26/11 terror attacks: Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid floral tributes to the security personnel in Mumbai.
Mumbai: On the 15th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid floral tributes to the martyrs of 26/11. These brave individuals laid down their lives while fighting terrorists who attacked the city 15 years ago on this day. The dignitaries offered their floral tributes to the security personnel at the Martyrs’ Memorial within the premises of the Police Commissioner’s Office in Mumbai. Other senior police officials were also present.
Family members of the policemen who lost their lives during the November 2008 attacks also paid tributes to the martyrs.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and several state ministers, including Deepak Vasant Kesarkar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and police officials were also present at the sombre commemoration event.
Mumbai’s 26 Terror Attacks
A group of heavily-armed terrorists from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba infiltrated Mumbai through sea route and unleashed mayhem on the night of 26/11, 15 years ago, spraying bullets on unarmed civilians at multiple key public installations in the city.
The attacks resulted in more than 166 casualties, including foreigners, and leftover 300 people injured. Although one of the terrorists, Ajmal Amir Qasab, was captured alive, the remaining assailants were neutralized during the final stages of the siege, spanning four days.
As many as 18 security personnel, from the state police and the elite National Security Guard (NSG), laid down their lives during the dreadful attacks. The coordinated terror attacks by the Lashkar men sent shockwaves across the country and the world.
The attacks claimed the lives of several notable figures, including the then Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan of the NSG, Mumbai’s Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte, Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar, and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tukaram Omble.
Landmarks such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Hotel, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, and the Nariman House Jewish Community Centre (now renamed Nariman Light House) were targeted during the 26/11 attacks.
Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone surviving terrorist, was captured and arrested at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, commonly known as CST. In May 2010, Qasab received a death sentence and was executed in a maximum security prison in Pune city two years later.
Despite the passage of several years, the emotional wounds from the horrifying terror attacks linger in public memory, a testament to the enduring impact of the mayhem that unfolded over four days.