Lest We Forget

As the year 2008 comes to an end, lets go down the memory lane and think about events that made the year unforgettable.

To me it occurred on 26th Nov and in Mumbai.



A fidayeen was arrested alive by a hawaldaar of DB MARG Police Chowky.



The man who was arrested was carrying an AK47 and had loads of ammunition. On the other hand, the hawaldar had a lathi.



From all that I have read, heard and seen, this is what I make of the incidence.



On the night of 26-27 November, Ombale and several other policemen were on alert in the Girgaum Chowpatty area. They had been told that two terrorists were on the run in a Skoda. The twenty policemen out there had a grand total of two self-loading rifles and two bullet-proof vests. The vests were given to the men with the rifles, who were placed at vantage points around metal barricades. The rest of the policemen carried only lathis.

Those (virtually unarmed) policemen tried to stop the Skoda. The driver fired at them. The police shot back from the pre-determined vantage point and got him. The other man slid out, pretending to surrender, but carrying an AK-47.

Ombale rushed to secure him when the terrorist started pumping away with the AK-47. Call it guts or instinct, dedication or sacrifice but Tukaram Gopal Ombale refused to let go of his assailant. Later something like 30 bullets were recovered from his body.

His colleagues took advantage of Ombale's last act as they rushed at the terrorist with their lathis. The plainclothesmen were later identified as a 'mob' in grainy footage shot by someone on a mobile phone!

Tukaram Gopal Ombale died for his bravery. Assistant Police Inspector Sanjay Govilkar received bullet injuries. But those ordinary policemen -- some in their forties, laughably ill-equipped -- succeeded in doing what nobody else could, they captured a terrorist on a suicide mission alive. They also recovered artillery dwarfing their modest weapons -- AK-47s, several magazines, 9mm pistols, and grenades.

Qasab had so much of ammunition that he could have killed each one of these policemen and then shot himself. After all he was sent to die. But this was not to be. I feel that Qasab had it written in his destiny to get the media attention. He was captured by 3 different cameras at 3 different places before he was finally arrested. Of the 10 terrorists who entered the city, he is the only one who was identified. He has now become the FACE OF TERROR

Now, look at the bigger picture. Politically, Qasab has become a most valuable prisoner. Due to his confession, the states that support terrorism have come under a lot of pressure to eradicate it. Things have been so heated that even a war is not of equation

The end is nowhere to be seen. But what can be seen is the beginning of the end. To protect humanity from such people, we need to overcome this mentality. That will take a lot of time and dedication. We need someone as strong as the Mahatma to bring this change.

But whatever the outcome is, the reason behind it will be the brave deeds of Assistant Police Inspector Tukaram Gopal Ombale and other officers of DB MARG Police Chowky.