The seventh anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which had claimed lives of 166 people and left hundreds injured, would be observed on Thursday.
The Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police will pay homage to the martyrs of the terror attack. The then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare, army Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai's Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar were among those killed in the attack on the financial hub of the country
"A programme will start at 8 am, in which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, other ministers as well as the city police chief Ahmed Javed will pay homage at the 26/11 memorial at Police Gymkhana in Marine Drive," said DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists had arrived by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at people killing 166, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others, besides damaging property worth crores of rupees.
The attack had begun on 26 November and lasted until 29 November. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Nariman House Jewish community centre were some of the places targetted by the terrorists.
Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.
The terror attack on Paris on November 13 had brought back the memories of the Mumbai carnage, as people found a similar pattern in the execution of attack -- the timing of the attack, style of combating by coming in a group, selection of multiple locations, targeting the civilians at places of gathering or iconic spots, targeting of international tourists, among other things.
Image: Tourists are seen in front of the Taj Mahal hotel, which was one of the targets of the November 26, 2008 attacks, in Mumbai. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters