When an explosion was triggered on the map of India to protest imposition of Hindi

Explosion in Ooty's Botanical Garden highlights Tamil Viduthalai Padai's protest against Hindi imposition and demand for Tamil Eelam.

A guarded tranquil prevailed in Ooty before dawn break on May 18, 1988. An explosion around 4:30 a.m. in the famed Botanical Garden, a must-visit spot in the itinerary of visitors, sent jitters among local residents and tourists alike. The tourism and hospitality industry went into panic mode as Ooty, one of the most favourite destinations of tourists in India, was targeted by extremists.

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Considering the nature and magnitude of the offence, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu police for investigation. The bomb was buried in the map of India created with flowers and plants in the Botanical Garden. The explosion triggered by a timer device caused a dent in the map, damaging its flowerbed, which the investigating agency said sent a chilling and symbolic message about the intent of the perpetrators.

Seeing some pamphlets strewn around the scene of the blast and the modus operandi of the accused persons, investigators suspected the role of the Tamil Viduthalai Padai (Tamilarasan faction) in the incident. They were actively engaged in violent methods of registering their protest against the imposition of Hindi and demanding Tamil Eelam. The then Tamil Nadu Governor P.C. Alexander, who was staying in Udhagamandalam, visited the scene of the blast.

A thorough conning operation was conducted in and around the hill station in search of the suspects and possible storage of explosive substances. Going by the modus operandi and circumstantial evidence, the special team headed by Inspector M. Vellingiri reconstructed the sequence of events preceding the explosion. Besides intelligence inputs, their acquaintance with former cadres and other sources led to the arrest of nine members of the Tamil Viduthalai Padai.

During interrogation, the accused persons gave confessional statements that they had planted the bomb “to shake up and sensitise the people to the need for a separate Tamil Eelam and as a protest against the alleged imposition of Hindu,” the agency recorded in a journal published in 2010.