Tahawwur Rana has the answers to festering questions on the 26/11 terror attacks and the NIA must pry it out of him, even if they have to feed him biryani, advocates Athimuthu Ganesh Nadar.
The 26/11 planners targeted four high profile locations in Mumbai, and 10 terrorists executed it with ruthless precision. At the iconic Hotel Taj Mahal they were holed up for three days.
The elite National Security Guard had an endless supply of commandos and ammunition and yet the terrorists could hold them off for three days.
Can you carry enough ammunition in a backpack to fight well-armed, trained commandos for three days?
The terrorists knew exactly where to go, how to go and what to do. They were carrying dry fruits to satiate their hunger and drugs to stay awake.
Who planned this mission so precisely that they could attack the financial capital of the country with impunity with such a small team?
Nearly 17 years later we don't know if the terrorists had local help.
One report claimed when the terrorists emerged from the CSMT after wreaking mayhem, they stumbled into the Cama and Albless hospital nearby accompanied by a burqa-clad individual.
Who could be the Indian enablers of the worst terror attack on Indian soil?
We know the targets and routes were surveyed by David Headley who travelled multiple times to Mumbai.
The Taj Mahal hotel, the Oberoi hotel, Chabad House, a Jewish community centre, and CSMT. Three of these are well known and the fourth nobody knew of till it was attacked.
Tucked away in a Colaba bylane, Chabad House's choice by the terrorist shows meticulous planning.
Finding the Taj hotel, Oberoi and CSMT is easy, any Mumbai cab can take you there. But finding the Jewish centre was not.
Cabbies would not know it and there was no Google Maps then to guide you. It could not have been accessed without human intervention.
IMAGE: Tahawwur Rana.
While the 26/11 attack was on at the Taj hotel, one guest in night clothes ran out of the backdoor, through the crowd, and vanished into the night.
This was recorded on camera by journalists camping across the road.
That man never resurfaced. He was not found by the cops.
So we have three unknowns -- the burqa clad individual who accompanied the terrorists, the man who ran out of the Taj Mahal hotel, and the person who guided the terrorists to the Jewish centre.
Tahawwur Rana has the answers to and the NIA must pry it out of him, even if they have to feed him biryani.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff
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