Azad Maidan cop was a coward: 26/11 judge

Principal judge ML Tahaliyani came down heavily on the inactive team from Azad Maidan police station which was outside the front gate of Cama hospital when two Pakistani terrorists — Abu Ismail and Ajmal Kasab — were wreaking havoc and killing policemen there.

The court, which heard the 26/11 trial, pulled up the team led by police inspector Yashwant Thoravde for being mute spectators to the siege of Cama hospital.

Had this six-member team showed some grit, and reinforcements asked for by Sadanand Date, additional commissioner of police, been provided, the series of killings inside the hospital and especially outside — that of three senior officers, Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte — would not have occurred.

Thoravde and police naik Suresh Kadam had deposed before the court that they were stationed outside Cama hospital on the Mahapalika Road and in their full view the two terrorists left the hospital and entered Rang Bhavan lane where they killed Karkare and the two others.

Apart from Thoravde and Kadam, the team included police sub-inspector, AR Shelke, police constables SD Uttekar and Rathod, and police naik Gavade, the driver of the jeep.

“It appears that no effective steps were taken to apprehend them,” said the court. The court also observed that when Kasab and Ismail hijacked the Qualis and went towards Metro, none of the police officers chased them though they were armed with pistols and had a Bolero vehicle with them.

he court observed that Thoravde as a leader “lacks courage to take initiative” as a result of which even Kadam who worked under him didn’t do anything to stop Kasab and Ismail from firing at public and police at Mahapalika road and Rang Bhavan lane.

The judge stated that that their conduct “shows cowardliness on the part of police and lack of devotion towards duty”.

“Aghast” at their attitude, the judge noted that Thoravde didn’t even bother to enter the Badruddin Tyebji (BT) Road (near Rang Bhavan) when they saw the two terrorists entering the road.

“Instead of showing leadership quality and proceeding to BT Road along with his team, the officer left Mahapalika Road for Metro junction which is exactly opposite BT Road,” the judge noted.

The judge hoped that appropriate action was taken against the officer.

As per Kadam’s deposition, Date had ordered them to come to Cama hospital with arms and ammunition, and bullet-proof jackets. Instead, they decided to stand outside on Thoravde’s instructions, Kadam said. During cross-examination by then defence advocate Abbas Kazmi, Kadam had said that the two gunmen with their haversacks jumping from the gate looked like “press photographers”.

The judge criticised Thoravde in particular. “Senior police officer Mr Thoravde, instead of chasing the accused, had gone to Bombay hospital on the pretext of visiting one of the police officers (who was injured in the Cama hospital incident),” said the judge.

The court even went as far to say that if the reinforcements sought by Date had arrived, the series of killings that took place after that would not have occurred.

The judge added that “it was an absolutely dangerous position” for both the accused to be on terrace of Cama hospital. “In fact it was an ideal position for the police to nab the accused 1 (Kasab) and deceased accused 1 (Ismail) or kill them on the terrace. It was unfortunate that the additional police help did not come within time and in the result two police officers lost their lives and other were seriously injured on the sixth floor of the hospital,” the judge stated.