•Shekhar Gupta: So, how did you get to the top floor, climbing?

J K Dutt: No, we had a staircase. The emergency staff one. So, from that side we sent up two teams and the one which reached the top from there we started.

•Shekhar Gupta: How big were these teams?

J K Dutt: Enough to take care of the situation they had to deal with.

•Shekhar Gupta: Its not correct to…

J K Dutt: …talk about how many persons there are. It was enough. If we required ore people we would have probably sent in one more hit. Now, hit is the smallest unit which we use.

•Shekhar Gupta: About six people.

J K Dutt: On the 18th floor the shooting started so we knew that hey were over there and over here the terrorists had gone inside a room. 1856, I still remember the room number.

•Shekhar Gupta: It’s a room I have stayed in several times.

J K Dutt: Same room?

•Shekhar Gupta: Yes

J K Dutt: I think there would be now changing the complete inside, it will look absolutely different. Over there they had to almost force the door open and as soon as they forced the door open, there was a firing shooting from inside and one of my commandos was very badly injured. But, even in that condition he kept his presence of mind, he fired back and he killed one terrorist.

... contd.