In fact, the area around the hotel had been cordoned off and the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) would not let even the firemen through. “We had strict instructions from top police officials to stay 500 metres away from the Taj as the terrorists were heavily armed,” Chief Fire Officer P Karguppikar, who, along with former CFO A V Sawant, was in charge of the operation at the Taj, told The Indian Express.

Added another senior fire officer, who was in the team that reached the Taj first, speaking on condition of anonymity: “There was too much confusion through the night. We didn’t know whom to talk to and there was no one at the spot for coordination and communication. Each authority was doing things on its own and as they saw it fit.”

The Indian Express has found that the Fire Department had conducted a detailed fire audit of the hotel in 2006 and knew every access alley and rescue point. This knowledge, fire officials say, could have been utilised by the police and even the NSG, which arrived subsequently, to plan their operations to take on the terrorists who seemed to know the hotel better than the security personnel. But the Fire Department did not offer its expertise on its own, and their security counterparts did not ask.

The Mumbai Fire Department is adept at rescuing people from buildings on fire or that have collapsed, as it is such a frequent occurence during the monsoons. Even on the night of November 26, fire officers were prepared to get into the Taj and evacuate guests hiding in different parts of the hotel.

... contd.