The policemen doing panchnamas inside fought nausea, he said. “There were 13 bodies in one small area where there was a restaurant,” he said, “plus more bodies elsewhere.”

An Oberoi employee recounted seeing a terrorist shoot a guest point blank, in his chest, because he had hurt him accidentally while performing a chore for the terrorist. “The terrorist had asked the guest to light a fire for something. While lighting the fire, the guest accidentally singed him. The terrorist got enraged, killed the guest,” said the employee.

As I step outside, an NSG contingent is loading its guns and equipment in an Army truck. Some commandos are munching apples, others look more drained than relieved. “t was a difficult operation, thae hotel was so large. Now we are glad it is over,” says one of them.

Their truck rolls out.

The space it vacates on the porch is quickly taken by a hearse. It will have to wait since the body of terror victim, Uma Garg, is being slowly brought down from her room on the 19th floor.

(inputs by Kavitha Iyer and Shashanl Shekhar)