Floral tributes were today paid to those who laid down their lives while fighting terrorists who had attacked the metropolis on this day eight years ago.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was among the dignitaries who paid homage at the 26/11 police memorial site at the Mumbai Police Gymkhana in south Mumbai.
"I pay homage to the brave policemen who fought for Mumbai's safety and laid down their lives for us on 26/11. We are proud of them and we will strive hard for safety and security of our state," Fadnavis said.
"We will strengthen police force with better equipment. It is our priority," he said.
Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, former Mumbai police commissioners Julio Ribeiro, M N Singh and several senior present and former police officers were present.
Maharashtra police chief Satish Mathur and Mumbai CP Datta Padsalgikar were away on official duty and could not attend the ceremony.
Family members of the policemen, who lost their lives during the November 2008 attacks, were also present during the ceremony.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists arrived by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at people killing 166, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others, besides damaging property worth crores.
The then 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.
The attack had begun on 26 November and lasted until 29 November. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Nariman House Jewish community centre were some of the places targeted by the terrorists.
Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.
Guardian Minister Subhash Desai, Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai, BJP MlA Raj Purohit, Aaditya Thackeray and family members of police personnel who lost their lives in the terror attack were present.
Also present were All India Anti-Terrorist front leader Manindarjit Singh Bitta, retired police officers Ronny Mendonca and D Sivanandhan.
"Tensions of our border and the severe negative comments about India and Pakistan relations are affecting the youth of our nation and the right message against terrorism is not reaching our students," Bitta said after the ceremony.
"Keeping in mind the 26/11 strikes that shook Mumbai and India, the All India Anti Terrorist Front and Anjuman-I-Islam jointly organised a program in Mumbai yesterday where students from schools and colleges took a pledge for peace and to combat terrorism," Bitta said.