Sharad Pawar, one of the senior most Indian politician who was the chief minister of Maharashtra during the 1993 bomb blasts of Mumbai, had done the unthinkable, apparently to promote secularism and protect harmony between Hindus and Muslims. He had invented a bomb blast.

Unbelievable as it may sound, this is the truth. On 12 March 1993, the city of Mumbai plunged into chaos and commotion by a series of 12 bomb blasts. The 12 blasts were all precisely planned, immaculately orchestrated and perfectly coordinated.

The blasts were the first time the RDX was used on Indian soil. Apart from the 26/11 attacks, the 1993 attacks were the most well-planned and coordinated attacks to have happened in India. More than 300 people were reportedly killed and over 1400 were injured. That makes it the deadliest terror attack so far.

As per a report in India Today, Sharad Pawar, the then CM of Maharashtra, had rushed to the Doordarshan studio soon after the attacks and had announced that there were 13 blasts in total. He had invented another blast out of thin air. Pawar had stated that a 13th blast had taken place in Masjid Bunder.

He had invented a blast to balance out the victimhood. Because all 12 blasts that actually happened had happened in Hindu dominated areas. So Pawar had added a blast out of his imagination to portray that Muslims were the victim too. He had admitted it himself and even claimed that he was praised for it.

Here is a video where he narrates how he lied.



22 years later, Sharad Pawar, speaking at an event during the 89th Marathi Literary Meet near Pune, Pawar admitted that he had invented a bomb blast because all actual ones had happened in Hindu areas and he feared there will be communal tension as “That is what Pakistan wanted”. So he rushed to a TV studio and stated that Muslims were the victims of the blasts too. As per a report in DNA, Pawar also claimed that he was praised by the Justice Srikrishna Commission for his crafty invention.

He claimed that his lie could have saved lives because Hindus thought that Muslims were the victims too and hence communal violence was avoided. Testifying before the Srikrishna Commission, Pawar had even tried to pin the bomb blasts on LTTE. This lie also, he claimed, was told to avoid Hindu-Muslim clashes. In the video, Sharad Pawar had also saiid that during the time, he had lied that the material used in the bombing is used by terrorists from the south to mislead people.

The actual locations where blasts had actually occurred were Shiv Sena Bhawan, Zaveri Bazar, Bombay Stock Exchange, Corporation Bank branch in Mandvi, Air India Building, Mahim Causeway, Century Bazar, Hotel Sea Rock in Bandra, Plaza Cinema, Juhu Centaur Hotel, Sahar Airport, and Airport Centaur Hotel.