Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: attacks, Mumbai, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, terrorists
“I no longer want to see India as I feel it is unsafe anymore”. Randeep Hooda, a British born Indian and an undergraduate student in University of Westminster had never been to India and were planning to visit Mumbai during Christmas holidays.
Mr.Hooda’s sentiments clearly bring out the frustration about the 26/11 attacks. Like Mr.Hooda, there are several Indian students in the University of Westminster’s Harrow campus appalled at the terrorist’s attacks in Mumbai. Majority of them criticised the Indian government’s failure to pre-empt the attack and the time taken to flush out the terrorists.
The 26/11 attacks have killed more than 170 people and scores of people injured. Two of Mumbai’s best five star hotels, Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident, a posh café, Leopold and a busy railway station were the few places the terrorists had struck.
Anxious moments at the Oberoi Trident Hotel.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision News Channel.
One of the Master’s student who is doing Public Relations in Westminster, Misha Bothra were literally on tenterhooks as her close friend who was working as a jewellery designer with Thribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) showroom in Taj was trapped for more than 24 hours.
“Nidhi Thakker was getting married next week and the day the terrorists struck was her last working day at the shop and she escaped from the gallows of death very narrowly”.
Nidhi had to hide under a jewellery display table until the National Security Guards (NSG) stormed in to save her and her colleagues.
Nidhi and her friends were led to the front of the hotel and put in a bus safely. She had severe leg cramps due to the crouching posture and was glad to take in fresh air.
Venting out the frustrations
Sanjay Singh, a computer animation undergraduate student echoed his sentiments, “No matter what the terrorists do to terrorise people, I being a Mumbaiker will move on with my life. I want all terrorists to be shot dead without giving them a chance democratically”.
Meanwhile, Mumbai returned to normal track with markets and schools opening and heavy traffic on the streets.
The violence, which began on Wednesday night, finally ended on Saturday morning, when Indian troops killed the last of the gunmen at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
Cynthiachandran's Blog 