Prometheus
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2010
- Messages
- 4,942
- Reaction score
- -7
- Country
- Location
Mumbai: Though the Mumbai police came in for praise for taking on the terrorists during 26/11 attacks, the special court which conducted the trial has criticised personnel of Azad Maidan police station, saying they acted in a "cowardly" manner and "ran away" instead of stopping the militants.
Instead of coming to the aid of Additional Commissioner Sadanand Date, who engaged the terrorists in a gunfight on the terrace of Cama Hospital and got grievously injured in the process, the officers from the police station possibly "ran away", Judge M L Tahaliyani said in the judgement, a copy of which was made available to PTI today.
The police station is at a stone's throw from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital where Ajmal Kasab and his companion Abu Ismail killed scores of people.
After firing indiscriminately on the passengers at CST, Kasab and Ismail proceeded to Cama Hospital, and went up to the terrace.
Date had rushed to the hospital after instructing constable Suresh Kadam to go to the police station, collect some bulletproof jackets, weapons and ammunition, and come to the hospital.
But, as according to Kadam's testimony, he along with Senior Police Inspector Thorawade and four others went only upto the rear gate of the hospital in a Bolero jeep and did not venture further.
Noting that other witnesses had mentioned that the Bolero was parked at the hospital's rear side, Judge said "It is therefore possible that witness no. 138 (Kadam) and others had entered the Cama Hospital and ran away back... apprehending danger to their lives as around this time(11.45 pm) the accused had come out of the hospital."
"This definitely is cowardliness and lack of devotion towards duty," the judgement said.
The judge had orally observed earlier that had Sadanand Date got timely help, Kasab and Ismail could have been stopped at the hospital itself and further incidents could have been averted.
26/11 court indicts some police officers for cowardice
Instead of coming to the aid of Additional Commissioner Sadanand Date, who engaged the terrorists in a gunfight on the terrace of Cama Hospital and got grievously injured in the process, the officers from the police station possibly "ran away", Judge M L Tahaliyani said in the judgement, a copy of which was made available to PTI today.
The police station is at a stone's throw from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital where Ajmal Kasab and his companion Abu Ismail killed scores of people.
After firing indiscriminately on the passengers at CST, Kasab and Ismail proceeded to Cama Hospital, and went up to the terrace.
Date had rushed to the hospital after instructing constable Suresh Kadam to go to the police station, collect some bulletproof jackets, weapons and ammunition, and come to the hospital.
But, as according to Kadam's testimony, he along with Senior Police Inspector Thorawade and four others went only upto the rear gate of the hospital in a Bolero jeep and did not venture further.
Noting that other witnesses had mentioned that the Bolero was parked at the hospital's rear side, Judge said "It is therefore possible that witness no. 138 (Kadam) and others had entered the Cama Hospital and ran away back... apprehending danger to their lives as around this time(11.45 pm) the accused had come out of the hospital."
"This definitely is cowardliness and lack of devotion towards duty," the judgement said.
The judge had orally observed earlier that had Sadanand Date got timely help, Kasab and Ismail could have been stopped at the hospital itself and further incidents could have been averted.
26/11 court indicts some police officers for cowardice
