Remembering the 1995 Purani Mandi Bomb Blast: 17 Lives Lost, 45 Injured in Jammu Tragedy

July 20, 1995, marks one of the darkest days in Jammu’s history when a powerful bomb explosion in the ever busy Purani Mandi area of Jammu City killed 17 people and left over 45 seriously injured.

 

 

The blast occurred in one of the most crowded markets of the old city and was so powerful that its tremors were felt miles away. According to authorities, a suicide bomber drove an autorickshaw packed with explosives into the market and detonated it to cause maximum casualties. Several of the injured later died in hospitals due to the severity of their wounds.

 

 

A Pakistan-based terrorist group, Harkat-ul-Ansar, later claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

 

 

This attack was part of a bigger plan of spreading fear by terror groups based in Pakistan, especially targeting the Jammu region following the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley. These groups wanted to spread fear among Hindus in Jammu and force them to flee, just as the Kashmiri Hindus were driven out of Kashmir so as to further internationalise the matter.