Having seen the terrorists attack and kill his boss Vijay Salaskar, Jadhav is determined to get back to his job at the Mumbai crime branch. “If I am alive today, there has to be a reason behind it. Maybe God wants me to do more in life,” says Jadhav.

As his colleagues and friends surround him, his wife Ashwini looks on attentively. At the slightest wince or move from Jadhav, she comes rushing to his side. Doctors have removed two bullets, but a third is still lodged in his right arm. “As soon as my arm is fit enough to lift a gun, I will be back at work,” says Jadhav. Photo: Mahendra Parikh

Ranjeet Jadhav

‘I have to get back to work. With a job like mine, I will have to be prepared for such situations’

Working with the State Reserve Police Force, Ranjeet Jadhav has been in the midst of some of the worst riots in the state but nothing had prepared him for the Mumbai attack. “This was very different from a riot situation. During a riot, we can see the mob, anticipate and prepare our moves. Here no one knew what was happening. It was an unpredictable situation,” says Jadhav, who has been with the SRPF for 13 years. The company he is attached with is based in Pune but they were called to Mumbai two months ago, after there were fears of unrest following Maharasthra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray’s arrest. On November 26, they were sent to Oberoi Hotel where Jadhav was injured in a grenade blast. “At the end of the day, I have to get back to my job. I can’t be scared of what happened. With a profession like mine, I will have to be prepared for such situations,” says Jhadav.

... contd.