By IANS,
New Delhi : With not even three months having passed since their own brush with terror, most people in Delhi avidly followed the audacious terror strike on Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, throughout the night while others only found out when they woke up Thursday.
Hundreds of people in the national capital were awake all through the night flipping through television channels to keep abreast of every single development even as they prayed for Mumbaikars including both security personnel and people trapped inside the hotels targeted by the terrorists.
Delhi resident Bhuvan Singh, who was seething with anger, said: “These terrorists held the complete city to ransom. They should be dealt with in the hardest possible manner. Spineless politicians need to wake up to the reality otherwise it would be too late.”
Diwan Singh, a retired government servant, said he only went to sleep at 4 a.m. as he was watching the live images being flashed from Mumbai.
“I was at a party when someone told me about the attack. I immediately called my son who is working in Mumbai. He was fine. After the party when I reached home, I switched on the television and could not move away from it for hours as they were showing some horrific images of the attack,” he said.
Uttam Singh, a lawyer, who was to travel to Ahmedabad for a court case, said his clients based in Mumbai called him up Wednesday night to cancel his trip.
“They told me that they would not be able to make it, so I cancelled my trip. When I saw the television and came to know about the attacks, I was shocked. My next thought was that maybe terrorists could carry out similar attacks in Delhi at the same time,” he said.
Shweta Arora, who works in a private company, said she woke up late as she was watching television till the early hours.
“Are we safe? Terrorist attacks have become so rampant. I am afraid to even venture out of home also,” she said.
Usha Kaushal, a housewife, said she did not let her granddaughter go to school as a security measure.
“I know my fears are unfounded. But such attacks create a fear psychosis though I know that is what the terrorists want. But life is too precious. If the authorities have failed to safeguard our lives, we have to take care of ourselves,” she said.
She said it was difficult to know when these kind of attacks would end and whether authorities were doing anything to stop such attacks.”
Several people were engaged in making frantic calls to their relatives and friends in Mumbai to enquire their safety.
Other Delhiites only came to know about the attack in the morning only and were equally horrified.
“I did not have any information about the attack as I went to sleep quite early last night. But now after watching everything that is happening in Mumbai, I do not know which place is safe in the country,” said Vinod Kumar, a resident of east Delhi.
“I just pray for the policemen and the people held hostage by those terrorists,” he added.
Another citizen of Delhi, Gaurav Dua said: “I did not know anything what happened last night. I only got to know about the attack in the morning when I saw the newspapers splashed with pictures of the attack.”