Commando ops couldn8217;t save rabbi, wife

Forty hours after the terrorists took over the Jewish centre in Nariman House at the congested Colaba market area...

Forty hours after the terrorists took over the Jewish centre in Nariman House at the congested Colaba market area, the National Security Guards completed the operation at 9.45 pm on Friday, killing two terrorists.

Five hostages, including Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife, were found dead. One commando, Joginder Singh, was killed while two were injured.

The final assault by the NSG began at 3.30 pm. After sending on Thursday afternoon a batch of 20 NSG commandos who tried to enter the building from the ground floor, action began on Friday morning with NSG commandos being airdropped on the building terrace from a chopper. Terrorists had apparently blown the lifts and the entry point of the Nariman House.

Sporadic firing and grenade explosions continued till 1.00 pm. Then there was a lull till 3 pm. Half an hour later, the firing lasted 15 minutes, following which an NSG commando hung a red towel from a window of the fifth floor 8212; probably a signal to inform the NSG authorities outside the building about the final assault.

The big blow came at 5.45 pm when an explosion blew up the fourth floor. The explosion was strong enough to punch a hole in the RCC construction, exposing the top floor staircase.

When a little after 6 pm, the NSG guards went to the rooftoop and gave a thumbs up, the anxious crowd started cheering, clapping and whistling to indicate the success of the operation. However, explosions and firing continued by the NSG for a while at 8 pm to make sure that no terrorists were inside the building.

NSG chief J K Dutta arrived at the spot around 9 pm. After scouting the operation zone, he confirmed that it was indeed over and they were just going through a 8220;safe procedure8221; to sanitise the building. Terming it a 8220;unique operation8221;, Dutta said, 8220;We are victims of terrorism.8221;

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He explained how the building had to be staked out before moving into action. 8220;Commandos had to be airdropped, and we had to dominate the area and secure floor by floor,8221; he said.

8220;Our objective was to cause no harm to the hostages and ensure that no innocent persons or civilians die as it was a very populated area,8221; he added.

The NSG chief said as and when the operation intensified, they started securing each floor during which they found the body of the hostages who were already dead prior to the operation.

On the brave efforts of the jawans and the unfortunate death of a hawildar during the operation, he said, 8220;It was a gallant act on his part as he braved the bullets while coming down. It was a supreme sacrifice and we will always remember this.8221;