26/11 Anniversary: In 2008, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai with 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba carrying out 12 shooting and bombing attacks for four days (26-29 November). 175 lost their lives which included nine of the attackers and over 300 people were also left injured.
But what did the chargesheet say about heroes who fought against the shooters at the forefront, let¡¯s have a quick look.
Mumbai Police¡¯s chargesheet revealed that on the evening of November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists reached Mumbai through a speedboat from Karachi and quickly spread. Two sneaked into the Trident Hotel, two entered the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and four went towards the Nariman house.
It was Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail Khan who were responsible for launching attacks at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) railway station which killed and injured many. They then escaped the spot to reach Cama Hospital where they attacked a team of officials led to injuries of Additional Police Commissioner Sadanand Date and other personnel.
Soon after former state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ashok Kamte and Inspector Vijay Salaskar were informed that Date had been injured. These three officers immediately headed towards the lane that led to Rang Bhawan so that they could enter the hospital from the front gate. Leaving their vehicles near CST station, they rode the Toyota Qualis jeep previously used by Shantilal Bhamre, ACP of Pydhonie division.
ASI driver Balasaheb Bhosale, constable Jaywant Patil, operator Yogesh Patil, constables Arun Jadhav and Jayawant Patil accompanied them and all of them eventually came face-to-face with the terrorists who were coming on the same lane from the opposite direction. Both sides opened fire at each other leading to the killing of five brave policemen including three high-rank officers.
During this altercation, Karkare was shot three times in his chest despite wearing a bulletproof vest (later found to be substandard). The Ram Pradhan Commission in their enquiry found out that the officers¡¯ decision to enter the Cama Hospital from the front gate was sudden and the terrorists were least expected on the site. They had no clue that the terrorists were already out of the hospital and were moving towards the same lane where they bumped, constable Arun Jadhav who survived the attack revealed as per the chargesheet.
They had only entered a few metres into the lane when they were ambushed by the attackers hiding in front of a Corporation Bank ATM. The terrorists soon after the attack drove Qualis towards Metro Junction and shot police constable Arun Chitte before abandoning the vehicle near the Mantralaya.
They then hijacked another vehicle and drove towards Chowpatty where ASI Tukaram Omble and others managed to stop them. Another severe fight took place that eventually ended with the death of Abu Ismail and Omble and the arrest of Kasab.
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