Vijay Salaskar Police Inspector, Anti Extortion Cell | Mumbai 26/11

Vijay Salaskar was a Senior Police Inspector and encounter specialist serving with the
Mumbai police. He was widely credited with killing 75–80 criminals in encounters — most
of these were members of the Arun Gawli gang. Salaskar was killed while fighting terrorists
in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Captured terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab claimed responsibility for the killing. Before his death Salaskar was head of the Anti-Extortion Cell, Mumbai. His patriotism and bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009.

Early life and career:

Salaskar was a post-graduate in Commerce (M.Com) from Mumbai University. He joined Mumbai police as a sub inspector in 1983. India Today reports Salaskar's first lethal encounter occurred during his first year of appointment, when he shot dead Raja Shahabuddin, known to police on several counts. Salaskar, who was reportedly sidelined for the last two years for unearthing the gutka-underworld nexus, was recently attached to the crime branch, where he headed the anti-extortion cell. An officer of the 1983 batch, Salaskar in his 24 years of service had eliminated many criminals. Amar Naik, Jaggu Shetty, Sadhu Shetty, Kundan Singh
Rawat, Zahoor Makhanda are some of the gangsters who have fallen to Salaskar’s bullets. According to sources, the police officer had once even gone hunting for former don Arun Gawli. “But Gawli fled from the scene, forcing Salaskar to return empty-handed. However, Salaskar got even by killing his two trusted men, Sada Pawle and Vijay Tandel, in 1997, triggering allegations that the encounters were fake. After this, Gawli was so scared that during the 2005 elections, he complained to the government that Salaskar was trying to kill him and requested that he be transferred,’’ sources said. This is what Salaskar said in 2004 about Gawli." Gawli may have become an MLA. But for me, he continues to remain a former Mumbai don and I have to keep tabs on his activities. If I get any information of his group's involvement in a crime or learn about any shady activity going on at Dagdi Chawl, I will not hesitate to raid his Byculla residence. If I have to arrest him, I will not refrain from doing so. Now that Gawli is an MLA, arresting him will involve certain procedures.
I will not bow to any political pressure. I will only take orders from the police commissioner, who is my supreme commander. It was embarrassing that khaki-clad policemen would be deployed to protect Gawli. In the past, we refused him police protection on several occasions. At that time, I had gunned down several of his top henchmen and so he was scared of me. But if Gawli is really reformed, he should not be afraid of me or any other policeman. We do not target innocent persons."

Death:

Vijay Salaskar was killed in action by terrorists during the Mumbai attacks, on 26 November 2008. India Express quotes statements by Constable Arun Jadhav, who was with the officers Vijay Salaskar, Ashok Kamte and Hemant Karkare when they died. The three officers and four constables had received information that Sadanand Date had been wounded while resisting hostile terrorist action at the Cama and Albless Hospital for women and children. Currently located at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a ten-minute drive from the hospital, they took a Toyota Qualis and proceeded in that direction. Salaskar was driving, Ashok Kamte in the passenger seat, Hemant Karkare in the second row, and the four Constables, including Jadhav,
were in the back row of seating. According to Jadhav, five minutes later two terrorists stepped out from behind a tree and opened fire with AK-47 automatic rifles. The six policemen, other than Jadhav, were all killed quickly in the gunfire. The wounded Jadhav had no opportunity to render assistance. The two terrorists approached the vehicle, dumped the bodies of the three officers on the road and, leaving the constables for dead, proceeded to Metro Junction. Upon arrival, they aimed three bursts of automatic fire at police and journalist vehicles drawn up at that location, then drove off towards the government offices (Vidhan Bhawan) in South Mumbai. Here again they fired several times. While attempting to leave the area, one of the tyres of the vehicle burst, so the terroristsdeparted to obtain another. At this point, Jadhav was able to contact headquarters. The bodies of the dead were promptly recovered and taken to St George Hospital. India takes pride in saluting Salaskar's patriotism & his dedication towards his job

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Tukaram G. Omble Asst. Police Sub Inspector | Mumbai 26/11

Tukaram Omble was an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), and a retired army personnel who had entered the Mumbai police. He was killed during the 2008 Mumbai attacks while fighting terrorists at Girgaum Chowpatty. The Indian government honored him with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009

Omble was an ASI with the Mumbai Police. His team was under-equipped for the attack, but managed to kill one terrorist and arrest the only terrorist taken alive. Unarmed, Omble held onto the gun of injured terrorist Ajmal Kasab, enabling other officers to arrest him. In the process, Ajmal fired several shots, killing Omble.

On the day terrorists attacked Mumbai, ASI Tukaram Omble, 48, was on the night beat. At 12.30 am on 27 November he had called his family and spoken to them.

Omble's senior told him to take up position on Marine Drive on Wednesday night, after the news of firings at Leopold Cafe, Oberoi and Taj Hotels came in. Around 12.45 am, he got an alert on his walkie-talkie that two terrorists had hijacked a Skoda car and were heading for Girgaum Chowpatty. Just minutes later, the Skoda whizzed past him.

Omble jumped on to his motorcycle and chased the car. A team from DB Marg police station was setting up a barricade at the chowpatty signal. As the car approached the signal, the terrorists opened fire on the police, but had to reduce speed because of the barricades. Omble overtook the Skoda and stopped in front of it, forcing the driver of the car to swerve right and hit the divider. With the terrorists momentarily distracted, Omble sprang toward one of them, Ajmal Kasab, and gripped the barrel of the AK47 rifle with both hands. With the barrel pointing towards Omble, Kasab pulled the trigger, hitting Omble in the abdomen. Omble collapsed, but held on to the gun till he lost consciousness, which likely stopped Kasab from shooting others.

The other police, who by that time had killed the other terrorist, Ismail, captured Kasab. The investigative agencies reportedly gathered much information from the sole terrorist captured.

"I saw terrorists firing on TV and came to the station. The inspector was outside the police station and he ordered us to immediately cordon off Girgaum Chowpatty," says Sanjay Govilkar, Assistant Police Inspector (API), Mumbai Police. "There were seven policemen in civil cloths at Girgaum Chowpatty. Only I was armed with a pistol while all others carrying lathis (sticks)," Bhaskar Kadam another reveals. It was in a silver-coloured Skoda that Kasab and Ismail Khan were racing down marine drive, but they were in for a surprise at Girgaum Chowpatty. "At around 0030 hrs IST a Skoda car stopped about 50 feet from the barricade," says Govilkar. "They tried to escape by taking a U-turn. But they hit the divider and the car stopped," says another Mumbai Police official Hemant Baudankar says. "Kasab started firing from his AK47 as soon as he saw that we were coming to catch him," says Govilkar. Baudankar says that Assistant Sub Inspector Tukaram Omble was hit by the bullets as he was the first to charge towards Kasab and his associate armed with just a stick. "All those who were with Omble survived as he stood like a shield," adds Kadam. "When we saw that Omble was not letting go of the terrorist's gun, we knew we could not let his sacrifice go in vain. He held on and we completed his unfinished task," his colleague Sanjay Govilkar said.

Awards
Tukaram Omble was awarded the Ashoka Chakra which is the highest peacetime gallantry award.
He was also awarded CNN Indian of the year award under the category 'Extraordinary service to the nation'. 

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Shashank Shinde Police Inspector, C.S.T. Railway Police Station | Mumbai 26/11

Hardworking and sincere, that’s how most people, including former Deputy Commissioner of Police (Government Railway Police) Ramrao Pawar, describe Railway Police Inspector Shashank Shinde who lost his life during a scuffle with two terrorists inside Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), where he was posted.

An officer of the 1987 batch, Shinde had worked with the Crime Branch for a few years. He was also with the Protection Department and the Traffic Police Department before being transferred to the GRP. His assistant, Pradeep, says, “He was a very helpful and dashing officer who would never hesitate to rush in for any kind of operation.” Asked about Shinde’s personal likings, he said with an obvious hint of fondness, “He used to like listening to old songs. I don’t know much about him as a person.”

ACP (GRP) Bapu Thomre informed that Shinde’s duty hours during the night had been reduced recently. “As two officers were not needed for the night shift, Shinde was told to go home and rest. Even as he was getting ready to leave, the sound of bullets was heard in the station.” According to the other police officials, Shinde, who always carried a revolver, rushed towards the spot from where the shots were being fired.

When the firing started, he pulled out his service revolver and fired two bullets. During the course of the fight, he was shot in the abdomen and dropped at the spot. “Though Shinde was an efficient policeman, a service revolver could not have been any match for two men armed with AK-47s. However, whatever Shinde did was very brave. He just rushed out, armed with only a service revolver to combat the threat,” said Thomre.

At the funeral, one of his neighbours said, “The minute we heard that there was some disturbance at CST, we knew that Shashank would be leading from the front. That was his nature anyways. However, we did not expect to hear the news of his demise. Everyone is numb with shock.”

Shinde is survived by his wife, Mansi, an LIC employee and two daughters- Nivedita, a 2nd year engineering student, and Aditi, an SSC student. Speaking in hushed tones about her husband at their residence in Atop Hill, Mansi said, “Last night, two police officials came to our house at Antop Hill and informed us about the incident. We were escorted to the hospital where his body was kept.”

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NSG Commando Havaldar Gajender Singh | Mumbai 26/11

Havaldar Gajender Singh Bisht (born 1972) was an NSG commando who died during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. His act of bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra award by the President of India on 26 January 2009.

Hailing from Ganeshpur in Uttarakhand, young Gajender Singh studied at the Janata Inter College in Naya Gaon. He was remembered by his teachers as a disciplined student who participated in every event organised in the school, be it sports or cultural activities. He had a particular interest in boxing.

Operation Black Tornado
Gajender Singh was a member of the National Security Guard’s 51 Special Action Group. Gajender Singh was part of the team of NSG commandos who were abseiled on the roof of Nariman House in an operation to neutralize the terrorists inside who were holding at least six hostages.

According to Jyoti Krishna Dutt, Director General of the NSG, Singh was leading one of the teams that entered the building. The team came under intense fire from the terrorists and returned fire, while trying to dominate the situation. The terrorists also hurled a few grenades at the commandos. At this point, Singh had the option of retreating with his team. However, he realized that they had to seize this opportunity to dominate and continued moving ahead. He didn't turn his back to the militants and created a way for the other commandos despite a grenade thrown at him. Despite sustaining multiple bullet injuries while doing so, he moved forward and ultimately succumbed to his injuries, making the supreme sacrifice. This selfless and brave gesture of his ensured that his team secured a dominating position in the encounter

Death
While securing the Nariman House during Operation Black Tornado, Singh, a member of the Parachute Regiment was fatally wounded while storming the Jewish center.

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ATS Chief Hemant Karkare | Mumbai 26/11

Joint Commissioner of Police Hemant Karkare (12 December 1954 – 26 November 2008) was the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad. He was killed during the 2008 Mumbai attacks after being shot three times in the chest. His bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009.

Karkare succeeded KP Raghuvanshi as the Chief of ATS in January 2008 and was eventually succeeded by Raghuvanshi after he was killed on 26 November 2008. He was also involved in the investigation of the serial bomb blasts in Thane, Vashi and Panvel, and led the investigation of the 29 September blast in Malegaon,he was investigating the possible and alleged links of saffron terror and the group Abhinav Bharat in these attacks

Karkare came from a Maharashtrian Karhade Brahmin family. Karkare obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. After graduation he worked for National productivity council, Government of India and then Hindustan Lever Limited now Hindustan Unilever Ltd., India's largest FMCG company.

He joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) as a member of the 1982 batch. Before becoming ATS Chief of Maharashtra State in January 2008, he was Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration) of Mumbai Police. He served seven years in Austria in the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence agency. According to former senior Mumbai Police officer Y.C. Pawar, Mr. Karkare was regarded as very influential officer in police circles.

At 9.45 p.m. while having his dinner at his Dadar residence, he received a call about a terrorist attack at C.S.T. (earlier V.T.) station. He switched on the TV for news and left at once with his driver and bodyguards for C.S.T. There he donned a bullet-proof vest and helmet (shown on news channels live), and went to Platform No.1, but found it deserted. He was then informed that the terrorists had moved to the Cama and Albless Hospital ("Cama") next to the Azad Maidan police station.

The operation was difficult as it was dark and the terrorists were well prepared and virtually on a fidayeen mission. The officers, with a few constables, went into Cama from the back and Kamte fired at the terrorist. A couple of constables were left stationed at the back entrance of Cama, while the rest boarded a Qualis jeep. Salaskar asked the driver to let him take over at the wheel. About that time, they heard on the wireless that the terrorists were hiding behind a red car.

As they turned from the Crime Branch office towards Rang Bhavan looking for the red car, near the Corporation Bank ATM, they saw a terrorist running. Kamte or Salaskar - or both - fired, the bullet hitting the terrorist on his arm, his AK-47 fell down. He was Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive later. As they were thinking of getting down, a second terrorist, Ibrahim Khan appeared and fired a volley of bullets at them. All but one Assistant Police Inspector Jadhav died. ( Times of India 19 Dec. 2008 )

Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, Salaskar and others laid down their lives fighting terrorists during the Mumbai attacks, on 27 November 2008 in a narrow lane between St. Xaviers College and Rang Bhavan, just a stone throw away from the Crime Branch office.

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ACP Ashok Kamte | Mumbai 26/11

Ashok Kamte (23 February 1965 - 26 November 2008) was the Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police for the East Region. He was killed in terrorist action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. His bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009

Ashok Kamte was an international scholarship recipient at Camp Rising Sun in 1980. He attended The Rajkumar College, Rajkot, then Kodaikanal International School for five years, graduating from 12th grade with the Class of 1982. He completed his bachelor's degree from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai graduating in 1985 and post graduate degree in Arts from St. Stephen's College, Delhi 1985-87. An accomplished athlete, he represented India at the junior power-lifting championship in Peru in 1978.

Ashok Kamte was survived by his wife Vinita, two sons Rahul (15) and Arjun (8), his father Colonel M.R. Kamte (Retd.) of the Indian Army, mother, Prem and a sister, Sharmila. 


Death
Ashok Kamte was killed in action by terrorists during the Mumbai attacks, on 26 November 2008 in a narrow lane between St. Xavier's College and the Rang Bhavan opposite Corporation Bank ATM just a stone away from Crime Branch office.

As Mr. Kamte was known for his cool temperament and negotiation skills he was summoned when attack began. He was the Additional Commissioner of East zone, an area not under attack. When he reached CST area, he met ATS Chief Hemant Karkare and others. They took a Qualis from the Azad Maidan Police Station (AMPS), with Kamte taking taking AK47 himself. When they reached rear entrance of the Cama and Albless Hospital ( Cama ) which is next to AMPS, Kamte fired at terrorists, to which the terrorists retaliated with handgranade so Kamte suggested to take on terrorists from front entrance of Cama. By then the terrorists had left Cama sensing trouble. As the cops were moving they received wireless message that terrorists were hiding behind a red car in the same lane. At that time they spotted a terrorist running, Kamte fired, injuring him. He was Kasab lone terrorist captured alive later that night. As they were about to get down another Pakistani terrorist, Ibrahim Khan fired volley of bullets killing all but Asst. Police Inspector Arun Jadhav. Kamte was hit in the head although he was wearing helmet ( but no bulletproof jacket )

The body of Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte, was cremated with State honours at the Vaikunth cremotorium on 27 November 2008. A large number of high-ranking police officers participated in the funeral procession, including: Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police Rajendra Sonawane and district collector Chandrakant Dalvi. Around 3,000 people were present.

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Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan | Mumbai 26/11

Sandeep Unnikrishnan (15 March 1977 – 28 November 2008) was a Major in the Indian Army serving in the elite Special Action Group of the National Security Guards (NSG). He was killed in action while fighting terrorists in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.His bravery was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peace time gallantry award, on 26 January 2009.

“Do not come up, I will handle them”, were the last words which Major Unnikrishnan told his men as he was hit by bullets while engaging well armed terrorists inside the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower during Operation Black Tornado, according to NSG officials. Later, NSG sources clarified that when a Guardsman got injured during the operation, Major Unnikrishnan arranged for his evacuation and started chasing the terrorists himself. The terrorists escaped to another floor of the hotel and during the chase Major Unnikrishnan was seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries.

Operation Black Tornado

On the night of 26 Nov 2008, several iconic buildings in South Mumbai were attacked by terrorists. One of the buildings where the terrorists held people hostage was the 100-year old Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
Major Unnikrishnan was the team commander of 51 SAG deployed in the operation at the Taj Mahal Hotel to rid the building of terrorists and rescue the hostages. He entered the hotel in a group of 10 commandos and reached the sixth floor through the staircase. As the team descended the stairs, they sensed the terrorists on the third floor. The terrorists had held a few women as hostages in a room and locked it from the inside. After breaking open the door, the round of fire by the terrorists hit Commando Sunil Yadav, who was Major Unnikrishnan's buddy partner.
Major Unnikrishan led his team from the front and engaged the terrorists in a fierce gunfight. He arranged for Commando Sunil Yadav's evacuation and regardless of personal safety, chased the terrorists who, meanwhile, escaped to another floor of the hotel, and while doing so Major Sandeep continuously engaged them. n the encounter that followed, he was shot from the back, seriously injured and succumbed to injuries. 

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