Twenty-eight people accused of involvement in the train bombings that killed 186 people last year in India's financial hub of Mumbai could be brought to trial by the end of July, a prosecutor said Monday. Police have filed charges against 18 Indian nationals, five of whom allegedly planted the bombs on packed commuter trains, and 10 Pakistanis who are said to be on the run.
"The trial may begin by the end of this month," Mumbai prosecutor Raja Thakre said two days ahead of the anniversary of the July 11 blasts, which also wounded more than 800 people. Indian police last year blamed the bombings on arch-rival Pakistan's intelligence service and the outlawed pro-Pakistan militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), but the claim is not listed in any of the charge sheets.
Islamabad rejected the allegations as "totally baseless". The chief of a special Indian police anti-terrorism squad, K.P. Raghuvanshi, said several of the accused had not yet hired lawyers, which had delayed the court proceedings.
Last year, seven bombs ripped through crowded first-class train carriages packed with people travelling home from work in Mumbai, all in the space of 15 minutes. Analysts believe the bombers hoped to fuel Hindu-Muslim tensions by targetting the first-class carriages to maximise casualties among wealthy Hindus.