Center Remembering the Heroes of 26/11: A Tribute to Courage and Sacrifice

On Sunday, tributes were paid to the martyrs of the 26/11 attacks, which claimed 166 lives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the terror attacks during his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, and honored those who were martyred during the ambush. He praised India’s response to the attacks, stating, “it is India’s capability that we recovered from that attack and now we are also crushing terrorism with full vigour.” Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari also praised the valour and courage shown by the security personnel during the attack and remembered the lost lives.

Defence Minister paid tribute to the security personnel who sacrificed their lives on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating that the nation will always remember their sacrifice. Singh also shared a video posted by the Indian Army paying tribute to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who led the National Security Guard’s “Operation Black Tornado” to rescue civilians. U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti pledged support to India in the fight against acts of terror, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari paid tribute to the martyrs of the 26/11 attacks. Union Minister Piyush Goyal also expressed that the terror attack will never be forgotten, and Minister Anurag Thakur paid homage to the security personnel who sacrificed their lives, stating that the country will never forget their courage, dedication, and sacrifice.

Congress MP Praful Patel also paid heartfelt tributes to the brave souls who sacrificed their lives in the 26/11 attacks, while Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with other officials, paid floral tributes to the martyrs at the police headquarters and met with the families of the policemen who lost their lives in the attack.

Fifteen years ago, 10 Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) militants carried out the attacks in Mumbai, resulting in the deaths of at least 166 people and injuring over 300. The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was besieged by four heavily armed militants for more than 60 hours, and the Indian commandos declared it cleared of attackers on November 29, 2008. Several key figures, including the then Anti-Terrorism Squad (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. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive, was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.