A Night At The Taj
 |
|
Image: Vikas Khot
|
PRELUDE
It was near sunset on November 26, 2008. Somewhere off the west coast of Mumbai, a group of young men were waiting for darkness, in a boat without lights, waiting so they could land, unobserved, at a fishing village near the southern tip of the elongated island city.
Captain Ravi Dharnidharka gazed out over the fishermen’s huts lining the Arabian Sea coast. A US Marine of Indian descent, he had family in Mumbai. In India after 13 years, he was on holiday, staying with cousins near Badhwar Park, close to tony Cuffe Parade. His extended family — uncles and more cousins — decided to meet for dinner at Souk, the Lebanese restaurant on the 20th floor of the Taj Mahal Palace.
|
Related stories
|
Dhanesh Mehta, businessman, was in the Taj lobby with his wife, Shruti, and their daughter Shivani, deciding on which restaurant to go to. It was Shivani’s birthday the next day, so she got to pick. She wanted Lebanese food. So, Souk it was.
Anand Parekh and his family — wife Jamini, son Anirrudh, and mother, Rama — were meeting Anand’s brother, Apurva, his wife Kalpana, and their children around 10 pm for dinner. They voted for Wasabi but Apurva’s daughter nixed it, because she’d lunched there that afternoon. They decided on Souk instead.
Robert Nicholls and Faisul had had a long day. Several long days, actually. They worked for Nicholls-Steyn and Associates, a South African security firm hired by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the Champions League T20 tournament. After meetings at the BCCI office, they were back at the Taj, where they were staying.
Shortly, Zane Wilmans, Reagan Walters, Reuben Neikerk, Charles Shiffier and Zunaid Wadee trooped in. Rugged, tough ex-commandos all, their 90-minute ride from the airport had taken as much of a toll on them as the 10-hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.
After the new arrivals had checked in and freshened up, they met for dinner. They were in the mood for Chinese food, but the Golden Dragon was full. The only restaurant with enough space for them was Souk.
DINNER
Around 9 p.m., the Mehtas sat down to order. Their hummus and pita took some time to arrive. As they began eating, their driver called to ask if they were alright. They said they were fine. But why was he asking? He said he had heard gunfire. Dhanesh told him not to worry. He told Shruti, “I think there’s some sort of gang war going on downstairs. By the time we are done, hopefully it should be over.”
Dharnidharka and his family were a few tables away from the Mehtas. The Marine was on edge; his instincts told him something wasn’t right. The number of phones, for instance, that were ringing. And the staff seemed on tenterhooks. Then his cousins got calls from friends; something about shootouts in Colaba. He heard gunshots, but didn’t know what to make of it. Then an aunt called, saying she’d heard there was a crazy man outside the Taj waving a gun in the air.
Most of the Parekhs had assembled inside Souk, from where they heard muffled sounds but dismissed them as one of the usual city disturbances. At around 10 p.m., they got a call from Apurva’s daughter, who said the hotel’s security men weren’t letting them come up because there was some shooting inside the hotel. When the Parekhs asked the Souk staff, they were told that there was a gang war going on downstairs. They assumed it would soon be sorted out.
The South Africans (we’ll call them the Seven, for short) had settled at a table, ordered kebabs, some starters and beer, and were discussing their assignment.
Around 9.30 p.m., they heard an explosion. They assumed it was just another noisy celebration. But, five minutes later, they heard a louder one and it felt like it came from inside the hotel. One of them went to the window and looked down: Everything seemed normal.
A little later, Wilmans got up to use the restroom outside the restaurant, but the staff wouldn’t let him out. One of the staff members said, “I’m sorry sir, but you can’t go right now. We have been given instructions that no one can leave the restaurant.” When Wilmans asked why, he was told there were two men in the lobby shooting at each other, but it should be sorted out pretty soon. Being from South Africa, where violent crime isn’t unusual, he accepted the explanation. Back at the table, his mates were similarly philosophical when he told them what had happened.
Then there was a much bigger and louder explosion. Now, they knew it was inside the hotel. The Seven got on their phones and began calling their Mumbai contacts, the police, the media and other team members. They talked to the staff and other guests at the restaurant, piecing the situation together. The conclusion was grim: Men with guns were inside the hotel, shooting. Sources in the police told them gunmen had attacked and killed people in other parts of the city.
Single Page View
