Three years on, Mumbai mourns 26/11 victims

It's been three years since the deadly terror strike on Mumbai left over 150 people dead and many others injured. Scores of people were scarred for life and many bravehearts succumbed to the bullets of the terrorists.

Today, Mumbai and whole India paid tribute to the victims. But there was no uncontrolled outburst of emotions, no photographs of martyred policemen peering down from massive hoardings and no smart parade by the anti-terror force as a sense of deja vu marked the remembrance events.

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan and Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan paid homage to the men in uniform who gallantly laid down their lives in the line of duty. Wreaths were placed at the Police Memorial and a minute's silence observed in the memory of the 18 security personnel, including ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who made the supreme sacrifice during the three-day siege in 2008.

Mr Karkare's widow Kavita, Vaishali Omble, daughter of Tukaram Omble, the policemen who resolutely took the bullets in his chest but did not allow terrorist Ajmal Kasab to escape, and Smita Salaskar, widow of Vijay Salaskar, encounter specialist who was killed with Hemant Karkare, were also present.

As Mumbaikars engaged in solemn remembrance, India also voiced its displeasure with Pakistan over the delay in bringing the plotters of the attack to justice. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna deplored that despite the evidence given by the Home Ministry to Pakistan, which he said was sufficient for "any normal court" to prosecute the accused, no decisive action had been taken.

Buddhist monks in Bodhgaya organised a special prayer for those who were killed in the attacks three years ago. Many celebrities, including cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, who are staying in the Hotel Taj, one of the sites targeted by 10 Pakistani terrorists on November 26,2008, also paid homage to the victims at a solemn ceremony in the morning.

Thousands of commuters on the Central Railway paused briefly at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), one of the attack sites targeted in 2008. Some kept flowers in memory of the commuters killed by the terrorists, who sneaked into the city unhindered through the Arabian Sea and created mayhem.

Candles were lit in the memory of the victims at The Oberoi and Trident hotels on the Marine Drive. Thirty-five people were killed during the attack at the two hotels.