Remembering  Mumbai Terrorist Attack 26/11 - Dark Day

• 26/11/2008 will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of Mumbai and India. Life in the country financial capital remains paralysed as terrorists hold the city under siege. In a heinous terror attack that the country has seen in recent times, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack.

• Terrorists equipped with heavy machine guns, including AK-47s and grenades to strike at the city's most high-profile targets- the Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) rail terminus; the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the luxury Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point; killing at least 101 and sending hundreds of injured to hospital.

• The attacks have also taken a tragic toll on the city's top police brass: The high-profile chief of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) Hemant Karkare was killed
  

• By midnight, the city was shaken. Mobile networks got jammed as anxious relatives made frantic calls, SMSes. The police were asking people not to venture out and stay home. The Army and the NSG had been called out to lend a helping hand to Mumbai Police. By Thursday morning, the Navy had also been sounded out. For Mumbai and the rest of India, the nightmare had just begun as the Army, Navy and the police trooped in to rescue the hostages.

• Next on the list was the city’s heritage hotel The Taj Mahal Hotel and Tower Palace.
  Terrorists opened indiscriminate fire at police and paramilitary forces outside the hotel between 2215 hrs IST and 2230 hrs IST.
  

• Around 200 guests were holed up inside a hall as they were advised by the hotel staff not to go out because of the attack by terrorists. At the time of writing this, terrorists are still holed up in the hotel’s lobby even as the NSG commandos make their way to evacuate the stranded hostages and capture the terrorists.

• Minutes later, bullets were fired near Oberoi Hotel, now rechristened as Hotel Trident. The majestic five-star hotel is barely a kilometre away from the Taj.

• Life in India’s bustling metropolis came to a standstill. While schools and colleges remained shut, Mumbai University scrapped all examinations. The country’s bustling financial hub, Dalal Street, saw no action as the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange remained shut.

Entry into India
The attackers traveled by sea from Karachi, Pakistan across the Arabian Sea, hijacked the Indian fishing trawler 'Kuber', killing the crew, and then entered Mumbai on a rubber dinghy. The captain of 'Kuber', Amar Singh Solanki, had earlier been imprisoned for six months in a Pakistani jail for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)  attacked by two gunmen, one of whom, Ajmal Kasab, was later caught alive by the police and identified by eyewitnesses. The attacks began 21:30. the two men entered the passenger hall and opened fire, using AK-47 rifles. 52 people Killed and 109 injured.
Assault ending at 22:45.

Leopold Cafe
First sites to be attacked. killing at least 10 people (including some foreigners), and injuring many
more.

Bomb blasts in taxis
Two explosions in taxis The first at 22:40 at Vile Parle,  kiled driver and a passenger. The second at Wadi Bunder between 22:20 and 22:25. Three  killed, and 15 other people were injured.

Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Trident
The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and the Oberoi Trident,  Six explosions at the Taj hotel and one at
the Oberoi Trident.

Nariman House
By the morning of 27 November, the army had secured the Jewish outreach center at Nariman House as well as the Oberoi Trident hotel. They also incorrectly believed that the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers had been cleared of attackers, and soldiers were leading hostages and holed-up guests to safety, and removing bodies of those killed in the attacks.