It’s that time of the year again when we mark the date of a terrible event, when 10 gunmen, quite literally strolled into Mumbai and went on a killing spree that left 166 people dead and more than 300 injured. The attack shook the nation and created an environment of chaos in India's financial capital Mumbai.
Let’s take a look back at how the events unfolded on that fateful night and the course of the probe.
What happened that night
On Nov 23, 10 gunmen left port from Karachi, Pakistan, hijacking a fishing trawler mid-sea and landing near Mumbai's Cuffe Parade on the evening of Nov 26. These gunmen split into groups and went ahead towards their pre-decided targets.
The targeted places were landmarks picked based on their popularity and crowd levels. The highest number of casualties was at Chhatrapati Shivaji railway terminus, where 58 people were killed in indiscriminate firing.
The number of casualties at other places includes the Taj Hotel where 37 were killed, Trident hotel saw 30 people gunned down, 77 at the Leopold café, and 7 at Nariman House, a Jewish center. Some foreign nationals were also among the dead.
India’s counter attack
NSG commandos descended from helicopters onto the roof of Nariman House and killed the terrorists, securing the property by November 28. The siege at the Taj was the longest, lasting until November 29, when an NSG operation brought it to an end. 250 people were evacuated from the Oberoi, 300 from the Taj, and 60 from Nariman House by the NSG.
Pakistan’s role
Wireless communications intercepted during the raid revealed that the terrorists were receiving orders from handlers in a Pakistani control center. They were also watching TV footage to see how the forces were moving. Once this was discovered, the hotels' TV connections were cut.
Heroes we lost that night
Mumbai's security forces suffered losses, including some senior brass officials. On that night, ATS chief Hemant Karkare, encounter expert Vijay Salaskar, and ACP Ashok Kamte were among those killed in uniform.
Ajmal Kasab
Only one terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, was apprehended alive thanks to police officer Tukaram Ombale's bravery. In the process, he made the ultimate sacrifice. The NSC Trident and Nariman House were also destroyed.
Ajmal Kasab’s interrogation
The terrorists were from the Lashkar e-Taiba, according to Ajmal Kasab's interrogation. The scheme was devised in Pakistan, and the assailants spent 18 months training in Muzaffarabad, Pok, before setting sail from Karachi.
Islamabad agreed to participate in the probes once the Pakistani ties were revealed. Following initial denials, Pakistan acknowledged that the attackers were Pakistanis and filed criminal charges. The amount of complexity in the attacks led Indian authorities to believe Pakistani authorities were involved, which Islamabad denied.
Justice is still pending
Pakistan detained Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and other masterminds of the attacks in response to international pressure. The case made little headway, however, due to multiple judges recusing themselves from the trial and Pakistan's unwillingness to see the matter through.
David Coleman Headley was convicted of participating in the attacks and sentenced to 35 years in prison in the United States. After a fair trial, Ajmal Kasab was hanged on November 21, 2012 at Pune's Yerawada jail.
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