November 26: Remembering Mumbai Terror Attacks of 2008 (26/11)

The day November 26, 2008, will go down as one of India’s darkest as it was “26/11,” the date when coordinated attacks by terrorists happened in Mumbai leaving a mark in the country.

Within a span of four days, 10 terrorists had attacked various prominent locations in the city, which included the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident, Nariman House, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. More than 170 killed in the rampage, the majority of whom were civilians, security personnel, and foreign nationals; hundreds more wounded.

A City Under Siege
The scale and brazenness of the attacks amazed the globe. The assailants, associated with the Pakistan-based militant network Lashkar-e-Taiba, used guns and bombs to mount their attack, taking hostages and creating havoc in Mumbai. Especially, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel had become synonymous with the tragedy: it was badly damaged while the security personnel labored day and night to eliminate the attackers.
In this ocean of terror, heroic stories began to surface. The security personnel, the National Security Guard and Mumbai Police, were in a deadly battle as they attempted to rescue the hostages and put an end to the nightmare. There were incredible stories as well that of civilians and staff members of the hotel, on being confronted with peril, risked everything in order to assist and have other lives saved as well.
November 26 every year makes the country walk in solemn tributes to the heroes and victims of 26/11. Memorial services, candlelight vigils, and public functions throughout the country pay their respects and reaffirm the country’s strength.

The attack was also a wake-up call that led to dramatic changes in India’s counter-terror efforts and further strengthened global cooperation against terrorism.

Let us observe this day as a testament to the strength of the human spirit against adversity and to keep on striving for a safer, unified world for everybody.