11 years of Mumbai terror attacks
This day marks 11 years of the Mumbai terror attacks, a dark day in the history of India when Mumbai came under the deadly attacks of terrorists. On November 26, 2008, 10 heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists had entered into Mumbai via sea route from Pakistan and killed 174 people. The incident, which witnessed a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in several parts of Mumbai had claimed the lives of as many as 166 people.
The Mumbai terror attacks witnessed 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who barged into Mumbai via sea route from Pakistan and carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across the city. After sailing to the city under the cover of darkness, the terrorists targeted major landmarks of Mumbai with the first attack taking place at the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station.
Ajmal Amir Kasab and Ismail Khan carried out the attack at this station, killing as many as 58 people and injuring over 100.
Kasab and Khan later entered to attack Cama Hospital, but the same was thwarted with the alertness of the hospital staff. They, however, killed 6 police officials, including the city's Anti-Terrorism Squad Hemant Karkare in an ambush after leaving the hospital.
The second site of the attack was Nariman House business and residential complex where a Rabbi, his wife, and six others, including five Israeli citizens, were killed by the terrorists who first held them as a hostage.
The two-year-old child of the Rabbi couple, Moshe, survived in the attack. Then 'Baby Moshe' became the face of the innocent victims of ruthless terrorism.
The third site to come under attack on 26/11 was the Leopold Cafe followed by Taj Mahal Hotel and Tower.
Four terrorists carried out the attack at the famous cafe before entering the iconic Taj hotel, where they killed as many as 31 people after laying a three-day siege at the hotel.
The other site to come under attack during the 26/11 was the Oberoi-Trident hotel where another group of two terrorists entered at almost the same time, as other four had entered Taj. At Oberoi-Trident hotel the siege officially ended on the evening of November 28 with as many as 30 being killed in the horrific attack.
The attack and seize finally culminated on the morning of November 29, 2008, after the National Security Guards (NSG) secured the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
By the time commandos of the National Security Guards (NSG) gunned down the last terrorists who had been holed up in south Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace hotel, over 160 people were killed and hundreds were left injured.
After the attack, it was established that the 10 terrorists had sailed to Mumbai from Pakistan's port city, Karachi. Their voyage to Mumbai involved hijacking and fishing dingy and killing four of the five men crew, leaving one occupant to ferry them to the Mumbai coast.
In these gruesome attacks, 9 terrorists were killed and the lone survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was caught and was sentenced to death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune in 2012.
The Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), whose mastermind was Hafiz Saeed, was believed to have plotted the 26/11 attacks.
Mumbai terror attacks: Heroes who sacrificed their lives to save others
Tukaram Omble:
Tukaram Omble laid down his life while fighting terrorists during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, at Girgaum Chowpatty Mumbai. He played an instrumental role in capturing Ajmal Kasab – one of the 10 terrorists.
Tukaram Omble
Hemant Karkare:
Karkare was an Anti-Terror Squad chief when the 26/11 Mumbai attacks took place. He and two other senior police officials - Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar were martyred in an ambush outside CAMA hospital in Mumbai. Kasab and his partner Ismail had opened fire on their police van.
Hemant Karkare
Ashok Kamte:
Ashok Kamte was called from Chembur to be a part of the anti-terror operation against the LeT terrorists. He, along with Karkare and Saleskar was on the way to Cama Hospital, close to the CST station, when they were attacked by the terrorists. Their plan was to take terrorists head-on.
Ashok Kamte
Vijay Salaskar:
Vijay Salaskar was part of the police team which was attacked by the terrorists outside the CAMA Hospital. Upon hearing the news of the attack, the three officers, along with other police personnel, decided to take on the terrorists head-on and immediately rushed together in the Toyota Qualis police vehicle. All three officers retaliated and fought till the last breath.
Vijay Salaskar
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan:
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was an NSG commando who led the Operation Tornado which was launched to evacuate terrorists from the Taj Hotel. He and his team members saved the lives of 14 guests and staff at the hotel. However, the officer was injured in the operation. Later he succumbed to bullet wounds.
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan
Havaldar Gajender Singh:
Gajendra Singh Bisht, an NSG commando, was part of the Operation Black Tornado and sacrificed his life fighting the terrorists. He was part of the Parachute Regiment, the team that fought terrorists at Nariman House
Havaldar Gajender Singh
New Delhi has, time and again, protested against Islamabad for harboring Saeed, who is wanted for allegedly plotting the 2008 attack.
India's stand on Hafiz has been supported by many International personalities including a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director and former Afghanistan President.
Ties between India and Pakistan have remained tense since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack and nosedived after the Uri and Pulwama terror attack by Pakistan-based terrorists in September 2016 and February 2019 respectively, in which many soldiers lost their lives.
After combating the attack several policy decisions were taken to strengthen the nation's anti-terrorism framework.
One of the immediate decisions the then government took after the attacks were to deploy the NSG commandos in few metropolitan cities.
Later on, several NSG hubs were set up for faster response to terror attacks.
Various events will be organised in Mumbai on the 11th anniversary of the attack to pay tribute to those who lost their lives. Last year, the first phase of a memorial dedicated to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack was inaugurated at the Nariman House in south Mumbai's Colaba area. Even after 11 years of the attack, Pakistan has not taken action against Hafiz Saeed - the mastermind of the attacks.
Also Read | If only similar deterrent action was taken post Mumbai attack: Nirmala Sitharaman
