Mumbai:
The morning after it was struck by terror, Mumbai returned to work, warning that it does not want any accolades or tributes to its "unbreakable spirit". Across the city, angry residents said they expect nothing now from those appointed to protect them.
Three blasts struck with vehement force during rush hour last evening. 17 people were killed, a head was found severed, more than 130 people were rushed to hospital, several with serious burns.
The terror attack came 31 months after 26/11. The city had been told after that massive tragedy in which 166 people were killed that it had been fortified. Mumbai houses special hubs for commandos. There were no intelligence alerts for yesterday's strikes, Home Minister P Chidambaram admitted today.
"I feel angry because people were killed for no reason...they had no fault," said an emotional young woman outside JJ Hospital, where several of those injured in the blasts are being treated.
"Whatever happens, we keep moving normally...but today feels different", said a young man near Opera House, holding onto his umbrella as rain drizzled around him.
Another young woman near Zaveri Bazaar - where the most powerful blast took place - said, "We are not indifferent. We are angry, we are scared. I'm still worried about going to my office...the spot where the blast took place is just two minutes away. We are frustrated, we are fed up, we have deadlines at work...we don't expect anything now," she said.