Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is set to honour the brave heroes of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in a special episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 16, as the nation marks the 16th anniversary of the tragic day.
The episode, scheduled to air on Tuesday, will feature frontline warriors Shri Vishwas Nangre Patil, Additional Director General of Police, and Sanjay Govilkar, Additional Superintendent of Police, who will recount their harrowing experiences from that fateful night.
In a promo released by the show’s team on Tuesday, Shri Vishwas Nangre Patil, who served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for South Mumbai during the attacks, shared details of the intense operation at the Taj Hotel.
Recalling the night of the attacks, Vishwas said, “That night, I received a call reporting grenade blasts and AK-47 firing sounds at the Taj. Without waiting for a bulletproof vest, Amit and I went inside first. As we approached the staircase, we saw three terrorists carrying haversacks and armed with AK-47s. I took a battle-ready position and fired three rounds, sir. One of the bullets hit a terrorist named Abu Ali. Each of them had an AK-47, six double magazines, 50 bullets, and 20 to 25 grenades. Their plastic bag contained 8 kg of RDX bombs, sir, which they detonated.”
Describing the challenging conditions inside the Taj, he added, “The lights went out, the cameras were damaged, and we had to decide to step out. It was completely dark and filled with smoke, making it impossible to see each other. Then Rahul Shinde, a 21-year-old boy with me, came carrying a .303 rifle. My bodyguard, Amit Khetle, was shot in the stomach, and Rahul was also shot. I went to retrieve Rahul’s martyred body, sir.”
“I saw his eyes were open, sir–just a 21-year-old boy. The butt of his .303 rifle rested on his shoulder, the gun pointed upwards, and his finger was still on the trigger guard. Fighting until the very end, he became a martyr,” Vishwas added.
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks. One of the first places targeted was Leopold Cafe, followed by the Taj Hotel, Nariman House, Oberoi Trident Hotel, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, among others. The attacks were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
Notably, at least 174 people, including 20 security force personnel and 26 foreigners, lost their lives, and over 300 were injured in the attacks.