Opposition MPs have repeatedly called for Patil to quit after a wave of terror attacks across India [EPA]

Patil submitted his resignation to Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister on Sunday. It is not known if Singh has accepted Patil's offer to step down from office.

Shortly afterwards, India's national security adviser, M K Narayanan, also submitted his resignation - which was accepted by the prime minister.

Palaniappan Chidambaram, the Indian finance minister, has been appointed home minister while the prime minister takes on the finance portfolio for an interim period.

A prime ministerial aide told news agency AFP that "more senior members of the government are likely to be shown the door" in the wake of the attacks.

'Pakistani elements'

The news came as Mumbai began to mourn its dead and security officials stepped up their investigation into the terror attacks across the city which killed at least 174 people.

Accusations that "Pakistani elements" were behind the violence have been denied by Islamabad, which has called on India to share evidence.

Suggestions that Pakistani nationals orchestrated the attacks is threatening to further damage already tense relations between the two countries.

Pranab Mukherjee, the Indian foreign minister, said: "According to preliminary information, some elements in Pakistan are responsible."

Some officials have suggested the attackers could be linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, who oppose Indian rule in Kashmir.

The group is linked to the 2001 assault on the Indian parliament that almost pushed the two countries to war.

'Nothing to hide'

Between 10 and 12 armed men are believed to have carried out the attacks in 10 locations across the city - including two luxury hotels, a railway station and a Jewish centre, Indian officials have said.

The gunmen launched the attack on Wednesday night and held dozens hostage at the Taj Mahal and Trident-Oberoi hotels.

The death toll was revised downwards on Sunday from around 200 to 174 confirmed dead. However, officials stress the number of casualties is likely to rise.

At least 20 police officers and more than 141 civilians - including 22 foreigners - were killed during the violence.

Indian officers say they killed nine of the attackers - who have been described as well-armed and highly trained - and are interrogating a man that they claim is the sole gunman forces captured alive.

The attackers never intended to keep any hostages alive, a top commando official said on Sunday.

"At no stage did we get any demand from the side of the terrorists," J K Dutt, the head of the National Security Guard said.

All the killings in the hotels had been carried out before commando units stormed the buildings, he said.

More attackers?

However, questions are being asked about how it was possible for as few as 10 gunmen to take control of so many locations for as long as three day - and why it took three hours to mount a rescue operation.

Prakash Singh, former director-general of the Indian police force, said that investigators would still be considering whether a large number of terrorists were involved in the attacks.

"Although the Mumbai police are saying it is just 10, it is possible some disappeared into the urban conglomeration that is Mumbai... and significant local support has got to be there too. Maybe more names will come out as the investigation progresses," he said.

A previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahidin has claimed responsibility for the string of attacks - but it is unclear whether the group is India or Pakistan based.

Brigadier Shaukat Qabir (retired), of the Islamabad Policy Research Unit, said the attack bore the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda inspired assault.

"There is only one statement [available] from the person that they [the Indian police] have captured... that they were instructed to target Israelis and foreigners because they wanted to take revenge for Palestine which indicates an al-Qaeda connection," he said.

Officers from the UK's Scotland Yard and America's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are expected to arrive in Mumbai soon to help with the investigation.

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