Tamil Nadu Timeline

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Coimbatore serial bombings

· Coimbatore

Twelve bombs exploded across Coimbatore, killing 58 people, ahead of a campaign meeting by BJP leader L. K. Advani.

On 14 February 1998, during the Lok Sabha election campaign, 12 bombs exploded at 11 places in Coimbatore within a span of about six hours. Fifty-eight people were killed and more than 200 injured. The attacks targeted the area around a planned rally by BJP leader L. K. Advani. The banned group Al Ummah was held responsible, and its leader S. A. Basha and others were later convicted. The bombings were seen as retaliation for the riots of late 1997.

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  2. 1991

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  3. 1993

    1. 1993CoimbatoreConflict

      Al Ummah formed in Coimbatore

      Al Ummah, a militant group founded in Coimbatore by Syed Ahmed Basha, was banned after the 1998 Coimbatore bombings.

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      Bombing of RSS office in Chennai

      A bomb destroyed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office in Chetpet, Chennai, killing several people.

  4. 1997

    1. 29 Nov 1997 to 1 Dec 1997CoimbatoreConflict

      Coimbatore communal riots

      The killing of a traffic constable in Coimbatore was followed by communal riots in which 18 Muslims and 2 Hindus were killed.

  5. 1998

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      A designated TADA court at Poonamallee sentenced all 26 accused on trial to death for the conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.

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