Mumbai shows revamped force on terror anniversary

Mumbai: Black-clad commandos rappelled down a building and Mumbai's police showed off their new gear Thursday in what was intended as a reassuring display of force a year after a terror attack across the city killed 166 people.

Activists fear the security upgrades are not enough to prevent a repeat of the attack that laid siege to luxury hotels, turned a train station into a scene of carnage and paralysed India's commercial heart for 60 hours.

The anniversary was commemorated across Mumbai with candlelight vigils, prayer meetings, art projects, discussion groups, a blood drive, political speeches, music concerts and soul-searching newspaper articles.

Police, who were criticised for being poorly trained and underarmed, used the anniversary to exhibit their upgraded equipment — part of Mumbai's Rs1.3 billion ($27.7 million, Dh104 million) plan to beef up security. But many local activists were dissatisfied with the security reforms.