Endless memories

At the police event that commenced at 9 am,Chidambaram also interacted with family members of some martyrs and enquired about their well-being before the group of dignitaries went inside the gymkhana to review the displayed weaponry and vehicles procured by the city police in the aftermath of the terror attacks. Kavita Karkare,wife of slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare,said she still feels unsafe,while Smita Salaskar,wife of Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar who was also gunned down by the terrorists outside Cama Hospital,asked: “How could 10 terrorists manage to infiltrate the country with such ease? I am still not satisfied with the security of the country.”

The police department also conducted a parade at 8 am from Hotel Trident,which was one of the places targeted by the terrorists. The parade concluded at Appasaheb Garware Chowk on Marine Drive and was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and other cabinet ministers. Participating in the parade were special police contingents like the Force One and the Quick Response Teams,as well as advanced anti-terror combat vehicles.

At another event,Director General of Police D Sivanandhan took the opportunity to address the audience about how the scale of planning and execution of the 26/11 terror attack was nothing short of a war,adding that the lessons the police department learned in the aftermath of the tragedy were immense. “We now have a well trained and fully equipped Force One to deal with such situations in the future. But the principal element is to always be prepared to tackle such a crisis,” he said.