Mumbai Under Siege - Jaico Publishing House

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Prologue Lest We Forget Mumbai will perhaps never forget the night of November 26, 2008. It took only a few minutes for this city, known for its never-say-die attitude and a vibrant nightlife, to turn into the city of Death. Making their way to Mumbai from Karachi in Pakistan, ten fidayeens used the cover of darkness to sneak into the city and mercilessly kill 165 innocents, including a top cop from the anti-terror cell of the Mumbai police. This terrible incident not only exposed various chinks in the Indian security system, but also showed how uncaring authorities are about the lives of common people. This was not the first time that the city was ravaged so brutally. Just two years ago, in 2006, a series of bomb blasts ripped apart the lifeline of Mumbai – the local trains – killing more than 174 people who were making their way home after work.
viii Mumbai Under Siege No lessons were learnt either from 2006 or from any other terror attack on the city and in other parts of the country. One feels that there would perhaps be no takeaways from the 26/11 attack as well. Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India with its people welcoming migrants irrespective of their caste, creed, religion etc. Though there are a few politicians who try to sow the seeds of enmity based on language, and religion, most Mumbaikars prefer to mind their own business. Mumbai generates so much income in a year that it contributes to almost 40 per cent of the country’s tax kitty. No wonder then, the city is known as the financial capital of the country. The city is home to billionaires, slum dwellers, and millions belonging to the working class. Over six million people travel to work every day by trains, buses, and private transport. The standard of living for the majority is not very good, and yet they come to work with a smile every day. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) fidayeens brought the city to its knees by attacking Leopold Café, a popular restaurant and bar frequented by western tourists; the most luxurious and expensive hotels – The Taj and Oberoi-Trident – regular haunts for the city’s glitterati and corporate bigwigs; and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a heritage structure and one of the most crowded and busiest railway stations in the world. They also killed a rabbi and his wife at Nariman House, home to a few members of the orthodox Jewish group, Chabad Lubavitch.
Page 1 and 2: Mumbai Under Siege 26/11—What Hap
Page 3 and 4: Dedication This book is dedicated t
Page 5: vi Mumbai Under Siege it comes to t
Page 9 and 10: x Mumbai Under Siege sipping beer a
Page 11 and 12: Contents Acknowledgments v Prologue
Page 13 and 14: 1 A Fidayeen Caught Alive The peren
Page 15 and 16: A Fidayeen Caught Alive 3 The silen
Page 17 and 18: A Fidayeen Caught Alive 5 Inspector

Mumbai Under Siege - Jaico Publishing House

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