim recounting that dreaded day.

At least six of her colleagues who were working with her at the shop lost their lives in the explosion. Her injuries have persisted over the years. (4/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

https://twitter.com/Bagavathprathee/status/1711719389395902894

Here's a testimony from another victim.

"These people should never be released. Only I know how much I have suffered as a result of the blasts. No one else must suffer my fate. I pass my days by thinking of my son daily... Every year we perform the rites on his death anniversary. If I continue thinking of him, I will fall ill and there is no one to take care of me now, so I have left everything to God and carried on with my life over the past 20 years." (5/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

https://twitter.com/Kumari_Jeyan/status/1711747074335944979

BJP Tamil Nadu State Secretary SG Suryah's grandfather too was killed in the blast. (6/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

https://twitter.com/SuryahSG/status/1711962740523471084

As the victims of the terror attack endure a life of grief for the rest of their lives, the chief orchestrator SA Basha has been living like a king with Dravidianist politicians visiting him and hugging him. (6/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

thecommunemag.com/i-n-d-i-ally-v…

The AIADMK led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami had introduced a calling attention motion over the issue of releasing Muslim prisoners including those who have been convicted for the 1998 Coimbatore Bomb Blasts. (7/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

thecommunemag.com/minority-appea…

And guess what? Life for Coimbatoreans has come a full circle. Mohammad Dhalha, one of the accused of the in 2022 Coimbatore car blast case which has been confirmed as a terror attack by the NIA, is said to be the nephew of SA Basha. (8/n)

#கோவை_மன்னிக்காது

thecommunemag.com/accused-in-coi…

These survivors and families of victims have vehemently opposed the release of the terrorists responsible for the Coimbatore blasts. However, their pleas don't fall on the ears of the Dravidianist politicians because their votes don't mater.

As survivors and the families of victims go on with their lives of anguish, the convicted terrorists, now released, will seamlessly assimilate into society as free men, and may even rub shoulders with the very families they victimized. (9/n)