By IANS,
Kolkata: People in Kolkata Thursday lit candles and paid floral tributes to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Schoolchildren, actresses, government officials, cultural activists and policemen all united in grief as also in a resolve to foil designs of terror masterminds and to protect the unity and integrity of the nation of over 100 crore people.
The main function observing the first anniversary of the Mumbai killings was held near the Police Memorial in the city hub where Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi garlanded the memorial and signed the condolence register.
Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty was among those present.
In the evening, candles in colours of the national flag were lit at the memorial as also the nearby Citizens’ Park amid singing of patriotic songs. A large number of school children joined the commissioner and leading Bengali film actress Rituparna Sengupta in paying tributes to those brave men and women who fell to the terrorists’ bullets in Mumbai a year back.
Similar solemn functions were held in various parts of the city and the state.
Bollywood actress Raima Sen took part alongside a host of actors and singers in a peace concert that portrayed the scourge of global terrorism and the significance of peace.
Christened “A Shanti”, the programme organised by the St. Xavier’s School Old Boys’ Association (ALSOC) reflected the thoughts on terror and peace of the greatest of philosophers, writers and leaders as also the teachings of scriptures like the Bible and the Quran.
At least 166 people were killed when 10 terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) went on a killing spree at many places in Mumbai for three days from Nov 26 last year.