New Delhi - Indians planned massive protest rallies in main cities Wednesday to mark one week since the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 200 people in the financial hub of Mumbai, news reports said. Amid growing public outrage over the audacious attacks, an evening rally was planned at the Gateway of India monument, near the iconic Taj Hotel that was partially destroyed by the terrorists, the NDTV network reported.
A total of 188 people were killed and more than 300 injured as terrorists laid siege to the city shortly after 9 pm on November 26. The attackers targeted the city's main railway station, a hospital, a Jewish centre and the Taj and Oberoi-Trident luxury hotels.
The standoff between the security forces and terrorists ended almost 60 hours later, when commandos killed three militants inside the Taj hotel Saturday morning.
In the national capital New Delhi, a rally was planned at Central Park in the business district of Connaught Place. A candlelight vigil was also scheduled near the Great India Palace mall in the Delhi suburb of Noida.
Two rallies were planned in the southern city of Hyderabad, including a tribute to slain officers at the city's War Memorial, the news channel reported.
Demonstrations were slated for the southern metropolis of Chennai, the eastern city of Kolkata and the country's technology hub of Bangalore.
Some commuters at Mumbai's central railway station Wednesday blamed government security forces for poor intelligence and planning to prevent the attack.
"The politicians should stop passing the buck," a commuter named Tanuj told NDTV. "Mere resignations of politicians wouldn't help. Some one has to stand up and take accountability. Its gone too far."
"People cannot stop going to work. We do not have any choice," another commuter said. "If we stop going to work it will only support the designs of the terrorists."
