26/11 - LEST WE FORGET

Ten brainwashed zealots from Pakistan stormed Mumbai exactly an year ago and the carnage and horror that followed was unprecedented. 60 hours, live on the screen- all our senses numbed. One year later today, many valiant martyrs are remembered for their courageous acts. This article will be a tribute to a relatively unknown gem, Shri Tukaram Gopal Ombale, the brave ASI who caught the lone surviving gunman, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab.

Ombale was a true hero in all sense of the word. On the night of Nov 26/27 2008, 20 policemen from the DB Marg police station had set up a "naka bandi" (barricade) on Girgaum Chowpatti. They had received the message that terrorists had just wrecked havoc in CST, and are on their way towards Marine Drive, driving a hijacked Skoda car. Of the policemen, just two had Self Loading Rifles (SLR) and the same two men had bullet-proof vests. The rest were just armed with a lathi (baton), and some of them were in plainclothes. What follows next is right out of a heroic bollywood movie script.

Tukaram Ombale was giving chase to the car on his motorbike after he saw the Skoda car whiz past him. At around 12:45 AM, the skoda car sped towards the barricades and screeched to a halt some 50 feet away. Ombale with his motorbike tried to block the car from the left. On the front of the car were the barricades. Suddenly the lights and wipers were turned on and the car tried to make a U-turn from the right, but instead hit the road divider. All the while, two terrorists were firing heavily from the car (nearly 100 spent shells were recovered from the site). The police responded and gunned down Ismail Khan who was driving the car. On the other side, the door opened and Ajmal Kasab came out as if to surrender. Tukaram Ombale rushed towards him when suddenly Kasab fired his Kalashnikov gun at Ombale. Various reports say that Ombale took 30 to 39 bullets from Kasab while trying to capture him alive. Like a true hero, he lunged at Kasab and snatched his AK-47 assault rifle, held on to it, and collapsed over Kasab which effectively cramped him for space. "When we saw that Ombale 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," says his colleague Sanjay Govilkar.

In a way, he acted as a shield thus protecting the other officers present there- what's more, he fell across Kasab, thus immobilizing him. These valuable moments were enough for the other police men to come forward and catch Kasab alive. Just with the help of lathis, Mumbai policemen have done which nobody else in the world have ever done: catch a hard-core Fidayeen terrorist alive. Intelligence agencies and security forces from all over the world (FBI, CIA, Mossad, MI6, Shin Bet, KGB etc.) descended down to India to understand the nuances of the tactics used by terrorists and the counter measures taken by India; but to actually have information - that is priceless. And that is made available to the world today by Tukaram Ombale.

His heroic deed resulted in clinching the crucial evidence against Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Pakistani establishment. The whole investigation proceeds largely from Kasab, and that is because he was caught alive. An avalanche of diplomatic, political and international pressures were heaped upon the Pakistani establishment, just because of Ombale. In keeping Kasab alive, we are able to know priceless information about the network of Jihadis, their training, logistics, idealogy, functioning, etc. which would be invaluable to prevent future strikes. The importance of Tukaram Ombale's martyrdom can never be overemphasized.

Reports have now emerged about his dedication to duty before 26/11. It is said that he once painstakingly worked with dedication to inform people of the dangers of jellyfish lurking in the beaches near Girgaum Chowpatty- to the extent that he researched on Jellyfish and came with lots of lemons the next day (he just studied till class IX). He learnt that squeezing lemon juice on Jellyfish wounds have a calming effect.

He stood a perfect example for "Do your duty, and don't reap for the rewards", as said in the Gita. Once he is said to have seen some policemen chase a thief. He set his pet dog on the crook, and the thief was nabbed by Ombale and his dog, by surprising him from the other end of the street. Though he nabbed him- he politely handed him over to the other pursuing officers and he went his way. Those officers were recognized and awarded for their "efforts". But Ombale never cared for these recognitions. He believed in his duty and he wanted to be an example for others. "If I am right, the others will be right too". Never late for duty, he never missed a day even if he was unable to work. Once during the Ganesh chaturthi celebrations, he went for work inspite of being very, very sick. "I had to be there, I had to... it was my duty", so he said. His daughter Vaishali also showed a great example to honour her father by refusing donations of about 3 lakh rupees collected by students after 26/11. She had previously too, refused such charities or gave it back to them. She says that her dad loved children and he would not approve of donations. Though the whole nation is grateful to him today, his family still feels the void left by him.

His valiant efforts did not go unnoticed. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra by the Indian government, the highest civilian/military award for valour, courage and sacrifice in peacetime. CNN IBN also awarded him with the "Indian of the year" award in the category of "extraordinary service to the nation". His is a tale of sacrifice and duty, he has left behind a legacy which is worthy of emulation- an example to follow.

With people like Tukaram Ombale, the whole nation is illuminated. We bow to you, sir.

Picture copyright: Rediff.com; notw.co.uk