17 years on, damaged wall clock at a tea stall tells tale of Malegaon blast

Time stands frozen on this wall clock that hangs in a small tea shop in Malegaon town of north Maharashtra.

Its shattered hands tell a deadly tale of terror and death.

The clock was damaged when an explosive strapped to a motorcycle detonated near the shop in Malegaon, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008, killing six people and injuring 101 others.

Jalil Ahmed, the owner of the 35-year-old tea shop, still vividly recalls the terrifying blast.

He says that although the clock no longer works, it remains mounted on the wall as a silent witness to that tragic day. “Many people come from far-off places and take a photo of the wall clock,” he said.

Some visitors also include foreigners, he added.

"The blast took the lives of six people. This clock has stopped since that moment, 9.35 pm. The explosive contained iron shrapnel and the pieces were so large that the clock's hand broke. All the holes you see were made by the shrapnel, and the holes in the wall were also caused by it,” he said.

Jalil says he has kept the clock as a point of attraction for the visitors who come to visit his shop.

"The purpose of hanging the clock here was that visitors come and ask for proof, so we have kept it in the same spot. We just clean it and hang it back. People come from far away, and many take photos of the clock. Some have even come from abroad and taken pictures of it,” Jalil said.

Nearly 17 years after the Malegaon blast, a special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, noting there was "no reliable and cogent evidence" against them.

Terrorism has no religion, the court said, adding it cannot convict on mere perception.