When the city of Mumbai woke up to November 26, 2008, nothing could prepare it for the disaster waiting to unfold in its southern suburb. We look at the reasons why Mumbaikars cannot forget the 26/11 terror attack easily.
Death toll: The attack that left 166 dead and 234 people injured also involved the death of 18 officers killed on duty.
Loss of foreign nationals: Among the 25 foreign nationals who were killed in the bullet rain on that day, there were 6 Israelis, 3 Germans and Americans, 2 Canadian and Australian nationals, along with 1 each from England, Mauritius, Belgium, Malaysia, Japan, France, Thailand, Italy and Singapore.
Points under attack: While the highest casualty was at the CST station with 52 killed, Hotel Taj and Hotel Oberoi in south Mumbai lost 36 and 35 lives respectively. The popular Leopold Cafe witnessed gunfire that killed 11 and Cama hospital lost 16 people. Taxi blasts in Mazgaon and Ville Parle killed 5, while 9 people were shot dead in Nariman House, Colaba.
The Pakistan angle: Investigations in the case threw up Pakistani involvement in the planning stages of the attack. Pakistan's ISI allegedly supplied weapons for the attack. Also, a fully equipped control room was set up in Karachi to monitor the event. The venue for planning the siege was placed at Baitul Mujahid, an area in Pakistan.
Cases against Kasab: The 85 counts charged against Kasab involved criminal conspiracy against India, murder, attempt to murder, abduction, grievous hurt to public servants, intentional damage using fire and explosives to private and public properties and using forged documents within the country.
