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Mumbai salutes 26/11 heroes, martyrs

Police constables from all over the city collected at the Azad Maidan police club on Wednesday. Amongst the khaki-clad crowds were a few young women: the widows and daughters of the 13 police officers that sacrificed their lives during the 26/11 terror attacks.

What started as a signature campaign for Mumbaikars to express their gratitude to their heroes went on to them collecting Rs20lakh to support families of the martyrs. Mumbaikars, NRIs and citizens from all over the country sent cheques to NGO I Love Mumbai. Coolies, a chaiwalla, station guards and office clerks who helped save several lives at CST were thanked too. The story of how 28-year-old Taufiq Shaikh who has been serving hot tea to railway employees for 14 years was narrated. The chaiwalla who escaped three bullet shots recollects the day the station floor was stained with blood. “I alerted the ambulance and RPF and told people standing at the CST ticket booking counter to hide upstairs,” say Shaikh who was verbally abused in Punjabi by one of the terrorists for alerting people.

Vandana Patne, daughter of assistant police inspector Tukaram Omble who helped catch terrorist Ajmal Kasab remembered what her father used to tell her, “Dad used to say, ‘At home I am yours, when I step out, I belong to my country’.”

Shaina NC from I Love Mumbai who received letters and cash from as far as New Jersey, Dublin and Seattle for the families of martyrs said, “We even got a piggy bank with Rs 422 in it,” she says. Sunita Yadav, whose husband was shot dead at CST, was robbed off her compensation money of Rs5lakh by her in-laws was there with her four-month old baby girl. The Rs4.65 lakh which was collected in her name will be used to set up an educational trust for her daughter. “Her father wanted her to become a doctor and I will make sure his wish comes true,” said Sunita who is looking forward to work with the railways after she heard Lalu Yadav, Minister of Railways had spoken of giving her employment.

Widows and daughters of police constables have been given housing in Sion’s Pratiksha Nagar and employment in Saraswat Bank. Kalpana Ramchandra Pawar whose husband was shot had come with liaison officer Inspector Bhagwat. She was a housewife and will start working in April for the first time. A resident of Satara, Pawar has shifted with her small baby to the city where she lost her husband.

At location: It wasn’t just another assignment for me. There was one of Omble daughter’s who I wanted to meet since long. I didn’t know what to tell her. After hugging her three times in between the interview, I felt silly. She told me about how her father loved children and was a calm man at home. He had spoken to her on the night of November 26th. He promised he would come meet her in her in-laws’ house in Kandoli and bring her back to Worli to spend some time with her mother.

They beat women in the name of God

A year after two women were molested outside the JW Marriot in Juhu Mumbai, another attack on women. This time, it’s not by sexually-frustrated men trying to grope women. This time, it a group of self-appointed police – The Shri Ram Sena they call themselves.

In the name of God (Lord Ram is a Hindu God), around 40 men openly gate crash into a pub which they believe is the centre of immoral activity. They make their presence (and hooliganism) felt by dragging the women by their hair, pulling them out, tearing their clothes, throwing them on the floor and all things immoral, atleast the civilised world would think so.

All this happens, a day before India’s Republic Day. The country which takes pride in calling itself the largest democracy in the world.

[youtube=http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=l7yg-bdlmko&NR=1]

Questions I’d like to ask as a woman and citizen of India:

1. How did the main molester of the JW Marriot incident escape?

2. Should I be scared of going to a pub or night club because I am a woman?

3. In response to the assault on women in the pub, the Karnataka Chief Minister made a statement. But why did he have to read it out? Couldn’t he look up and say what he wanted? Or was he scared? What kind of leaders do we have?

4. 17 of the assaulters have been caught. What about the rest? What about the leader?

5. The leader of the Shri Ram Sena group is Pramod Muthalik. He openly spoke to TV new channels and reporters. Now he is absconding. How did the police not track him down and arrest him? How did he escape?

Some background on Pramod Muthalik:

-He is the founder of Sri Ram Sena. He is a former leader of the Bajrang Dal.
-He has dismissed the pub attack as a “small incident”. He justified the act saying that his men were doing their “duty”.
-His Sena reportedly runs a militant camp and has been blamed for inciting communal violence and also preparing youth to undertake retaliatory acts of terror.

6. Considering there is so much information about him and his criminal-like activities. Shouldn’t the police have kept an eye on him and his whereabouts?

7. Wouldn’t this issue die out without the media highlighting it? Why do the cops and politicians blame the media for hyping it? Do they not have any sense of regret or shame?

8. How did the gang of men enter the pub?

Tags: Mangalore, molest, Shri Ram Sena

From ground zero

Priya Ramakrishnan and Mahafreed Irani

It was 11pm on Friday when we arrived at Taj Mahal hotel after spending an hour at the Oberoi Trident. As we scouted for a good vantage point from where we could observe movements of the NSGs, we were awestruck at the laidback attitude of several media personnel. While a cat-and-mouse game was being played by armed militants and NSG commandos, several camera persons who has been there since Wednesday, laid down to catch a nap. Some were even snoring, but came alert at the slightest sound of firing.

We settled down between the press and camera crew on the Gateway of India pavement 10.30am where on normal days hawkers occupy the space. There we were, helplessly watching the façade of the Taj Heritage. As journalists, sometimes, we are forced to become spectators. We were clueless as to what was exactly going on inside. A spurt of gunshots interspersed with grenade blasts at regular intervals continued until we lost count of them. Just when we thought that all terrorists were rounded up, they revealed themselves through cruel rat-a-tats as though taunting the commandos.

Curtain movements made us feel that we would be targeted next. Since we were within the range of the AK-47 fire, we retreated backwards, commando style. During a heavy cross fire at 4am, several shots were fired in the direction of the media, causing panic as everyone tried to seek cover behind the OB vans. As the heavens wept, the cameramen sheltered their equipment from the sudden rain showers with umbrellas and tents.

During a lull in the shooting, we noticed furtive movements near the side entrance of the Taj. Lights were going on and off as if someone was desperately SOSing. Suddenly a few people started running fearing that a grenade would be hurled at them, others followed, then lay face down, in a desperate attempt to be safe. Everyone followed suit, including the policemen. However, only later, the cops sheepishly informed us that it was a false alarm.

As a bluish tint hinting dawn appeared in the sky, we witnessed a war-like scene outside Taj. All the journalists and camera men recording live were lying on their stomachs on the wet muddy concrete ground of the Gateway, as the eerie silence of the dawn resonated with loud explosions and gunfire. By now, it was obvious that the commandos were on the final stage of conflict, as huge plumes of smoke enveloped the Taj and damaged the ornate structure of the 105-year-old heritage building.

A body falling down from the first floor window caused unease. Later, we were informed that it was an injured terrorist. The siege ended, leaving behind wounds in relatives and friends of the dead.