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Wounds heal
But scars remain |
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| Download Pdf for 26/11 Mumbai.. |
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| Wockhardt Foundation pays tribute to the spirit of positive thinking and progressive mindset of Mumbaikars a year after that fateful day, 26 November 2008. Here is a collage of the happenings with all their mind-boggling ramifications and how the situation is still evolving surely for the better as we get ready to move into 2010. Hats off to Mumbaikars. |
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That fateful day: Mumbai rocked by deadly attacks, screamed a BBC headline 0n 26-27 November 2008. It went on: Gunmen have carried out a series of co-ordinated attacks across the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay), killing 101 people and injuring 287 more. At least seven high-profile locations were hit in India's financial capital, including two luxury hotels where dozens of hostages are being held. The buildings are now ringed by troops. Gunmen are also said to be holding people captive in an office block.
As day broke in Mumbai, the situation on the ground was still confused with reports of gunfire and explosions at between seven and 16 locations. The city's main commuter train station, a hospital, a restaurant and two hotels - locations used by foreigners as well as local businessmen and leaders - were among those places caught up in the violence. Commandos surrounded the two hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi Trident, where it is believed that the armed men are holding dozens of hostages.
In other developments:
• Fire crews evacuate people from the upper floors of the Taj Mahal Palace, where police say a grenade attack caused a blaze
• The head of Mumbai's anti-terrorism unit and two other senior officers are among those killed, officials say
• The White House holds a meeting of top intelligence and counter-terrorism officials, and pledges to help the Indian government
• Trading on India's Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange markets remained closed on Thursday.
Gunmen opened fire at about 2300 local time on Wednesday at the sites in southern Mumbai. "The terrorists have used automatic weapons and in some places grenades have been lobbed," said AN Roy, police commissioner of Maharashtra state. Local TV images showed blood-splattered streets, and bodies being taken into ambulances.
One eyewitness told the BBC he had seen a gunman opening fire in the Taj Mahal's lobby. "We all moved through the lobby in the opposite direction and another gunman then appeared towards where we were moving and he started firing immediately in our direction." One British tourist said she spent six hours barricaded in the Oberoi hotel. "There were about 20 or 30 people in each room. The doors were locked very quickly, the lights turned off, and everybody just lay very still on the floor," she said.
A BBC correspondent outside the landmark Taj Mahal Palace said there were gunshots between police and the armed men, and that 11 officers were killed in the skirmishes. Eyewitness reports suggest the attackers singled out British and American passport holders. The motive was far from clear - but the attacks come amid elections in several Indian states, including in disputed Kashmir.
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| TERROR ATTACKS IN INDIA IN 2008 |
| • 30 October: Explosions kill at least 64 in north-eastern Assam |
| • 30 September: Blasts in western India kill at least seven |
| • 27 September: Bomb blasts kills one in Delhi |
| • 13 September: Five bomb blasts kill 18 in Delhi |
| • 26 July: At least 22 small bombs kill 49 in Ahmedabad |
| • 25 July: Seven bombs go off in Bangalore killing two people |
| • 13 May: Seven bomb hit markets and crowded streets in Jaipur killing 63 |
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A month later :
Exactly a month later, CNN IBN reported on the goings on in the city in a new mood: 173 people died and several injured as terrorists attacked key landmarks in the city. On November 26, 2008, 10 terrorists arrived by the sea route and launched attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi Hotel, the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe and the Jewish community's Chabad House. The terrorists were killed only after a three-day-long hostage drama during which many guests at the two hotels, three top cops and two NSG commandos died.
The Mumbai attack saw former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil lose their jobs. Indo-Pakistan tensions have risen after Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive during the attacks, was found to be a citizen of Pakistan. Even though Pakistan has strongly refuted that claim, Kasab himself has confessed that. Kasab is in judicial custody till January 6.
Christmas Day newspapers hailed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his comments Tuesday that there was "no question of war" with Pakistan despite the Mumbai terror attacks for which New Delhi has blamed Pakistani terrorists, triggering tensions between the two countries. But amid reports of Pakistani troop deployment along the border with India, Gilani told reporters that his coalition government desired "excellent relations" with its larger neighbour. "There is no question of war. There is absolutely no question of war," he said in Lahore, the biggest Pakistani city closest to India.
At the same time, Gilani urged the world to convince India to defuse the situation that followed the audacious Nov 26-29 Mumbai terror that left at least 170 people dead, including 26 foreigners. "We had good relations with India. I assure you that we want excellent relations with India. We want to maintain good relations with India," said the prime minister. "In my assessment, there will be no war."
Pakistan continued to insist that it had nothing to do with Mohammed Amir Ajmal 'Kasab'. A Pakistani official said there was no record of any Ajmal 'Kasab' and so there was no question of granting him consular access as requested by the man who India insists is a Pakistani member of the Jaish-e-Mohammad group. In his comments, Prime Minister Gilani said the Pakistani government and the army were assessing the situation vis-à-vis India. He was asked about India's persisting demand that Pakistan move against terrorists linked to Mumbai. "If India provides solid proof of the Mumbai attacks, we'll act accordingly," he said.
Six months later :
According to PTI (24 May 2009), drawing lessons from the 26/11 terror strikes, hospitals in the city were equipping themselves to deal with emergency situations, an area in which they were found deficient during the attacks. Six months after the attacks, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) was entrusted with the task of emergency planning and gearing up both private and government hospitals to tackle man-made and natural emergency conditions.
Apart from grappling with the problem of huge patient intake in municipal and government hospitals, MCGM is giving emphasis to safe building structures, escape routes, evacuation areas, fire-fighting facilities and security of patients and doctors in the event of an attack, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kishore Gajbhiye said.
Apart from grappling with the problem of huge patient intake in municipal and government hospitals, MCGM is giving emphasis to safe building structures, escape routes, evacuation areas, fire-fighting facilities and security of patients and doctors in the event of an attack, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kishore Gajbhiye said.
The first 21-storeyed hospital building, which is under construction, will be ready by December 2010 or March 2011. Restoration of the heritage building housing the college in KEM hospital premises is also being carried out to improve the safety conditions for the patients during normal as well during emergency conditions, Oak said. "We are also insisting on crowd management in the existing hospital structure. CCTVs installed in the hospital after 26/11 attacks have helped to nab thieves," he said. KEM hospital manages 1,800 in-patients, 5,500 outpatients and 20,000 visitors daily.
Dr Gustad Daver, Medical Director of P D Hinduja Hospital said there was a need for collective responsibility of the hospitals in the city. During emergencies, distribution of patients to private hospitals has become a reality after serial train bomb blasts in 2006 and 26/11 to reduce the burden on the state-owned hospitals, but this practice should continue, he said. Some doctors and building experts suggested that efforts should be made to decongest hospitals by staggered arrangement for visitors and patients' relatives.
Prevent a cyber 26/11 :
Ankit Fadia’s online writing (TOI, 5 April 2009) is an eye opener for all of us. WE share it with you for the benefit of all Mumbaikars. The rising threat of terrorism has led to unprecedented levels of security at Indian airports, railway stations, hotels, ports etc. But the government does not seem to see the bigger threat, which will not come from AK-47s, bombs and rifles. The next big attack will be come from terrorists in the cyber world.
We live in a technologically interconnected world. Most of us cannot imagine even a single day without our cell phones, internet and ATMs. There is hardly any distinction between where our bodies end and technology begins. Would it be surprising then, if terrorists choose to attack India via the internet?
Let me share some facts about how real and damaging that threat can be If a terrorist group were to attack our stock market and financial infrastructure, it would cause widespread panic and losses to millions of people and organizations. Imagine yourself running helplessly from one ATM to another, trying to withdraw money from your account, only to find that the attack has forced banks to suspend online transactions.
Likewise, our telecom infrastructure. If it were flooded with malicious data, business and personal life would grind to a standstill. Terrorists could also target India's top businesses, hacking into their systems, stealing valuable intellectual property, sensitive information and company secrets. Even military networks can be targeted.
These scenarios are not from a Bollywood flick, but tangible threats that loom large. In May 2007, Estonia — a small but technologically sophisticated Baltic country — fell victim to a cyber attack. The unidentified terrorists bombarded the country's network with data traffic, clogging it and rendering major services unusable. People were not able to access financial utilities, communications and data services for several hours and some, for days together. What stops cyber terrorists from launching similar attacks in India?
Very little because, despite being an infotech power, India lags on cyber security. Neither the government, nor the private sector is adequately prepared to face a cyber attack. We have the necessary laws in place, but they are futile in the absence of trained security experts and police officials to enforce them. Recently, I was at a conference in the Capital, attended by numerous Delhi Police officials. During the question-answer session, one police official asked me: "All this is fine Mr Ankit, but yeh internet ki building kidhar hai?" According to him, the internet was a huge building and, in order to protect it from cyber terrorists, the police had simply to stand all around it, holding rifles and lathis to fight off viruses, worms and criminals! If this is the state of affairs in the police department of the national capital, one can't even begin to imagine the way it is in other cities.
The fact that few engineering colleges in India offer courses on cyber security is a major reason for the lack of cyber experts. The result is that when a private company website gets hacked, the incident is brushed under the carpet lest its brand image is tarnished. Worse, it's considered normal for most Indian government websites to get hacked regularly.
But the lack of trained professionals and a lax attitude are the least of India's concerns. The internet has no boundaries and allows cyber terrorists to hide behind geographic, political and diplomatic clouds. It is easy for a criminal to hide behind proxy servers and bounce off systems in unfriendly countries to stop security agencies from tracing the culprits. The dynamic nature of cyber security, coupled with the obsolete techniques used by the Indian forces, means it is a losing battle for India.
Let's not wait for a cyber 26/11 to happen. A willingness to make changes, a proactive approach with some nimble execution can fix the chinks in India's cyber security and drastically improve our preparedness to fight a cyber war.
Still vulnerable a year later :
A day after Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud warned that India was the next stop for Taliban fighters, home minister P Chidambaram admitted that the country remains vulnerable to a Mumbai-style terror attack because neighbouring Pakistan is struggling to rein in the Islamist groups blamed for last year's deadly assault.
The home minister, however, made it clear that any new attack would be met with a "swift and decisive" response. "My assessment of the vulnerability is that it has remained the same since 26/11. It has not diminished nor has it enhanced", Chidambaram said in an interview to a news agency.
Mehsud, a day before, was shown telling a TV news channel about the threat. Clearly stating about his grand plan, the chief of Taliban fighters, who has put the Pakistani authorities on their toes through a series of terror attacks in the past 10 days, had said: "We want an Islamic state. If we get that (in Pakistan), then we will go to the borders and help fight the Indians."
Though Chidambaram in his interview did not refer to what Mehsud had said, he did refer to the string of attacks in Pakistan in which more than 100 people died and said: "What happened is a matter of great concern." On India's preparedness to deal with such a situation, Chidambaram said: "Our capacity to deal with it (the terrorist threat) has increased significantly... If there is another terror attack of the kind we saw in 26/11, India's response will be swift and decisive."
Indian intelligence agencies have long been getting inputs that the terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed -- which are quite close to the Taliban and have even provided some support to them along Pakistan's western border -- are planning to attack different targets in India the way they did it in Mumbai last year. Recent inputs have also indicated that Pakistan is planning to push in as many as 60 surrendered Taliban -- mostly Punjabi Taliban fighters affiliated to outfits like JeM -- across the LoC into Jammu and Kashmir.
On the issue of Pakistan's stand on taking action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack -- mainly LeT's founder Hafiz Saeed, Chidambaram was quoted as saying by the news agency that "even if they (the Pakistan government) wish to take action against the masterminds of 26/11, they perhaps do not have the capacity to take action." He said: "That incapacity could encourage some wild elements, some rogue elements, to become adventurous... I am sure they (the terrorists) are planning (more attacks on India), but to what extent there is overt state support I cannot say...my guess is that state support is not there to the degree it was there in 2008." (TNN 17 October 2009)
Wockhardt Foundation :
Our mission is to work towards and fight for the upliftment of the poor, weak, and needy. To accomplish our mission, we have an army of Warriors, who take the following pledge when they join the Foundation: "I am a true fighter, I will commit my time and my efforts for the upliftment of the poor, weak and needy."
Wockhardt Foundation is governed by the following philosophies which give it "moral" and "spiritual" guidance
• Service to man is service to God
• We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give
• A candle loses nothing when it is used to light another candle
• Where every smile counts
• Wish for others what you wish for yourself
• The poor don’t need pity, they need help
• Mankind is one family dependant on God, and the most beloved to God is the one most beneficial to it
• Poverty somewhere is a threat to prosperity elsewhere
• When you help others, you help yourself the most, because God grants you peace and happiness
• A life of giving is the only life worth living
• What you give in charities, comes back to you multiplied many times over
On this solemn occasion of the first anniversary of the terror attacks on Mumbai, Wockhardt Foundation pledges its solidarity with the indomitable spirit of the true Mumbaikar, a Warrior like our own, who will relentlessly march forward for the betterment of the society, overcoming all odds in the process. Long live this true spirit. Jai Mumbai! Jai Maharashtra! |
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