Aamchi Mumbai Ep. 9

Terror Attacks in Mumbai

Mumbai is always a place for everything right from education, jobs, entertainment, politics, culture etc. However, this city in India is also a place for numerous unnatural adversities such as terror attacks. In a densely populated region, which is also the financial capital of the nation, Mumbai has faced bad times but still stood up strong and this marks the spirit of the city.  On the day of 26/11 attacks of Mumbai, I pay humble tribute to the dedicated Officers, who have sacrificed their lives in successfully nabbing  the terrorists for the safety of each and every Mumbaikar. 

• The disastrous eve of 26/11 :

Mumbai shuddered on 26th November 2008, when the heinous terrorist attacks occurred across the city. 10 members of Pakistan based Islamist terrorist organization, 'Laskar-e-Taiba' carried out coordinated shootings & bombings in 12 prominent places of Mumbai. A total of 175 people lost their lives in the inhumane attacks & more than 300 people were severely wounded. The attacks were well organised in the crowded places such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, The Taj Hotel, Leopold Cafe, Oberoi Trident in Nariman point, Metro Cinema, St. Xavier's college, Nariman house and Cama Hospital. The hospital was targeted to incite fear in the minds of people, who would visit hospitals to treat the injured in the bombings. Entire city was in turmoil for the 4 days from 26th Nov to 29th Nov 2008. The terrorists were fully equipped with weapons such as RDX, IEDs, AK-47, Grenades etc. The attack started at 8 pm on 26th, when 10 members in speedboats came ashore at two locations in Colaba. The main attacker & the only surviving terrorist among the 10, Ajmal Kasab was just 21 years old, when he undertook this dubious mission. The  Mumbai police indeed made commendable efforts in handling the situation. The Police Officer, Tukaram Omble died when he caught Ajmal Kasab red handed. The team of Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad, National Security Guards (NSGs), the Marine Commandos and the Bomb Detection squad were alert & watchful towards the entire scenario and helped many civilians to escape from the danger. Some of the dedicated Officers unfortunately lost their lives, while saving the Mumbaikars. Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police, Hemant Karkare was martyred during the attacks and was honoured with the 'Ashok Chakra' in 2009. Other martyrs were, Ashok Kamte, V. Salaskar, ASI Omble, Assistant Police Inspector Shashank Shinde and Constable Ambadas Ramchandra Pawar, and the NSG commandos like Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Havaldar Gajender Singh Bisht etc. They are and will be the real  Heroes of Mumbai, who saved the city at the cost of their lives. Let us not only remember the horrors, but also the heroes. Ultimately, Ajmal Kasab was hung till death on 21 November 2012 for being guilty of 80 offences with the motive of Islamic terrorism. The attacks of 26/11 has created deep wounds in the hearts of many while the city of dreams as usual bounced back strong once again within couple of days.

• Mumbai Locals blast in 2006:

The 2006 train blasts happen to be one of the deadliest attacks in Mumbai, where the lifeline of Mumbai - Mumbai Local train networks were targeted. It was a series of 7 blasts, which took place on 11 July 2006 within span of 11 minutes during the rush hours of evening around 6:30 pm. Local trains in Mumbai are the most crowded ones so these bombings killed around 210 people and injured 700 and more. The bombs were placed in the pressure cooker by the terror outfits of 'Laskar-e-Taiba' and Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI). 

The bombs exploded at or in the near vicinity of the suburban railway stations of Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar and Borivili. The members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India were the key conspirators of the bombings. Following the catastrophic events, the entire city especially the stations and airports were on high alert. The attacks were planned on the local trains, as there is no high security present. The culprits were sentenced to death in 2015.

• 1993 Bombay Bombings :

After the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the communal violence attained a different level altogether. Retaliating the above mentioned incident, the Islamic gangster/mafia organisation, D-company under Dawood Ibrahim blasted the Mumbai city which killed around 257 innocent civilians and more than 1,400 injuries were reported. On 12th march 1993, there was seen a grand exploding in the basement of Bombay Stock Exchange building. As a result, the building was severely damaged. Within 2 hours, total 12 bombs exploded in Mumbai, which were kept in unattended cars. Bombs loaded with RDX were strapped onto scooters and in the suitcases abandoned in public places. All activated by a timer, from 15 to 30 minutes’ difference. Major locations such as Fishermen Colony in Mahim causeway, Juhu, Zaveri Bazaar in Fort, Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar, Worli etc were attacked. The massive clamorous events in March 1993 had created a trauma in the atmosphere of the city, which was not forgotten shortly. 

This is not the last, Mumbai has suffered a lot more attacks, but the above ones were the most dangerous & has made a ruinous impact on the city. As people of Mumbai believe, " कितीही संकटं आली, तरीही मुंबई कधी थांबली नाही आणि थांबणार नाही! " (Let any crises come, Mumbai has never stopped and will never stop) 

Today on 26/11 let us remember the brave personnel & humbly bow down to their sacrifices, because it's wisely said, " A martyr does not die when he is shot, but when he is forgotten. "

Till then goodbye. See you all in the next episode of the series

#Shambhavi'sTakeOnMumbai #AamchiMumbai

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