Thaindian News

Mumbai, July 15 (IANS) In a startling revelation, a witness Wednesday told the special court conducting the Mumbai terror attacks trial that despite knowing that two terrorists were armed with AK-47s and grenades, three top policemen had gone to confront them with just one AK-47 and two pistols.
Nitin Matane, an operator with Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare who died battling the terrorists, was deposing before the special court here, giving details of the mayhem at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a busy railway station.

He said that when Karkare left his home at around 9.45 p.m. on Nov 26 to go to the CST, three quick response team officers armed with AK-47s along with one head constable and a constable, armed with one pistol each, had headed towards the location.

Matane said that when their jeep approached the Haj House building adjacent to CST, Karkare was briefed by then additional director general of police (railways) K.P. Raghuvanshi that the terrorists had gone in the direction of the Cama hospital and were heading toward the offices of the Special Branch-I, near the Police Commissionerate.

“We then went in the same direction which was the rear side of the Cama hospital and we heard gunshots and explosions from there.

“Shortly afterwards, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte, his staff, and encounter [shootout] specialist Vijay Salaskar and other officers of the Crime Branch joined us,” Matane said.

The trio of Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar discussed the plan of action to tackle the terrorists even as firing and grenade explosions continued.

At that time, they saw an aide of Additional Commissioner of Police Sadanand Date coming out in an injured condition.

“We opened the locked gates of the hospital and rescued him. He informed us that the terrorists were on the terrace while Date was injured and lying on the sixth floor,” Matane said.

Just then, there was firing in their direction and Kamte grabbed his AK-47 and fired on the terrace. Then, after a brief lull, they heard firing from the direction of the St. Xaviers College, near CST which is opposite the front entrance of the Cama hospital.

The trio of Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar told their staff and the quick response team armed with AK-47s to stay back in positions behind the hospital while they would launch a frontal on the terrorists.

Matane said that while Salaskar took the wheel of the police vehicle to go to SB-I offices, Kamte sat beside him and Karkare occupied the middle seat, while some other staffers, including Salaskar’s operator Arun Jadhav sat in the rear seat.

At this point, Karkare and Salaskar had only pistols while Kamte was carrying his AK-47.

After the three officers faced the terrorists, the latter opened fire from their sophisticated weapons and killed them, Matane said.