10 years after the Nov 26 attacks killed hundreds and exposed gaping security lapses, HT looks at heroes who fought back, the lives lost, steps taken to make Mumbai safer
On the night of November 26, 2008, when two Pakistani terrorists riddled Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) with bullets, Vishnu Dattaram Zende was in a tiny announcer’s booth in the station, using the public announcement system to guide people to safety. “Nobody prepares you for such a situation. It was an instant reaction,” said Zende.
In 2008, Zende was a suburban railway announcer. His usual routine saw him leave from Nalasopara, where he still lives with his wife and two children, and take the train to CSMT. Once at the station, he’d go up to the announcement booth and rattle off details of train arrivals and departures for eight hours. Then November 26, 2008 happened.
“It feels like it was yesterday,” said Zende, now 47. He was on the evening shift when he heard explosions in the long-distance section of CSMT. Realising something was wrong, he took to the microphone and called for on-duty Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) to rush to that part of the station. “At the same time, I saw a suburban train arrive in the terminus,” remembered Zende.
The announcer’s booth is above the station master’s office, offering Zende an overview of the station. “I saw the men walking with guns … to the suburban railway section and firing indiscriminately. They were throwing hand-grenades. This is when I realised it was a terrorist attack,” Zende told HT.
Immediately, Zende announced in Hindi and Marathi that passengers should exit the station from the rear end of the terminus, guiding them away from Kasab and Ismail and towards safety. “I told people to use the exit of platform number one and to not come forward as I could see terrorists walking in that direction. The passengers rushed out, following my instructions,” he said. There’s no calculating how many lives Zende saved with his announcements.