Mr Ashok Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the main city, said state police chief A.N. Roy and his city police counterpart Hassan Gafoor would be probed for any shortcomings in their response.

'A high-level inquiry will be conducted and the responsibility will be fixed on the officers if they were found guilty of any lapses,' Mr Chavan told a meeting of the state legislature on Wednesday, according to media reports.

But he said the investigation would only begin once police questioning of the lone gunmen captured alive in last month's attacks was complete.

There was no immediate response from Mr Roy or Mr Gafoor when contacted by AFP.

Political heads have already rolled in the wake of the attacks, which left 172 people dead, including nine gunmen, after revelations of intelligence failings and claims of a slow, uncoordinated security response.

Mr Chavan was appointed after the resignation of Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, whose deputy also stood down. India's home minister, Shivraj Patil, also quit, saying he accepted 'moral responsibility' for what happened. -- AFP