There is no coherent, timeline-driven narrative to a firefight: they fire, we fire, there is chaos, confusion; there is no time to plan and to move in orderly formation. This is urban warfare, not a military operation.
Mudgerikar is understandably unable, thus, to provide a neatly organized storyline. There was a shootout, he says; finally, an officer managed to shoot one of the terrorists, delivering a non-fatal wound.
The wounded terrorist and his colleague fled the building. It is widely speculated that these were the two terrorists who then hijacked a Qualis car belonging to the Mumbai police from outside the nearby Metro cinema, and drove down Marine Drive, firing at will. It is known that police opened fire and shot out at least one tire of the car, what happened to them subsequently is not know, though it is being speculated that they then hijacked a private car, a Skoda, raced down Marine Drive, encountered a police check-post at Girgaum Chowpatty, engaged in a gun battle and were shot dead.
We then witnessed a guard of honor by Railway and Rapid Action Force officers for Head Constable Murlidhar Laxman Chaudhary of the RAF, one of the officers killed in the CST encounter.
His 24-year-old daughter Priyanka was on-hand to lay garlands and wreaths on her father’s casket. There were moments when she almost broke down. Almost, but not quite - she managed to remain composed, her dignity in grief the most eloquent tribute her father could have.
In this photo: Priyanka Chaudhary places a garland of flowers atop the casket of her slain father
Photograph: Reuben N V
Also read: Terrorists had back-up
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