26/11 martyrs memorial to be unveiled tomorrow in Maharashtra

People of Satara district in western Maharashtra, from where braveheart Tukaram Ombale hailed, have come up with a befitting memorial for him and other 26/11 martyrs, which would be unveiled tomorrow.

Justice PB Sawant, special public prosecutor in 26/11 trial Ujjwal Nikam and family members of the martyrs would attend the unveiling ceremony, chairman of the Kisan Veer Cooperative sugar Factory, Madan Bhosale, who has set up the memorial, told PTI in Bhuinj today.

The memorial, called Shaheed Smriti Udyan, comprises about 2,300 flower plants and also 18 large trees, one each for the 26/11 martyr, Bhosale said.

The memorial has a 28 feet long and 18-feet high fibre plate, erected on a 60 feet by 40 feet map of Maharashtra, The plate has carvings of martyrs' faces.

Of the 18 security personnel killed during Mumbai terror attacks, five were from Satara district. They included Ombale, Jaywant Dudhe-Patil, police sub-inspector Bapurao Durgude, Assistant Sub Inspector Balasaheb Bhosale and police constable Ambadas Pawar.

Omble, who lost his life but helped nab Ajmal Kasab alive, was a native of Kedambe village in Jawali taluka. The memorial has come up in the sugar factory premises. The road adjoining the memorial, has been named after police officer Sanjay Deshmukh who was killed in Naxal attack in Gadchiroli district last year. He hailed from Dhom in Wai tehsil of Satara district.

"Our factory was the first organisation in the state to give Rs1 lakh each to the families of martyrs from Satara killed in the 26/11 attack," Bhosale said.

Besides the five martyrs from Satara, the memorial's fibre plate will have images of Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Bhosale said.