Mumbai remembers last week’s railway tragedy amid new threats
(19 July 2006) : In Mumbai – the financial capital of the western Indian State of
Maharashtra - , 196 sirens wailed across the city in perfect synchronisation at
6.24 pm IST, bringing the city to a standstill in memory of the 182 people , who were
killed in seven bomb attacks that struck its Western Railway lines on July 11.
At 6.25 pm, Mumbai residents held a two minutes silence to honour the victims. India’s
President A P J Abdul Kalam led people in the commemoration ceremony at Mahim station,
one of the hardest hit areas of the bomb blasts. Sirens sounded twice to mark the
beginning and the end of the moment of silence. Local Catholics joined the ceremonies
to remember the victims and share the sorrow. Through their bishops, they condemned
the attacks, expressing their hope that inter-communal peace will be achieved. People
gathered for a few minutes before the ceremony at Churchgate railway terminus, where
the first two bombs went off. Movie theatres were closed and flights to and from the
state capital were delayed so that the moment of silence could be total.