📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Harsh4101991
Crime
2002 Akshardham Temple Attack in Gandhinagar: 33 Dead, Perpetrators Still Unknown
✍️ Amar Ujala · Gujarat
🗓 24 Sep 2026, 08:15 AM
👁 7
On 24 September 2002, a terrorist assault on the Swami Narayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar left 33 people dead, including three security personnel, and after 24 years investigators have yet to identify the culprits.
On 24 September 2002, a coordinated terrorist strike hit the Swami Narayan Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The assailants opened fire and hurled explosives, targeting the large congregation of devotees gathered for prayers.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 33 individuals, among them three National Security Guard commandos who responded to the scene. NSG’s Operation Vajra Shakti succeeded in evacuating many worshippers and preventing a larger loss of life, but the death toll could not be avoided.
Legal proceedings that followed saw several suspects arrested, yet after two decades none have been conclusively linked to the crime. All accused persons were eventually acquitted by the courts, leaving the case effectively unsolved.
The prolonged investigative dead‑end has spurred renewed calls from victims' families and civil society for a fresh probe, emphasizing that accountability remains pending even after 24 years.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 33 individuals, among them three National Security Guard commandos who responded to the scene. NSG’s Operation Vajra Shakti succeeded in evacuating many worshippers and preventing a larger loss of life, but the death toll could not be avoided.
Legal proceedings that followed saw several suspects arrested, yet after two decades none have been conclusively linked to the crime. All accused persons were eventually acquitted by the courts, leaving the case effectively unsolved.
The prolonged investigative dead‑end has spurred renewed calls from victims' families and civil society for a fresh probe, emphasizing that accountability remains pending even after 24 years.