Mumbai, the city which never sleeps, was brought to its knees on Wednesday night as it came under an unprecedented multiple terror attack bringing areas from the South to the North of the metropolis under its grip.
As the siren blazing Toyota Qualis of the Mumbai police blazed passed, people could be seen running helter skelter, at times even crawling to save themselves from at least five near-simultaneous firings and explosions rocking areas in the vicinity of posh hotels in South Mumbai.
Even as heavily armed police stormed into Taj Hotel, just opposite Gateway of India where suspected terrorists were still holed up, blood soaked guests could be seen carried out into the waiting ambulances.
Bellboys could be seen rushing the injured out on luggage trolleys.
The scene at the nearby Trident hotel was more horrific as the glasses lay shattered on the ground even as fire could be seen raging out of the lobby.
Windshields of cars parked nearby had broken because of suspected bomb being set off at the hotel.
At the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) railway station, hordes of mediaperson could be seen jostling for space as the area was cordoned off with no media being allowed near it even as an encounter went on inside.
Armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, a couple of terrorists had entered the passenger hall of crowded railway station and opened fire and threw a grenade killing two to three persons on the spot.
The busy city, which is known for its nightlife, wore a deserted look as shops closed down even as police wearing bulletproof jackets could be seen frisking people in fear of terrorists taking advantage of the chaos to escape.
Cabinet to discuss Mumbai terror attacks
The Union Cabinet will discuss on Thursday the series of overnight terror attacks in Mumbai.
The meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is expected to thoroughly review the country's overall security scenario in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
Singh, while addressing a recent meeting the country's top police officials, had cautioned that with the globalisation" of terror, the scale of terrorist incidents could only grow in the future.
He had specifically said the country cannot afford a repetition of the kind of terrorist attacks that have recently taken place in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Guwahati and some other urban centres.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil is already in Mumbai to take a first hand account of the situation there. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has cancelled his scheduled visit to Chandigarh along with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is on a four-day visit to Mumbai.
The Pakistani delegation will be visiting Chandigarh for its scheduled engagements.
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