In the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, there were multiple and far-ranging events that were observed. Besides the immediate impact on the victims and their families, the attacks caused widespread anger among the Indian public, and condemnations from countries throughout the world.
The immediate impact was felt on Mumbai and Maharashtra state, and throughout urban India. There were also after-effects on the Indian government, centre-state relations within India, Indo-Pakistani relations, domestic impact within Pakistan, the United States's relationships with both countries, the US-led NATO war in Afghanistan, and on the global war on terror. There was also impact on the region of Kashmir and this also led to the 2010 Kashmir Unrest.
Immediate impact Impact on the attack locations
The Leopold Cafe opened its doors to customers just four days after the attacks. The owners wanted to repair the damaged parts of the cafe, while retaining some of the damaged pieces as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks.
Security forces handed back control of the Taj Mahal Hotel to the Taj group on 1 December 2008, and work on its repairs began that same day. Celebrated artist M.F. Hussain, whose art was destroyed in the attacks, agreed to replace the paintings with a series that condemned the attack. Hussain planned this series as a tribute to the staff of the hotel, who laid down their lives to save other people.
Control of the Trident was handed back to the management after the last attacker was killed, while the Oberoi took 3–4 months to resume operations. Both the Taj and Trident hotels reopened on 21 December 2008.
Nariman House also reopened right after the attack, but it is not known exactly when. Several young Chabad couples from all over the world stepped forward to move to Mumbai and continue the movement's work in the aftermath.
Impact on Mumbai
In the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, all schools and colleges, and most offices were closed. The Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange remained closed on 27 November 2008. Shooting of Bollywood films and TV series had also been halted in the city. Many international airlines temporarily discontinued operations to Mumbai, in the interest of passenger and crew safety.
The release of the Hindi film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, was postponed in the aftermath of the attack and promotions were cancelled. During the preview, Shah Rukh Khan wept and condemned the attack, saying that he has no sympathy for those whose beliefs turn them to violence, and described the terrorists as "trying to snatch away what normal people do." He also stated that in the aftermath, people need a reason to smile while moving on with their lives.
The Indian Cricket League's ongoing tournament in Ahmedabad was canceled. The two remaining One Day Internationals of the seven match series between the visiting England cricket team and India were cancelled. The visiting team flew home, but returned to continue the test series. However, the venue of the second India-England test match, scheduled on 19–23 December, was shifted from Mumbai to Chennai. The inaugural Twenty20 Champions League, scheduled from 3 to 10 December, Mumbai being one of the host cities, was postponed. The attacks have brought into significance the issue of 379 Indian boats and 336 fishermen apprehended by the Pakistan marine agency, for entering their waters. Nearly 200 of the boats have reportedly been auctioned, now recognised as a national security issue for India. On 28 November, Pakistan released 99 fishermen who were apprehended, as part of confidence building measures with India. There were threats to blow up ITC Fortune Hotel in Navi Mumbai, after Mumbai police received a bomb threat from terrorists. Rumours about further shootings at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus were doing the rounds in Mumbai on 28 November, and were widely reported by the news channels. The Railway Police denied these rumours, but stopped trains approaching CST.
Maharashtra state government Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, faced public backlash after he toured the terrorist-ravaged Taj Hotel with his actor son, Riteish Deshmukh, and film director Ram Gopal Varma. Reports suggested that Varma intended to make a film on the 26/11 attacks featuring Riteish Deshmukh, which prompted his visit to the site. This act was widely perceived as insensitive and disrespectful, leading to significant criticism of both the Chief Minister and his son. The public backlash ultimately forced Vilasrao Deshmukh to resign as Chief Minister, a position he never held again.
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R. R. Patil also faced criticism for his response during a press conference, where he downplayed the severity of the attacks by quoting a dialogue from the 1995 Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: "Bade bade shehron mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain" ("Small things do happen in big cities"). He added, "They wanted to kill 5,000 people; we have minimized the damage." His remarks, coupled with his mishandling of the situation, provoked political backlash, leading to his resignation on December 1, 2008. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil also stepped down in the wake of the attacks.
After seeing the disparity between the quality of helmets and bulletproof vests used by NSG commandos and the police, the Police Commissioner of Pune, Satyapal Singh, said his police officers needed the same quality equipment as used by the NSG to reduce deaths and improve performance.
As a result, Maharashtra government planned to buy 36 speed boats to patrol the coastal areas, and several helicopters for the same purpose. It also created an Anti-Terror force known as the Force One, and upgrade all the weapons that Mumbai Police they previously had.
The CST railway station was upgraded with metal detectors, but reports stated that these are ineffective because the attendants cannot hear their beeps in the crowd. Civilians have tested these using their own licensed weapons.
Maharashtra's new Home Minister, Jayant Patil, was forced to defend the performance of the police in the legislative assembly, against demands from the opposition parties for resignations from the police chief and other officials.
In an attempt to take forward the 26/11 probe, the Mumbai Police sent a three members team to the United States in this regard, sources said. The team comprising Inspector Bharti, Inspector Kadam and Inspector Arun Chavan shared the findings of the attacks, with the FBI. Mumbai police sent a proposal to the Home Ministry, stating the need to establish direct contact with the FBI, to facilitate investigation in the terror attacks. It was believed that the team, if permitted to go, will share the evidence gathered by Mumbai police, which prove Pakistan's hand in the attacks on the nation's integrity.
After-effects Government of India
A Cabinet Committee on Security meeting was held on Tuesday, 2 December, to discuss expanding the National Security Guards (NSG) to cities outside Delhi. The aim is to have permanent presence of NSG anti-terrorist squads in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata, to avoid wasting precious time travelling from Delhi.
Following the attack, it was decided that all NSG commandos undergo a new module of training, to learn how to deal with future anti-siege operations, because the Taj terrorists were in a gun battle for 59 hours continuously.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, on an all party conference, declared that legal framework will be strengthened in the battle against terrorism and a federal anti-terrorist intelligence and investigation agency, like the FBI, would be set up to co-ordinate actions against terrorism. On 17 December, the Lok Sabha approved two new anti-terror bills, which are expected to pass the upper house (Rajya Sabha) on the 19th. One sets up a National Investigation Agency, similar to the FBI, with sweeping powers of investigation. The second strengthens existing anti-terror laws, to allow suspects to be detained without bail for up to six months, on the orders of a judge.
Impact on sports The terrorist group behind the attacks planned a similar attack in 2010, to take place at the 19th Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi. The attack however, was thwarted.
Cricket After the attacks, as well as the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) prohibited Pakistani players from taking part in Indian Premier League. Since then, no Pakistani player played in IPL, except for the inaugural season. In addition, India refused to play any bilateral series with Pakistan, the last being in 2007, and pulled from the 2009 series, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board to request the Sri Lankan team to join as a replacement.
Pakistan and India agreed to however, participate in Asia Cup and ICC events, the last T20 match to be held in New York June 9, 2024. The last ODI match was during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, in which India defeated Pakistan. However, instability rose following the 2025 Pahalgam attack, which was also perpetrated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, that led to India initially planning on boycotting matches against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup. While the Group and Super 4 matches between India and Pakistan went ahead, tensions arose when Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav avoided shaking hands during toss and after winning the matches against Pakistan, and the ICC fined him 30% match fee for making political remarks by dedicating the victory to the Indian Army and the Pahalgam attack victims. Additional tensions arose due to insensitive gestures of Pakistan players Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan, which led to backlash from Indian fans, with Rauf being fined 30% of his match fee while Farhan was given a warning.
Medical preparedness A study of various incidents in Mumbai resulted in a proposal in 2020 to form a central medical control committee to oversee the medical response at sites of terrorist attack or in disaster zones. The report acknowledged that bystander support is crucial to the success of the model.
Centre-State relations The National Investigation Agency Bill, 2008, set up a central agency for investigating terrorism related crimes. However, law and order is a state subject in the Constitution of India, which had made such a law difficult to pass in the past.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram assured parliament that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not usurp the States' right in any manner. The central government would make use of its power only under "extraordinary" circumstances, and depending on the gravity of the situation, he said. "The agency will also have the powers to return the investigations to the State, if it so thinks. We have struck a balance between the right of the States and duties of the Centre to investigate."
Indo-Pakistani relations