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26/11 Mumbai attacks martyrs remembered

Mumbai - Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis paid floral tributes at the Police Gymkhana at Marine Drive along with senior ministers and top police officers.

Tributes were paid on the seventh anniversary of 26/11 to the martyrs who laid down their lives while battling terrorists on that fateful night in 2008, at several places across Mumbai on Thursday.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis paid floral tributes at the Police Gymkhana at Marine Drive along with senior ministers and top police officers in memory of the martyrs. Many of their family members were also present at the event.
Hemant Karkare, the then chief of the anti-terrorism squad; Ashok Kamte, an additional police commissioner; Vijay Salaskar, an ace shooter and senior officer; Shashank Shinde, a senior inspector; Tukaram Ombale, an assistant inspector; and major Sandeep Unnikirshnan and Gajendra Singh, both of the National Security Guards were killed during the counter terrorism operation.
Ten heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists had sailed to Mumbai from Karachi, landing at a fishing village near Colaba on the night of November 26. They then split into four groups, with one heading for the near-by Taj Mahal hotel, another to the CST station, a third to a Jewish synagogue in Colaba and a fourth to the Trident Hotel in Nariman Point.
The officers were killed on the very first night by a duo, which included Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist to have survived the attack. He was nabbed by Ombale, who was, however, killed by the terrorist. Kasab was tried and convicted of murder, waging a war against the nation, and other charges, and was executed about three years ago.
The remaining terrorists, who were holed up at the Taj, the synagogue and the Trident, were eliminated by NSG commandos over the following 48 hours. But the terrorists had killed 166 people - including 28 foreigners - and injured more than 300 in one of the worst terror attacks on India.
Unfortunately, though huge amounts were invested in beefing up security in Mumbai since 26/11, observers note that the metropolis continues to be vulnerable to attacks from the sea. The Maharashtra government had announced plans to set up an effective system to tackle breaches in coastal security. However, the meagre police presence along the city's coastline, with a few constables idling their time with antiquated weapons reflects the half-hearted attempts at strengthening security.