It has been 16 years since the deadly 26/11 Mumbai attacks shook the entire country when ten Islamic terrorists armed with AK 47 guns unleashed coordinated attacks across different spots in the city of Mumbai which claimed more than 170 innocent lives and left thousands severely injured. The Mumbai terror attacks not only revealed the worst face of Pakistan but also highlighted the godly courage our security personnel showed in tackling the terrorist attacks. Mumbai police stood tall during crucial hours and gave countless sacrifices, with Assistant Sub-Inspector Tukaram Omble’s sacrifice being one among them. However, he not only resisted the terrorist attack but also played a pivotal role in exposing the prime agenda of the Islamists behind the 26/11 attacks — that they could pin the blame of terror attack on Hindus — for which a new term “Hindu/Saffron terror” was coined during the UPA era. His sacrifice ensured that the Indian security establishment caught hold of the sole surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab and how the entire “Hindu terror” conspiracy crumbled after that is for all to see.
On that fateful day of November 26, 2008, 10 members of terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across the city of Mumbai to inflict maximum casualties. Out of these ten, only Ajmal Kasab could be arrested alive which helped the Indian security establishment in unraveling the truth behind the actual scheme of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
The arrest of Ajmal Kasab
Ajmal Kasab, one of the ten terrorists along with his accomplice Ismail Khan launched a deadly attack at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, killing commuters indiscriminately. They then attacked a police vehicle near Cama Hospital, killing senior officers, including ATS Chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar. The terrorist duo continued their rampage, firing at innocent bystanders in the crowds near Metro Cinema and Vidhan Bhavan before stealing a Skoda Laura to escape towards Girgaum Chowpatty.
Alerted by police control, 15 officers set up barricades at Marine Drive. When the terrorists encountered the barricade, a shootout ensued. Ismail Khan was killed during the encounter while Kasab pretended to be dead. As police approached cautiously, Ajmal Kasab aimed to attack again, but Assistant Sub-Inspector Tukaram Omble, armed only with a lathi, fearlessly charged forward. He held onto Kasab’s rifle, braving multiple bullets in his chest, but ensured that Kasab was captured alive.
During his interrogation, Kasab revealed the involvement of Abu Jundal, a native of Beed, Maharashtra, who was a key conspirator and among the six masterminds behind the Mumbai attacks. While Kasab was a Pakistani fidayeen operative trained for ground execution, Jundal represented the leadership tier of the LeT.
Abu Jundal was extradited from Saudi Arabia in 2012, after being detained. His capture provided critical insights into the planning and deeper motives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He also admitted to devising a sinister plan to blame the attacks on Hindus to propagate the narrative of “Hindu Terror.” The terrorists were trained to speak in Hindi, made to wear saffron bands (Kalavas), and carry fake IDs with Hindu names, such as “Sameer Chaudhary was used for Ajmal Kasab.”
A fabricated letter claiming responsibility on behalf of the fictional “Deccan Mujahideen” was also drafted to mislead investigators. The plan hinged on the assumption that all Fidayeens would die during the attacks, leaving only staged evidence pointing toward Hindus. However, Kasab’s capture by Veer Validani Tukaram Omble exposed the deception. His testimony and Jundal’s admissions highlighted the meticulous planning behind the conspiracy.
Rakesh Maria, the former Mumbai police commissioner also in his book “Let Me Say It Now”, which came out in 2020 revealed that the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 would have been termed as “Hindu terror” as the Lashkar-e-Taiba had sent the terrorists with fake Hindu names with Kalavas in their hands.
“If all had gone well, he would have been dead with a red string tied around his wrist like a Hindu. We would have found an identity card on his person with a fictitious name: Samir Dinesh Chaudhari, student of Arunodaya degree and PG college, Bengaluru. There would have been screaming headlines on newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan,” Rakesh Maria mentioned in his book.
The arrest of Ajmal Kasab exposed Pakistan on the world stage and labelled them with the badge of a terrorist state. It also shattered the dream of the Hinduphobic lobby to fabricate the 26/11 Mumbai attacks as a Hindu conspiracy.
Remembering the Bravehearts who gave their supreme sacrifice to reclaim India’s financial capital from the clutches of Pakistani terrorists, and Sat-Sat Naman to Veer Validani Tukaram Omble ji.