
Tens of thousands of people across the country poured into the streets and held candle-light vigils and peace marches on Wednesday evening in a spontaneous show of solidarity with residents of terror-ravaged Mumbai which saw an unprecedented turnout at Gateway of India voicing their anger against the politicians.
Shouting slogans, people gathered in Jantar Mantar in Delhi, near Cubbon park in Bangalore, War Memorial in Secunderabad and at the Maidan and College street in Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai as Mumbai emerged from the pall of shock and grief that hung over the city since the 26/11 attacks that claimed 181 lives.
Posters and placards vividly captured the anger and concern as young and old, women and children thronged the iconic red sandstone Gateway to India opposite the Taj Mahal hotel which along with Trident-Oberoi bore the brunt of last Wednesday's terror attacks.
‘Enough of terrorism’, ‘Let us kill terrorism Halla Boll!’, ‘Politicians get out’ and ‘We want actions not words’ were some of the messages conveyed in banners and placards.
"We have never seen such a show of solidarity for a single cause at the Gateway of India," said Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, as white candles were lit around a wreath of red roses laid on the cobbled plaza of the harbour front structure.
As dusk fell, the Taj Mahal was fully lit with roads packed with people right from Colaba police station till the Gateway and Regal.
In other metros too, anger was the all pervasive emotion.
In Kolkatta, a Pakistani flag was burnt by protestors who condemned Islamabad's ‘hand’ in the terror attack. 'Enough is enough,' said a placard in Bangalore.
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