NEW DELHI: Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba has said that India is better prepared and organised to repel a rerun of the 26/11 terror attacks. Exactly ten years back, ten heavily armed terrorists from Pakistan struck the heart of Mumbai and held the city under siege.
Targeting vital public installations and iconic landmarks, they went on a shooting rampage. Over 166 people, including 28 foreigners, were killed in the nearly 60-hour terror siege that sent shock-waves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
The Navy Chief said there has been a paradigm shift in coastal security, as vulnerabilities and risks were fixed and a layered maritime surveillance and security architecture was put in place, making the coastline almost impregnable.
“The country is now better prepared and better organised,” Adm. Lanba told a news agency when asked about possibility of terrorists taking the sea route again to mount a similar attack on India. He said the Indian Navy is now a potent multi-dimensional force, safeguarding the country’s interests in the seas and it is fully prepared to deal with any security challenge.
On November 26, 2008, the terrorists sneaked into Mumbai through the sea. They arrived by a boat from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks on Chattrapati Shivaji railway terminus, the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, the Trident hotel and a Jewish centre after landing ashore. The sites which came under attack are located in Mumbai’s downtown area.
Admiral Lanba, who is also the chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, said critical gaps and vulnerabilities in the country’s coastal infrastructure have been addressed and a robust surveillance network, comprising 42 radar stations linked to a control centre headquartered in Gurugram, has been put in place.
“We now have a multi-layered security architecture for coastal security, involving various agencies including the Coast guard and the Navy,” he said, adding that an overhaul of the coastal defence apparatus was carried out over the last few years.
Nariman house to have memorial in honour of victims
MUMBAI: On the 10 anniversary of 26/11 terror attacks, on Monday, the first phase of a memorial dedicated to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack will be inaugurated at Nariman House in south Mumbai’s Colaba. The Nariman House, was one of the installations which came under attack during the attacks on November 26, 2008.
It’s siege finally ended when NSG commandos storming the building and gunning down two terrorists who had taken its residents hostage. The first phase of the memorial will comprise a plaque on the roof of the building inscribed with the names of those who died in the 26/11 attack.
Living through a nightmare
On the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, which left a bloody trail in the Maximum City and its people with scars which may never really fade, we profile some people who lived through the horror unleashed by ten heavily-armed men from across the border, and, yet, go about their business with the sincerity and dedication, which was unshakeable even in the face of terror
That ‘evil grin’
Ten years after the 26/11 terror attacks, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab’s grin is still etched in Vishnu Zende’s memory. The railway announcer, whose presence of mind saved hundreds of lives, said, “I remember the evil grin on Kasab’s face. He was walking towards the suburban platform,” Zende recalled.
Memories that still haunt
For former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Lalmani Prasad, the haunting memories of that day are still fresh. Prasad, who witnessed the tragedy as it unfolded, said. “I was trapped for nearly 48 hours — from November 26 to November 28 afternoon. I was rescued by NSG commandos,” Prasad said.
Hit badly, but standing firm
Ten years later, owners of the iconic Cafe Leopold, feel it is time to move on from the grim reminders of the attacks. “Enough has been spoken and written about the 26/11 attacks. It is now time to put it all behind our backs. There’s nothing to say any more,” Farhang Jehani, one of the owners, said.
‘Religion misinterpreted’
Still coming to terms with the loss of her uncle, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar, who died battling the terrorists on 26/11, said the attacks were the result of “misinterpretation of religion”. Mansi, Salaskar’s niece, said, “What my family and I witnessed is terrorism in the name of religion and faith.”