A police officer and sole survivor of a November 26 gunbattle between gunmen and police near Cama Hospital, in which three senior police officials including Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare were killed, on Friday recounted the sequence of events to a special court.

Arun Jadhav, assistant to slain Inspector Vijay Salaskar, emotionally described how arrested gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab and his dead accomplice Abu Ismail had fired at the police jeep carrying Karkare, Salaskar, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and three other constables.

Describing the events on the night, Jadhav said when they reached Cama Hospital the senior officials, Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar, decided to confront terrorists at the main gate of the hospital and instructed a group of policemen to stay in position at the rear gate.

They took a Qualis jeep of Pydhonie division and the three senior officials sat in the front two seats, while three other constables Yogesh Patil, Jaywant Patil and Dilip Bhosale along with him (Jadhav) sat in the rear seat.

When the vehicle reached the lane adjoining Rang Bhavan, an open auditorium near Cama Hospital, they heard a message over the wireless that two terrorists were hiding in the area prompting Kamte to ask Salaskar to slow down, he said.

Suddenly, there was a burst of fire in their direction and the three senior police officials and he (Jadhav) retaliated by shooting back.

Jadhav said he was hit by the bullets due to which the carbine he was using fell inside the vehicle and he was unable to pick it up.

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