Since a string of four days of terrorist assaults rocked Mumbai in November 2008, 26/11 is now remembered as a sad day in Indian history. On Sunday, which is 14 years to the day, 12 planned shootings and explosions occurred in the city at well-known sites including Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Oberoi Trident, Taj Palace, and Tower, among others.
As part of the celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, the Israeli embassy in New Delhi released a statement designating Lashkar-e-Aiba as a terrorist organization. Nine terrorists linked to Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were shot dead, while the tenth, Kasab, was apprehended. The assault claimed the lives of 166 people in total, including foreigners and security officers. November 21, 2012, saw his hanging after he was found guilty and given the death penalty.
The events that transpired on that fatal day are listed in the following timeline:
November 26, 2008: On speedboats, ten young guys from Pakistan who are “managed” arrive in Mumbai from Karachi. With remarkable speed, they dispersed: two terrorists heading inside the Trident, two towards the Taj, and four towards Nariman House.
Ismail Khan, another terrorist, and Kasab attack the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and begin shooting at random, killing people and spreading fear. The two then go to Cama Hospital, where they ambush and murder six police officers, among them Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar, and Hemant Karkare, who was the chief of the anti-terror team at the time.
They attempt to escape after taking over the vehicle, but the cops stop them. Khan is killed in the shootout, but Kasab is taken prisoner. One another police officer falls victim to death.
Mumbai locals and Indians nationwide will never forget this day because of the terrifying sight of smoke rising from the Taj Hotel.
A rudimentary RDX device planted in front of a police checkpoint allows two of the four terrorists, Abdul Rehman Bada and Abu Ali, to get to the main entrance. They are equipped with grenades, ammo, and AK-47s. As they approach the lobby area, they begin shooting randomly.
Two additional terrorists, Shoaib and Umer, enter the hotel via a separate entrance and begin shooting at patrons in the pool area. Along with a security guy named Ravindra Kumar and his dog, four foreigners are shot and killed.
While guests are crammed together in tiny rooms, attempting to survive, Mumbai police surround the hotel around midnight. Smoke plumes emerge from the structure when the hotel’s central dome is blasted around one in the morning.
Army soldiers and marine commandos encircled the Taj Mahal, Trident, and Nariman House on November 27, 2008. Even as terrorists set fire to a room on the fourth story of the hotel, there are reports of new gunshots.
The commandos conclude their operations at the Trident and Nariman House on November 28, 2008.
November 29, 2008: In Operation Tornado, the NSG is called in and eliminates the last terrorists in the Taj Hotel. During the operation, the assailants inside are dead. While saving commando Sunil Yadav, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was injured; during the Nariman House raid, Sergeant Gajendra Singh Bisht was killed in a protracted shootout.
Honoring the heroic heroes of the Mumbai terror attacks
Sergeant Sandeep Unnikrishnan.
As he battled the terrorists inside the Taj Hotel, NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan honored the Indian Army’s motto: duty before self. With ten commandos, he had stormed the hotel and engaged the assailants in gunfire. The final words Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan likely spoke to his soldiers before he was shot and killed while fighting terrorists inside the hotel were, “Do not come up, I will handle them.”
He subsequently received an Ashoka Chakra from the government in recognition of his valor.
Omble Tukaram.
Ajmal Kasab was arrested because of Tukaram Omble, an assistant sub-inspector of the Mumbai police.
He and his group were manning a checkpoint on November 26 when two terrorists in a vehicle that had been taken over approached them. Following a first gunfight, Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists, climbed out of the vehicle and laid down to seem to be in a surrendering position, while the other terrorist perished inside the vehicle. Kasab stood up and attempted to shoot at the unarmed Omble that was approaching him. Omble positioned himself in front of Kasab and gripped the rifle’s barrel to stop the rounds from hitting anybody else except him. The rest of the crew managed to subdue and capture Kasab during this time. Omble received over 40 shots from an AK-47 at close range, and he did not survive.
He received the Ashoka Chakra, which is India’s highest gallantry award during peacetime, posthumously from the government in honor of his extraordinary bravery.
Manoj Karkare.
Fighting terrorists near Cama Hospital in south Mumbai, the head of the Anti-Terrorist Squad was shot three times in the chest.
Later on, Julio Rebeiro, the former commissioner of police in Mumbai, was cited as stating, “Karkare was one of the greatest police officers in Maharashtra and I dare say in India.”
The Ashok Kamte.
When Ashok Kamte was murdered during the terror attacks, he was overseeing the Eastern area of the Mumbai Police as the Additional Commissioner. Despite the fact that his part of the East Zone was not being attacked, he had volunteered to help during the assaults.
Fighting terrorists in the tiny street in south Mumbai between St Xaviers College and Rang Bhavan, he too was murdered.
Vijay Salaskar.
Chief of the Anti-Extortion Cell and an encounter expert, Vijay Salaskar, was also killed in the course of duty during the Mumbai attacks. During questioning, arrested terrorist Ajmal Kasab acknowledged Salaskar’s passing.
He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra by the government on January 26, 2009, in recognition of his valor.
Hawaldar Gajendra Singh.
Among the NSG commandos who abseiled to the top of Nariman House, where terrorists were keeping at least six hostages, was Hawaladar Gajendra Singh. At the hostage scene, the terrorists opened fire on the crew. Terrorists also threw a couple of explosives at the commandos. His last act of selflessness enabled the NSG squad to take the lead and win the battle.
Israel’s action in advance of the 26/11 anniversary
Israel has designated Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist group headquartered in Pakistan, as a “terror organization” ahead of the 15th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
To mark the 15th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, the Israeli embassy in New Delhi released a statement designating Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terrorist organization by the State of Israel.
The statement read, “Despite not receiving a request to do so from the Government of India, the State of Israel has officially completed all relevant processes and has met all necessary checks and regulations.”
Israel took this action after requesting that India designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Israeli ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, said last month at a press conference that it is now time for India to outlaw Hamas as a terrorist organization, following the lead of several other countries.
A number of nations and organizations have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization, including the US, UK, European Union, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
Published by : Reshraman