List of Major Terror Attacks in Delhi and Mumbai

New Delhi : Delhi and Mumbai have long set benchmarks for change and development in India. Their importance has only continued to grow over the years: Delhi, as the capital of India, holds the country’s political power, and Mumbai has emerged as its financial nerve center. Their strategic and commercial significance has also made these cities targets of some of the deadliest terror attacks in India. Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks on bustling markets, busy stations, luxury hotels, and even the parliament building.

Each attack left deep scars that still shape India’s security policies and psyche. Here is a list of the major terror attacks that shook Delhi and Mumbai.

1993 Mumbai serial blasts
Date: March 12, 1993
Casualties: More than 250 people killed and 700 injured

A series of 12 coordinated bomb blasts rocked Mumbai, targeting key financial and commercial centers such as the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the Air India building. The attacks were carried out by a group that came to be known in the Indian media as the D-Company, a criminal syndicate led by Indian mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, in retaliation for the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya. The razing triggered Hindu-Muslim riots throughout India. Yakub Memon, a member of the syndicate who financed the attack, was arrested in 1994 and executed in 2015.

2001 Indian Parliament attack
Date: December 13, 2001
Casualties: 9 killed and at least 15 injured
2001 Indian Parliament attack Delhi Police commandos taking cover outside the Indian Parliament building on December 13, 2001, in New Delhi.

In an attack on India’s symbol of democracy, five gunmen stormed the parliament building in Delhi. Their aim was to disrupt government functioning and possibly target political leaders. All five assailants were killed in a shootout with police forces. Indian authorities accused Pakistan-based terrorist groups of orchestrating the attack. In 2002 Afzal Guru, a member of Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, was convicted of facilitating the attack and was hanged in 2013.

2003 Mumbai bombings
Date: August 25, 2003
Casualties: More than 50 killed and 100 injured

Two bombs planted in taxicabs exploded at the Gateway of India, one of Mumbai’s most iconic landmarks, and at Zaveri Bazaar, a major hub for India’s diamond and jewelry trade. Indian authorities attributed the attacks to Islamist groups Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), an outfit banned in India, and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Three suspects were arrested in 2003 and found guilty in 2009 by a special court, which sentenced them to death.

2005 Delhi bombings
Date: October 29, 2005
Casualties: More than 50 killed and 200 injured

Three explosions occurred just days before the Hindu festival of Diwali: two in bustling marketplaces—Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj—crowded with shoppers preparing for the holiday and a third in a bus in the Govindpuri area. The bombs were reportedly placed in vehicles parked near crowded areas to maximize casualties, and witnesses saw a passenger placing a bag in the bus before it exploded. Indian authorities suspected the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

2006 Mumbai train bombings
Date: July 11, 2006
Casualties: 189 killed and more than 800 injured

In the span of 11 minutes, seven coordinated explosions tore through crowded local trains in Mumbai. The bombs, planted in pressure cookers to maximize casualties, exploded as trains neared several stations, including Mahim, Bandra, and Matunga. Indian authorities accused Lashkar-e-Taiba of arming and training the attackers, some of whom were allegedly members of SIMI. After a trial that began in 2006, 12 men were convicted by a special court in 2015—5 were given the death sentence and 7 were sentenced to life in prison. In July 2025 the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 men, stating that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

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2008 Delhi bombings
Date: September 13, 2008
Casualties: At least 25 killed and more than 100 injured

Delhi was rocked by five coordinated bomb blasts within minutes at three shopping markets—Ghaffar Market in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, and M-Block market in Greater Kailash 1. Four additional bombs were found and defused, including one near India Gate, a monument at the heart of Delhi’s administrative neighborhood. The Indian Mujahideen (an Islamist organization designated as a terrorist group by several countries, including India and the United States) claimed responsibility for the bombings.

2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks
Date: November 26–29, 2008
Casualties: More than 174 killed and 300 injured
Ten operatives linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, laid siege to Mumbai for more than four days, attacking landmark locations across the city, including the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, Oberoi Trident hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, and a Jewish outreach center. At least 174 people were killed, including 9 of the attackers. Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker captured alive, confessed to being a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, though he later retracted the confession during trial. He was convicted of murder, waging war on India, and other charges in 2010 and executed in 2012.

2011 Mumbai bombings
Date: July 13, 2011
Casualties: More than 20 killed and 130 injured

Three coordinated bomb blasts hit multiple locations in Mumbai—Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House, and Kabutar Khana in Dadar—during the evening rush hour. Indian authorities suspected the Indian Mujahideen and its leader Yasin Bhatkal of masterminding the attacks.

2025 Delhi bombings

Date : 10 November 2025

Casualties : 9 killed and more than 20 injured

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, killing at least nine people and gutting several vehicles Twenty people, including two women, were injured in the blast that took place on a busy evening when the area was milling with people.
“The blast occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car in which three people were sitting. We have not found any pellet or puncture in the body of the injured, which is unusual in a blast. The loud blast was heard over a wide area up to ITO, covering around two kms, they said.
It shattered the window panes of vehicles parked several metres away and the glass panels of the Red Fort metro station. (Britannica)