Posted on 11/29/2008 11:17:52 AM PST by Leisler
It is the photograph that has dominated the world's front pages, casting an astonishing light on the fresh-faced killers who brought terror to the heart of India's most vibrant city. Now it can be revealed how the astonishing picture came to be taken by a newspaper photographer who hid inside a train carriage as gunfire erupted all around him.
Sebastian D'Souza, a picture editor at the Mumbai Mirror, whose offices are just opposite the city's Chhatrapati Shivaji station, heard the gunfire erupt and ran towards the terminus. "I ran into the first carriage of one of the trains on the platform to try and get a shot but couldn't get a good angle, so I moved to the second carriage and waited for the gunmen to walk by," he said. "They were shooting from waist height and fired at anything that moved. I briefly had time to take a couple of frames using a telephoto lens. I think they saw me taking photographs but theydidn't seem to care."
The gunmen were terrifyingly professional, making sure at least one of them was able to fire their rifle while the other reloaded. By the time he managed to capture the killer on camera, Mr D'Souza had already seen two gunmen calmly stroll across the station concourse shooting both civilians and policemen, many of whom, he said, were armed but did not fire back. "I first saw the gunmen outside the station," Mr D'Souza said. "With their rucksacks and Western clothes they looked like backpackers, not terrorists, but they were very heavily armed and clearly knew how to use their rifles.
"Towards the station entrance, there are a number of bookshops and one of the bookstore owners was trying to close his shop," he recalled. "The gunmen opened fire and the shopkeeper fell down."
But what angered Mr D'Souza almost as much were the masses of armed police hiding in the area who simply refused to shoot back. "There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything," he said. "At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, 'Shoot them, they're sitting ducks!' but they just didn't shoot back."
As the gunmen fired at policemen taking cover across the street, Mr D'Souza realised a train was pulling into the station unaware of the horror within. "I couldn't believe it. We rushed to the platform and told everyone to head towards the back of the station. Those who were older and couldn't run, we told them to stay put."
The militants returned inside the station and headed towards a rear exit towards Chowpatty Beach. Mr D'Souza added: "I told some policemen the gunmen had moved towards the rear of the station but they refused to follow them. What is the point if having policemen with guns if they refuse to use them? I only wish I had a gun rather than a camera."
They stopped caring due to the fact that the gig was up when they entered the bank. They didn't know it, but LAPD saw them enter the bank, and were waiting.
They new when they exited the bank that their operation went south. In addition, they were already wanted for multiple crimes, including murder, robbery etc. They knew they would never see the light of day again.
That's why it appeared they they wanted to die from the beginning.
Fact is, they didn't.
bookmark
As I recall, the number of books written and/or published in Arabic worldwide averages around 14 a year.
That's outside the Koran, of course.
I'll bet they had no ammo, no authority to use it if they did, and were taken completely by surprise. The station cops' sidearms are worn as a badge would be, as a symbol of authority. They never, ever expected anything like this. The terrorists were just the opposite. Civilian clothes, grenades, automatic weapons with plenty of ammo, and most importantly the long planned intention of raising as much hell as possible.
“Heaven help the police officer who returns fire, against a terrorist, and accidentally grazes a civilian with a richote, or from debris. The policeman will be vilified and have his career destroyed.”
Any policeman who doesn’t engage a killer should be immediately sacked.
That would be Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech a gun free zone, 32 murdered and 15 wounded.
A year earlier at a college near Virginia Tech a killer murdered 3 people before 2 persons retrieved hand guns from their automobiles and stopped him.
Does anyone know the name of that school?
I wonder if the cops were ‘thinking British’ — didn’t their cops have batons and no guns for the longest time?
I, too, believe it has to do with Ghandi — and with Buddha, and with Hinduism. Worldviews totally influence actions, and civilizations are built differently depending on religions/ worldviews.
The only other major college ‘near’ VA Tech is Radford University. Other than RU, there are just a bunch of small community colleges and maybe some technical schools near VA Tech.
Stupidity is running rampant on this thread.
1. There is no excuse for the police hiding instead of engaging.
2. Their level of training cannot excuse their inaction. All they needed to do was aim and shoot.
3. for you Freepers and lurkers who feel one cannot know what to do until confronted by a situation-—get your heads out.
4. Gack. I am ashamed at some of your cluelesness, demonstrated by your remarks.
Because you pull some illiterate mut off the street, march him around for a bit and hand him a gun and a badge, doesn't make him Clint Eastwood.
Who do you think the Mumbai police get their recruits from, MIT, West Point?
It is not unknown for third world military to be reluctant to advance on a numerically inferior, but determined enemy.
Their are many reports of the hotel staff saving guests. I suspect this is from long working and having a sense of responsibility to the guests. No doubt the private hotels demand more of their staff and have made a culture of service.
“Sounds like the got their training with the Columbine police department.”
More likely the London Metropolitan Police. They acted like the Armed Police in Britain. Wave your gun and they will give up.
So, even in a just war, it turns out it is difficult to get people to kill even people who are trying to kill them, even if they have been trained and more importantly conditioned to kill.
btt
The fact remains,
The failure of the police to engage is inexcusable.
A Clint Eastwood was not required-—only a steady weapon and a controlled trigger finger.
You cannot excuse these men from their failure to do their duty anymore than you can excuse those hundreds milling about Columbine.
A failure to act in such a situation is reprehensible.
Comparing a $10/ hr security guard in a church with a police officer is not a fair comparison.
The lack of character of the Indian police—at least the ones D’sousa encountered cannot be intellectualized away.
Their lack of character and courage makes the accessories to the massacre.
That you would defend their failure to act is astounding to me.
Their lack of courage, common sense, autonomy-—whatever. cannot defend their failure to do the right thing and save lives.
She was an ex cop.
And I know a few Security Guards that have had the integrity to immediately confront an armed individual-—sometimes without a weapon.
“The Indian cops are obviously a joke and are cowards. “
Probably more like sheep. They are told not to use their guns and they obey their commands.
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