26 November, 2008 is the day India will never be able to erase from its annals of history after 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai. This attack was the one of the deadliest attacks in our country.
Today is the 11th year of the ghastly attack that shook the conscience of the entire country.?
Floral tributes were paid to those who laid down their lives while fighting Pakistani terrorists.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was among the dignitaries who paid homage at the 26/11 police memorial site at Mumbai Police Gymkhana in south Mumbai.
"I pay homage to the brave policemen who fought for Mumbai's safety and laid down their lives for us on 26/11. We are proud of them and we will strive hard for the safety and security of our state," Fadnavis said.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari also paid tributes to the martyrs.
State Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve, and family members of the policemen who lost their lives during the attacks were also present during the ceremony.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid tributes to the victims who lost their lives in the barbaric 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and said he will visit Mumbai to attend a programme at Gateway of India and listen to the 'Stories of Strength' of some of the attacks' survivors.
"My heartfelt tributes to those who lost their lives in 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack. I salute the courage of all security forces who fought fearlessly against the terrorists that day. We also salute the fortitude of the victims' families as they have been an inspiration for us," Singh tweeted.
"I shall be visiting Mumbai to attend a programme organised at the Gateway of India and listen to the 'Stories of Strength' of some of the survivors of Mumbai Terror attack," he said in a follow-up tweet.
Singh underlined that terror is a crime against humanity and will be defeated with firm conviction and collective willpower.
"On the 11th anniversary of Mumbai Attack, let us take a pledge that these sacrifices will not go in vain. Let us collectively ensure that 26/11 is never repeated in future. Terrorism is a crime against humanity and it will be defeated with firm conviction & collective will power," he tweeted.
Netizens also posted their messages for the bravehearts who laid down their lives in the terror attack.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists 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.
The then Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Army Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai's Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte, Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tukaram Omble were among those killed in the attack.
The attacks had begun on November 26 and lasted till November 29.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 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 some of the places targeted by the terrorists.
Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.
Railway officials also laid wreathes at the 26/11 memorial at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, one of the targets of the terror attack.