However, only later, the cops sheepishly informed us that it was a false alarm.Īs a bluish tint hinting dawn appeared in the sky, we witnessed a war-like scene outside Taj.
Everyone followed suit, including the policemen. 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. Lights were going on and off as if someone was desperately SOSing. As the heavens wept, the cameramen sheltered their equipment from the sudden rain showers with umbrellas and tents.ĭuring a lull in the shooting, we noticed furtive movements near the side entrance of the Taj. 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. Since we were within the range of the AK-47 fire, we retreated backwards, commando style. Just when we thought that all terrorists were rounded up, they revealed themselves through cruel rat-a-tats as though taunting the commandos.Ĭurtain movements made us feel that we would be targeted next. A spurt of gunshots interspersed with grenade blasts at regular intervals continued until we lost count of them. We were clueless as to what was exactly going on inside. As journalists, sometimes, we are forced to become spectators. There we were, helplessly watching the façade of the Taj Heritage. 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. Some were even snoring, but came alert at the slightest sound of firing. 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. 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. It was 11pm on Friday when we arrived at Taj Mahal hotel after spending an hour at the Oberoi Trident.
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