Mumbai is beginning to return to business in the wake of the terrorist attacks which saw at least 174 people killed.
Shops and markets have begun to reopen today while the Leopold Cafe, made famous by Gregory David Roberts’ must-read backpackers novel Shantaram and targeted by the gunmen last Wednesday, has already reopened.
However, the Oberoi, the Trident and the Taj Mahal Palace hotels, which were at the heart of the attacks, remain closed as their owners continue to assess the damage. It is not known when they will be able to reopen.
Other hotels in the city have also introduced greater security measures with guests being frisked before being allowed entry while many are no longer admitting vehicles.
As Mumbai returns to normal, India’s political establishment is descending into chaos. Chief minister of the Indian state Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh has offered his resignation while the country’s Home Secretary Shivraj Patil has already resigned.
Concerns are growing that the attacks, believed to have been launched by Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, could halt the Indian-Pakistani process as well as lead to an outbreak of fresh fighting in the disputed region of Kashmir.