India pays homage to Mumbai victims
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At 08:00 a.m. local time, Mumbai Police began a flag march from Nariman point to Girgaum Chowpatty in the central part of the city.
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Indian children take part in a candle light vigil to commemorate victims of last year's Mumbai carnage on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Kolkata, capital of eastern Indian state West Bengal, Nov. 26, 2009. [Tumpa Mondal/Xinhua] |
Former Maharashtra director general of police S.S. Virk, former Mumbai Police commissioner M.N. Singh, Samajwadi Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Abu Asim Azmi also attended the flag march ceremony at the Oberoi Trident.
Combat mobile vehicles of Mumbai police, rapid intervention vehicles, amphibious vehicles, sea raced amphibian marine craft, armored group carrier, high end bomb detection and disposal squad, the quick response team commando and a fleet of armored bullet proof vehicles took part in the flag march.
At least 1.26 billion rupees (25 million U.S. dollars) has been spent in the last one-year for the upgradation of the police infrastructure in Mumbai and the police parade was carried out to allay fears of security men being ill-equipped ever again.
Maharashtra's special force created to combat terror attacks - Force One - also demonstrated a counter terrorism drill to combat the attacks at the Oberoi Trident.
The Force One special drill to combat terrorism at Oberoi Trident is called "Exterior Room Intervention".
The day saw memorial services at hotels Taj and Trident and at Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, sites that were attacked on that Wednesday last year. People from all walks of life paid homage to the victims of the attack in day-long tributes.
Candles were lit at the Trident Hotel in memory of those killed there after hours of being held hostage last year. At the CST station, with the Railway Police standing by, people came and paid their respects through the day.
A blood donation camp was also held at the CST. Prayers began at the station with porters, railwaymen and others connected with the station laying wreaths, some in tears, all saying they shall never forget the day.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was an early visitor to the CST station, one of the first sites that Jamal Ajmal alias Kasab, the only of the 10 terrorists caught alive and now languishing in prison awaiting verdict, and his now dead partner Abu Ismail attacked. Fifty two people died here at their hands, spattering the ground of the platforms and waiting halls with blood.
At another main site of the attacks, the Taj Mahal Hotel, a large number of children gathered to pay tributes to the innocent lives lost in the attacks.
The Taj under attack was one of the defining images of the Mumbai attacks. Thirty one people were killed in the hotel that night, including 10 employees.
Prayers were also offered at the Nariman House, where six people including a Jewish Rabbi and his wife were held hostage in a 45-hour siege and then killed by terrorists.
Mumbai's prominent landmarks like the Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, Oberoi Trident, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and Nariman House fell prey to the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist operatives.
Several brave officers of the Mumbai Police force like Joint Commissioner of Police, Anti-Terrorist Squad, Hemant Karkare, Police Inspector, Anti Extortion Cell, Vijay Salaskar and Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte fell prey to the bullets.
The National Security Guards (NSG) and Marine Commandos, summoned to bring the situation under control, also lost its two personnel, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Commando Gajendra Singh.
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