On November 26, 2008, ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan arrived through sea and opened fire, killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel, and injuring many during the 60-hour siege in Mumbai.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Hotel, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital and the Nariman House Jewish community centre, now renamed Nariman Light House, were some of the places targeted by the terrorists.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday paid tributes to all those who lost their lives in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the carnage.
"I pay tributes to all those who lost their lives in Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks and convey condolences to their families. Heartfelt tributes to the brave security personnel who faced the terrorists in these attacks. The nation will always be grateful to your bravery and sacrifice," Shah tweeted in Hindi.
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In Mumbai, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Khoshyari paid floral tributes to police officers who laid their lives in the deadly attacks. They laid a wreath at the 26/11 police memorial site in Mumbai Police Gymkhana. They were joined by families of the victims in the premises of the Mumbai Police Commissionerate Office.
Nitin Gadkari, Union Road and Transport Minister, took to Twitter to mourn the loss of lives.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal took note of all the security forces personnel who made the supreme sacrifice and said the nation "will be eternally grateful".
"Heartfelt tributes to the victims & martyrs of 26/11 #MumbaiTerrorAttack & salute to the strength & resilience of people of Mumbai. We will be eternally grateful to all the security forces personnel who valiantly fought & made the supreme sacrifice for Mother India on that day," Goyal tweeted.
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid homage to the victims and applauded "the courage of our security forces, who continue to defend our nation so resolutely" in a tweet.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said it was an occasion to reaffirm our pledge to collectively stand against all forms of terrorist violence.
"I join the nation in paying tribute to the brave martyrs & victims of #MumbaiTerror Attack. We shall never forget their sacrifice & will forever be indebted to them," he said in a tweet.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also took to Twitter to express grief and honour the security personnel and civilians who died in the attacks.
The then Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Mumbai's Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte, Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tukaram Omble were among those killed in the attack.
NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was also killed while fighting the terrorists.
Nine terrorists were later killed by the security forces, including the National Security Guard (NSG), the country's elite commando force.
Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist who was captured alive, was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.
(With inputs from PTI)
