26/11 Attacks: Mumbai police to pay homage to martyrs on 12th anniversary

As the nation marked the 12th anniversary of the deadly 26/11 attacks, the Mumbai police are organizing an event to pay homage to the martyred security personnel. The ghastly attacks in 2008 had lasted for four days killing 166 people and injuring over 300 as the terrorists carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across the city.

Mumbai: The 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, one of the most horrific terrorist attacks on Indian soil, were carried out on the night of November 26, 2008, by 10 heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan who sneaked in from the sea.

As India today marked the 12th anniversary of the deadly attack, the Mumbai police are organizing an event to pay homage to the martyred security personnel. The event will be attended by only a limited number of people in view of the pandemic.

The ceremony will be held at the newly-built memorial at the police headquarters in South Mumbai. It will be attended by the family members of the martyred police and security personnel, an official said.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, DGP Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and other senior officers will pay their respects to the martyrs, he said.

It is to be noted that the ghastly attacks in 2008 had lasted for four days killing 166 people and injuring over 300 as the terrorists 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.

The second site of the attack was the Nariman House business and residential complex and the third site to come under attack 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 was Oberoi-Trident hotel.

The attack and siege finally culminated on the morning of November 29. 2008, after the National Security Guards (NSG) secured the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

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.

In May 2018, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also asserted that terrorists sent by Pakistan were responsible for the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed over 160 lives.

(With agency inputs)