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Journalism of Courage
Three key independent witnesses were picked for a special mention when special judge M L Tahaliyani pronounced the verdict,citing the evidence of railway announcer Madhukar Zende and two news photographers as highly appreciated.
Zende,who witnessed the attack at the CST from his vantage point in a glass-fronted cabin above the concourse,had helped nail lone arrested terrorist Ajmal Kasab,said the court. The three witnesses had a clear view of the gunmen indiscriminately firing at CST. They are independent witnesses, the court said.
Zende had saved several lives by using the public address system to instruct commuters to leave CST from the rear exit on the side of Platform No 1. Similarly appreciating the evidence of photographers,Sebastian DSouza and Sriram Vernekar,the court said: They had a clear angle and with their positions captured pictures of the convict in action. Their evidence is blemishless and they are the best witnesses. Zende,39,working as an announcer since 2003,was elated.
I am happy that I could save lives that night and that the judge acknowledged it. However,there has not been one day since 26/11 when I have not thought about that horrific night. Everyday,around 9.50 pm,I get a little nervous, he said.
Remembering the day he stepped into the witness box to face Kasab,Zende said,I started shivering with anger,I wanted Kasab to look at me in the eye but he continued to stare at the ground. On the sentence,Zende only said he had faith in the judiciary. I am sure that Kasab will get the punishment he deserves. It is not for me to conclude whether or not he should be given a death penalty.
Dsouza,Editor of Photography at daily Mumbai Mirror,said he was extremely happy that his work helped in such a big way. I had been expecting the verdict,but we have yet to see what sentence Kasab will get. The recognition from the court for my independent testimony is very special. Although as photographers we dabble with small and big risks everyday,26/11 was one of the riskiest. A step here or there and one could be dead, he said.
Vernekar,a senior photographer with The Times of India ,said he still feels angry when he thinks about the lives lost during the attack. Although it was risky to go and click his pictures at the time,it is our job as photographers to do all this. I was expecting the verdict but there should not be any possibility for him to go into appeals as he has committed the worst crimes, he said. I feel very proud that my work was acknowledged by the one of the highest authorities.
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