CM Devendra Fadnavis pays homage to martyrs on seventh anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai attacks

Mumbai: Floral tributes were on Thursday paid to the martyrs who laid down their lives while fighting terrorists who had attacked the city on this day seven years ago. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was among the dignitaries who paid homage at the 26/11 police memorial site at the Mumbai Police Gymkhana in south Mumbai. “I pay homage to the brave policemen who fought for Mumbai’s safety and laid down their lives for us on 26/11. We are proud of them and we will strive hard for safety and security of our state,” Fadnavis said. [caption id=“attachment_2521966” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Twitter[/caption] “We will strengthen police force with better equipment. It is our priority,” he said. Maharashtra Director General of Police Praveen Dixit and Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed also paid rich tributes to the martyrs at the 26/11 memorial. Dixit said, “We re-dedicate ourselves for the noble values including freedom enshrined in the Indian Constitution today on 26 November, 1949.” Family members of the policemen, who lost their lives during the November 2008 attacks, were also present during the ceremony. To mark the seventh anniversary, Mumbai Congress president and a local municipal corporator named a square after home guards officer, Mukesh Jadhav, who fell to a terrorist’s bullet near St. George Hospital on 26/11. Jadhav, 23, was on patrol duty between the main and local railway lines at CST when he suddenly came face-to-face with one of the terrorists who shot him in the chest. Despite being shot, he stumbled to inform the police about the attacks which resulted in saving lives of hundreds of unaware commuters. On Wednesday evening, as part of the Global Peace Initiative, celebrities joined a Walk For Peace along with children in central Mumbai and paid homage to the heroes and victims of the 26/11 attacks. On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists arrived by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at people killing 166, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others, besides damaging property worth crores. The then ATS chief Hemant Karkare, Army Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai’s Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar were among those killed in the attack. The attack had begun on 26 November and lasted until 29 November. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital and the Nariman House Jewish community centre were some of the places targeted by the terrorists. Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on 21 November, 2012. With inputs from PTI and IANS