That Night, There Was No Backup and No Coordination

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Friday, 27 November 2009 - 12:41am IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: dna

Nikhil S Dixit

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ATS chief Hemant Karkare asked the main control room for reinforcement at Cama Hospital, but to no avail; Ashok Kamte was told by Hasan Gafoor to go to the Trident, but Rakesh Maria sent him to Cama instead.

The spectre of 26/11 has returned to haunt the Mumbai police. On the run-up to the first anniversary of the terror attack, the cops have been dogged by controversies kicked up by a sensational statement by former Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor, and To The Last Bullet — a book penned by Vinita Kamte, additional commissioner of police Ashok Kamte’s widow. Her husband fell to the terrorists bullet, along with Hemant Karkare RECOMMENDED CONTENT and Vijay Salaskar, on that fateful night. Gafoor, in a recent interview to a news magazine, 26/11 attack launched from Pak soil, Kasab was LeT has said that four senior officers had not responded to the call of duty during the attack. terrorist, admits former Chief Vinita, in her just released book, has opened a can of worms. She has asked questions to of Pak Probe Agency which the police seem to have no answer. DNA analyses the controversies, seeking to find out what went wrong and why. Unique Method May Regrow Lost Hair

Karkare’s SOS ‘ignored’ Sponsored Hair Loss Protocol In her book, Vinita has published crucial extracts from the wireless log of 26/11. The call Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's logs showed that Karkare had asked the main control room to send reinforcement at the car convoy attacked: Reports front gate of Cama Hospital. Transcript of the conversations as published in the book: 11.24 pm: Hemant Karkare (HK) to main control (MC): We are at Cama Hospital. Firing and grenade blasts are going on (in Cama Hospital), 3-4 grenade blasts have taken place in the last five minutes. We need to encircle Cama Hospital. We are near the SB2 office. Send a team from Porn sites ban 'Talibanisation' of India: Milind Deora the front side of Cama Hospital. This needs to be CO-ORDINATED so that there is no cross-firing. Please ask KL Prasad, joint commissioner (law and order), to call in the army. 11.27 pm: MC: Sir, you need help from the front side of Cama. Correct?

11:28 pm: HK: ATS and QRT teams are here (at the rear gate of the hospital), and so is the crime Rapper Sophia Ashraf's branch team. Therefore, we need a team from the front side. We need to ENCIRCLE the Cama 'Kodaikanal Won’t' video against Unilever catches Nicki and surround it. Minaj's attention 11.30 pm: MC: Noted sir. There was no further talks between Karkare and the main control regarding reinforcement. Retired woman banker, 66, wants to revive women's hockey in Mumbai The book alleges In spite of Karkare’s request, neither did the main control send in any reinforcement, nor did it update him on its status. RELATED It could have been... I’m Abu Jundal, I’ll blast your jail, says Jundal Just before Karkare had spoken to the main control room, additional commissioner of police (central) Sadanand Date, who was ﬁghting the terrorists on the top ﬂoor of the

Cama, too, had requested the control room for reinforcement. A police oﬃcer, who was in 44 Shares 1 year ago the control room on the night of 26/11, said that several requests for reinforcement came Draft charges ﬁled against Abu from Date’s wireless. Around 11.20 pm, Date requested for bulletproof jackets as well. Jundal in 26/11 case

However, since there was no backup force in the vicinity, Date was told by the main control that it would take some time to send in reinforcement, and he would have to hold on till Shares 1 year ago then. As the conversation was taking place over Motorola wireless system, others listening Vinita Kamte seeks fresh in, including Karkare, too would have known that no backup force was available. Around probe into discrepancies in 11.58 pm, traﬃc police chief Sanjay Barve got in touch with the control room. He, too, call logs asked for reinforcement at the Oberoi, and wanted to talk to Karkare.

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Karkare spoke to Barve, and told him that he was at Cama Hospital. Barve asked Karkare if US ambassador Nancy Powell there was any spare police team in South Mumbai, which could be used to cordon off the rules out Indo-US strategic Oberoi. Karkare told him that he would find out if any reinforcement was available. He pact asked Barve to block traffic throughout the city so that no one would be able to escape.

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That was the last time Karkare’s voice was heard on the wireless. Perhaps, the decision by the three oﬃcers (Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar) to go on their own to the front gate of the Cama had not been relayed to the main control. Karkare had left his wireless set with his operator, who did not travel in the ill-fated police vehicle. Around 12.15 am on November dna exclusive: RPF shuns 'heavy' bulletproof jackets 27, police commissioner Hasan Gafoor tried to contact Karkare, but got no response. Later, trying Karkare’s wireless, the main control reached his operator, who told them that

Karkare had gone inside the hospital. But even then the control room was not told that all Shares 1 year ago three had gone in the same vehicle. EDITOR'S PICKS It was around 12.45 am that the main control got a call from Karkare’s wireless, which INDIA informed them that Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar had been injured in a ﬁring, and were Last one of ﬁve cubs at Etawah lion safari survives on being taken to the hospital. cow milk

194 Shares 3 days ago

Contradictory orders SCI/TECH Call logs that showed that joint commissioner of police (Crime) Rakesh Maria had told What the world of gaming holds in store for 2025 Ashok Kamte to head for Cama Hospital, even though Gafoor asked him to go to the

Trident 119 Shares 4 days ago

SCI/TECH 11.11 pm: East Region (Ashok Kamte’s) wireless [ER] to MC: Ask the commissioner of police as to Yureka Plus and Yuphoria which spot I am to report to? ﬂash sales today on Amazon 11:13 pm: MC: I will call and ask. India

MC to the police commissioner [CP]: Calling (fails to get through). 16 Shares 5 days ago 11.16 pm: MC to ER: Please sir, your present location? ANALYSIS ER: To reach Taj in 10 minutes. The grim reality: Politics MC: Noted sir. behind Yakub Memon’s hanging [At this juncture, Maria takes over the control room] 11.17 pm: MC to ER: Crime sir [Maria] is asking about your exact location. 22 Shares 4 days ago

ER: Wadala passing, Wadala passing. ANALYSIS

MC: Noted sir. Why India needs to be worried 11.22 pm: ER: Approaching Zone 1 oﬃce. about its ticking population bomb MC: Understood sir. 384 Shares 4 days ago ER: Orders for me? MC: I will ask Crime sir and tell you. 11.24 pm: MC: There is an operation going on near the SB2 oﬃce. You go there. Immediately after getting the instructions from the main control room, Kamte headed for Cama Hospital.

The book alleges Kamte had been reportedly ordered to come to the Trident by Gafoor, and the control room knew about it. But in spite of that, Maria, who was in the control room, told him to go to Cama Hospital.

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It could have been... Maharashtra: Three-storey building collapses in Thane; 11 dead, several feared trapped A police official said that the main control room was not aware that the police 7 Shares 11 hours ago commissioner had asked Kamte to report at the Oberoi. In fact, the wireless log suggested Maharashtra government to build expressway that around 11.11 pm, Kamte called up the main control and asked them to find out from between Mumbai and Nashik Gafoor where he was expected to report. The control room tried to contact Gafoor, but 80 Shares 3 days ago there was no response. 10 cities from Maharashtra to be developed as smart cities Then, around 11.22 pm, while approaching the General Post Office (GPO), Kamte got in 7 Shares 3 days ago touch with the control again, seeking further orders. Around the same time, Sadanand Vistara rolls out mobile phone boarding pass Date’s wireless operator got in touch with the control. He said that heavy firing was on at facility, other airlines to follow soon the Cama, and requested for immediate backup. 235 Shares 3 days ago

First ever successful heart transplant It was, perhaps, because of this urgent request that Kamte, who was nearby, was told to conducted in Mumbai thanks to eﬀorts of police rush to the hospital. 1,161 Shares 22 hours ago

TOP STORIES FROM CITIES Maria ‘lied’ to Gafoor Spike in dengue cases in Pune, authorities ask Gafoor [CP] calling Maria [M] on the wireless set: residents to take precautions 12.45 am: CP: What are the locations of Mr Karkare and Kamte? And what is the situation about Man commits suicide inside police station in Central region (Sadanand Date)? Mumbai M: Sir… sir central region [Date] … is in Cama Hospital sir… and Ashok (Kamte) is near the SB office. He is covering the SB office, sir. Maharashtra govt raises medical officers' retirement age from 58 to 60 [Note: Calls to control rooms showed that the news of Kamte, Karkare and Salaskar being injured in gun-battle came in at 12.25, 12.33 and 12.49 am] 25 lakh children with special needs enrolled in schools: Govt CP: What about Mr Karkare? M: Sir… sir… he.. he.. he.. Hemant [Karkare] was, sir, at CST railway station, sir. I will find out Delhi woman stabbed to death: Family yet to receive compensation promised by Kejriwal the location and tell him to get in touch with you right away, sir. [Note: The control room call logs showed that Karkare had given his location at the Cama at ACROSS DNA NEWS 11.24, 11.27, 11.28 and 11.58 pm] FSSAI approved lab finds '2-minute' Maggi CP: I only want to know whether Mr Karkare and Kamte are injured, or are they safe? And noodles safe similarly has central region (Date) got any medical aid, and similarly all other injured been Since 2010, India has exported Rs 2600 crore provided with medical aid? defence items: Manohar Parrikar M: Sir, trying to do that, sir. Sir, as for the report… that there was firing on east region (Kamte’s) Mullah Omar's son killed in Pakistan: Top vehicle, [but] nobody is injured sir. Central region I am not Afghan lawmaker able to get through [sic]. As soon as I get through, I will get back to you. Yakub Memon hanging: VHP says those who attended funeral 'sympathisers' of terrorist CP: You will send a party to rescue them. M: Already done, sir.. Already done, sir. Additional CP (crime) and three units of the crime Floods kill 151 in Pakistan branch are on the job, sir. SPORTS NEWS CP: Noted. BCCI needs to be accountable and transparent: Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Rafael Benitez insists Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema will stay at Real Madrid The book alleges Maria knew that Karkare, Kamte and Date were injured, but did not inform Gafoor about it. Ashes 2015: Peter Nevill dismisses talk of Aussie dressing-room disharmony He did not tell the commissioner that Karkare had been injured near the Cama. Instead, he told him that Karkare was at the CST. Maria also told Gafoor that he had sent Deven Bharti Rio Ferdinand advises Everton's John Stones to to help Date. But Bharti never reached the hospital. choose Manchester United over Chelsea

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It could have been... Gurdaspur attack Sreesanth According to the control room, it was around 12.45 am they ﬁrst came to know that Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)

Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were injured, and were being taken to hospital. Before that, Salman Khan one plus 2 Yakub Memon there had been no communication from anyone regarding the events at the Cama. Around Aam Admi Party APJ Abdul Kalam 12.35 am, the control room tried to get in touch with Kamte on his walkie-talkie, but failed Bajrangi Bhaijaan Bahubali to get through. It was later known that Kamte’s wireless operator was with him, Karkare Priyanka Chopra Bank of India micromax and Salaskar in the ill-fated police vehicle. Masaan

Also, since both Date and his wireless operator were injured in the gun-battle at the hospital, the news of the two terrorists [Ajmal Amir Kasab and Abu Ismail] leaving the hospital was not immediately relayed to the control room.

However, it is diﬃcult to explain why Gafoor was misinformed by Maria about the locations of Karkare, Kamte and Date by Maria.

Where was the backup? The book alleges that in spite of repeated requests by senior oﬃcials out on the ﬁeld, reinforcements were not provided to them.

It could have been... Senior oﬃcials who were present in the control room that night, and who spoke to DNA on conditions of anonymity, said that immediately after the attacks began, all available forces in South and Central Mumbai were diverted to the targeted areas. However, following the two bomb blasts in taxis — at Vile Parle and Wadi Bunder — it was suspected that other parts of the city might come under attack as well. “So, it was decided not to move the entire police force to South Mumbai. If any place in North or East Mumbai had been attacked, there would have been no cops to tackle the situation there,” the oﬃcer said.

Where was Deven Bharti? The book alleges that additional commissioner of police [crime] Deven Bharti was sent out to help Sadanand Date, who had been injured in the Cama hospital gun-battle. But he never reached the hospital.

It could have been... A crime branch officer said that Bharti had rushed towards Cama Hospital on hearing the news of it being attacked. A strategic decision was taken that since the terrorists were believed to be on the hospital terrace, Bharti, along with a handful of cops, would get on to the terrace of the adjacent Anjuman Islam High School and engage the fidayeen in a gun- battle. Bharti and his team did get on to the terrace of the school. They also saw some people moving on the hospital terrace. “However, it was too dark for us to make out whether they were terrorists or hospital staff or citizens,” said a policeman who was on Bharti’s team.

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