16 Years Of 26/11: Revisiting The Mumbai Terror Attacks That Shook India's Financial Capital
On 26th November 2008, Mumbai was attacked by 10 Pakistani-backed terrorists, killing 166 people and injuring over 300. The terrorists targeted the Taj Hotel, The Oberoi, and CSMT railway terminus.
It has been 16 years since the brutal terrorist attack on the Indian soil by a Pakistani-backed terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). However, the scars still run very deep into the heart of every Indian person. The whole of India was mourning on that day, which killed nearly 166 people and over 300 got injured. The country still mourn that day which left hundreds of families orphaned/widowed. At the same time, we also honour the sacrifice of our army, police, commandos whose valour keep our borders and city safe.
A Revisit
It was November 26, 2008. The financial capital Mumbai, which is also known as Mayanagri (A city of dreams), was besieged by 10 LeT terrorist who then created chaos on the streets of the city, killed innocent people, took hostages, attacked public and private properties, and above all, challenged the sovereignty and integrity of India.
A few days before the attack, the terrorists, heavily loaded with arms and ammunition, departed in a boat from Karachi, Pakistan, and sneaked into the Indian territory via sea route. In between, the terrorists hijacked an Indian fishing ship and ordered them to sail towards Mumbai.
After landing in Mumbai on November 26, they got split and moved in different directions. Some of them headed towards famous places of Mumbai, like Tata-owned Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and The Oberoi-Trident.
However, terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was caught alive later, went to create havoc at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station.
What happened at the Taj, the Oberoi and Nariman Point:
The Taj Mahal Palace
Remember the image of a huge plume of smoke coming out from the dome of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. This image explains the intensity of the attack on that place.
As per The Indian Express, two terrorists, Umer and Shoib, entered the Taj, and started killing people, which included foreign tourists. However, by midnight, the Mumbai Police surrounded the area, while the hotel staff started the evacuation of guests to a safer room inside the hotel.
The following day, a team of Commandos reached Mumbai, and evacuation was started. On November 29, the Taj Hotel was cleared of all the terrorists. Thirty-three people lost their lives during this attack in the Taj.
The Oberoi
After killing the guard at the entrance of the hotel, the terrorist entered the place and started firing on the hotel management team. They killed two Thai masseuses too. Evacuation took place in batches, however, it was on November 28 that the rescue came to an end. Over 20 bodies were recovered and 143 hostages were rescued alive.
Nariman Point
The terrorist targeted Chabad House (run by Jewish Community) late at night on November 26. The National Security Guards (NSG) entered the area from the terrace of the building and the rescue operation was carried out. The operation was successful on November 28. However, the owner of the house, Rabbi, his wife and five hostages were found dead.
CSMT Railway Station
This railway station was the first target of the terrorists. Ajmal Kasab and another terrorist with him killed over 50 people and injured hundreds.
Apart from attacking these places, the terrorists created havoc on other locations also like Leopold Cafe, Vile Parle area, Cama Hospital among others.
The capture of Ajmal Kasab and his hanging
After killing people at the hospital, Kasab was arrested near Girgaum Chowpatty. However, ATS chief Hemant Karkare lost his life.
In 2009, a trial court started hearing the case, and in May 2010 he was sentenced guilty and was awarded the death penalty. The same was upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. After the president of India rejected Kasab’s mercy petition, Kasab was hanged on November 21, 2012.
India also lost its brave soldiers like Hemant Karkare, Tukaram Omble, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, and others. India salutes the bravery of its soldiers.
A separate trial also started in Pakistan, however, it never reached the conclusion. It has been established that LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and co-founder Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi were the masterminds of the Mumbai attack.
After-Effects Of 26/11
India has always said that, ‘Cross Border Terror Acts from Pakistan’ and ‘Talks with Pakistan on peace’ will not continue. India is constantly putting pressure on Pakistan to punish the culprits of 26/11. Along with this, India has also severed ties with Pakistan to play cricket bilateral series with them.
Movies On 26/11
Over the years, many movies have also been released on screen which narrated the horrifying stories of the 26/11 attack. One of the movies which received worldwide critical acclaim for aptly capturing the ghastly attack on India was by film director Ram Gopal Verma, ‘The Attacks of 26/11’. The lead roles were played by Nana Patekar, Atul Kulkani, among others.
Other movies include, Shahid, Mumbai Diaries and Hotel Mumbai.
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