Mumbai: The Indian Coast Guard has taken all the major steps including patrolling in the Indian Ocean after the 26/11 Mumbai attack to protect the sea-lines of the nation from enemies.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Director General K Natarajan on the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attack said that “More than 300 coastal security exercises have been conducted with state authorities post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack to beef up the country’s security. Every six months, the ICG conducts such a security exercise with one of the coastal states,”
On the sidelines of the 19th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting in Delhi, he said that “Post 26/11, the Indian government brought in various reforms. We have conducted more than 300 coastal security exercises and operations in coordination with the coastal state authorities since 2009,”
The attacks were carried out by 10 gunmen who were believed to be connected to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terrorist organization. Armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades, the terrorists targeted civilians at numerous sites in the southern part of Mumbai, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station, the popular Leopold Café, two hospitals, and a theatre.
While most of the attacks ended within a few hours after they began at around 9:30 PM on November 26, the terror continued to unfold at three locations where hostages were taken—the Nariman House, where a Jewish outreach center was located, and the luxury hotels Oberoi Trident and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.
10 Pakistani terrorists arrived by the sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at multiple places in Mumbai killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others
K Natarajan further added that “Sometimes, we manage to get two coastal states together and manage to do the exercise. As a result of which, everyone has developed the skills and competencies. Synergy and coordination is the only mantra that will ensure that no incident like 26/11 happens in the future.”
The ICG works in close synergy with various agencies and as a result of which, it continues to maintain the surveillance of sensitive borders, be it with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or Bangladesh, Natarajan said.
“Our presence has always been there and we continue to put almost 40-44 ships and 10-12 aircraft to maintain surveillance over 2.1 million sq km,” he added. As a result, in the last two years, the ICG has arrested more than 3.5 tonnes of the drug coming through the sea route, the ICG director said.
(_Vinayak Barot)
