A bomb, which was sent from a television studio during the 1993 Bombay serial blasts, exploded 22 years later, 15 km from Pune, on Sunday.

The blasts, which left 357 people dead and 717 others injured, actually occurred at only 11 places. However, then chief minister Sharad Pawar told the nation that the blasts had occurred at 12 places.

This admission came on Sunday from Pawar himself. He said he deliberately lied that the blasts had occurred at 12 places.

He was speaking during the 89th edition of the All India Marathi Literary Meet at Dnyanaba-Tukaram Nagari (Hindustan Antibiotics Ground), Pimpri, 15 km from Pune.

Pawar said that he did so in the larger interest of the public, and, for that lie, he was even praised by the Justice Srikrishna Commission.

He then described the sequence of events. On March 12, 1993, he came to learn from officials that all the 11 blasts had occurred in Hindu-dominated areas. Since it was Pakistan’s plan to foment communal violence, the then chief minister immediately rushed to the Doordarshan studios and announced that blasts had occurred at 12 places in what was then Bombay.

The 12th place where Pawar ‘exploded’ the bomb was Masjid Bunder.

After this announcement, Hindus and Muslims thought that the blasts were not targeted at any particular community and the government was able to restore normal life fast, Pawar said.

In fact, after the serial blasts on Friday, Bombay returned to normalcy on Monday itself, he said.

“When you are running a state or when you are part of the administration, you are required to lie at times for the larger public interest,” Pawar said.

When the Justice Srikrishna Commission asked him about the Masjid Bandar blast, Pawar explained the circumstances.

The commission even lauded him for the same, he said. That’s one bomb that saved so many lives.