Mumbai Terrorist attack

Terrorist attack in delhi, terror strikes in ahmedabad and so on.. These are the news we have been hearing way to often these days. But, the attack in Mumbai on Wednesday saw the whole nation shell shocked. Every Indian irrespective of their religion, class, caste and creed has felt the pain along with the mumbaikars.

Blasts at 10 places. Hostage crisis at 3 places. Nearly 150 killed, more than 350 injured of which more than half are severely injured. Chief cops of the ATS, Mumbai police, few NSG officers killed. In a nutshell, this is what has been happened in Mumbai in the last three days.

26^th November, 2008 will be remembered as the day where India faced the worst terrorist attack. This was the day when nearly 20 terrorists, claiming themselves to be from the “Deccan Mujahideen”, have created havoc in the commercial capital of the country. The city which is full of life and always busy came to a stand still. The city which has been the victim of a series of blasts way back in July 2007, was made the target of terror yet again.

Shooting indiscriminately at people, throwing grenades, these were few of the heinous acts done by the terrorists. The places which are always full of people and bustled with activity were made targets and people were ruthlessly killed. The army had to fight a fierce a battle in three places to rescue lives of people who are stuck in theses places.

‘TajMahal Palace and Tower Hotel’: The 105year old building stood there as a silent witness to the fierce battle between the terrorists and the army. 50 hours after the initial bullets were fired, the battle is still on. Though the police say that all the occupants of the taj were brought out, there are supposedly 2 or 3 terrorist who have been firing. The last 48 hours, we have witnessed several parts of the building catch fire and repeated sounds of bullets. A number of people who belonged to different countries have spent hours wondering whether they would survive or not.

‘Oberoi/Trident’: The place which is close to the Bombay stock exchange and a place where a number of business people put in their stay, during their visits to the city is the second target of the terrorists. There were reportedly 380 people including staff at this place when the terrorists strike. The police have saved many people and have managed to take full control of the place by the late Friday night. They were reportedly 30 people dead at this place.

‘Nariman house’: A place which is essentially a rest house for travelling Orthodox Jews. This place has seen the most dramatic sequence of events unfolding throughout these two days. It was in complete blackout yesterday (27^th) night and it saw commandos dropping by from a helicopter. After a ferocious battle the army has managed to finish off the terrorists.

Unanswered Questions: How could the coast guard not sense the terrorists’ arrival? How could so many terrorists enter the country? How could the terrorists bring in such a large amount of ammunition into the country? Why has the intelligence department failed to sense this crime, which was planned at such a large scale of destruction?

For once, the politicians have not played the blame game and have responded unitedly and have sent out a message that India will fight back anyone who pose a threat to its integrity. The last thing any Indian would have wanted is the politician smearing dirt on each other.

Journalists: The effort of a number of national news channels who have arranged for special correspondents at all these three places and have given minute by minute updates right from the ground zero is much appreciated. Though most of the discussions they organize are worthless, they at least help stopping the spread of rumors which can cause havoc among the citizens.

Salute to the Brave heroes: Last but not the least, let’s play our tribute to the Brave hearts, who have sacrificed their lives combating terrorists and tried to safe innocent people like you and me from the clutches of terrorists.

ACF chief, Hemant Karkare: A 1982 batch IPS officer, who has led the maleagaon blast probe.

Additional Commissioner of police, Ashok Kamte: A1989 batch IPS officer, known for his fearless ways in tackling cases.

Encounter specialist, Vijay Salaskar: a 1983 batch of officer, who has killed close to 75 criminals.

A total of 15 people including 2 NSG officers who have laid their lives to fight terror.

Salute to the Indian army and the police force: I stand up and salute the army and the police officials who have kept their lives in danger and rescued numerous people who have been trapped at these places.

Let’s all take a minute off from our lives and pay homage to all those innocent people who have lost their lives for no fault of them. And lets all fight back terror by staying united.