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Thursday, November 27, 2008

Live Blog: Bombay under Siege III

12.30

On Times Now there's a reporter saying that the National Security Guard (NSG) and the police are all present in force and that they aren't even talking to each other. Is there someone co-ordinating the efforts. The reporter says the authorities are tight-lipped about the whole thing. He is right the state home minister RR Patil himself doesn't know what are the exact figures. Is there any intelligence mechanism in place? Is there any hope for the innocents holed up in the hotels and the residence of an Israeli family.

They show the boat in which the attackers arrived at Machimar Nagar which is near the posh Cuffe Parade area. The boat is a puny looking inflatable and is now with the police. Some fishermen cautioned the police, then why didn't the police take action? Taj and Oberoi are prompt in spotting people who don't mix well with their client profile. Their detectives swoop on stragglers who come with the intention of killing time. How can they miss a posse of about five attackers who must have looked bedgraggled from their journey from Gujarat border in the inflatable? Why didn't they take action. I guess people tend to slack off after an attack of the sort that happened in 1993 and 2006. 

There are crowds of journalists, media persons, cameras everywhere but not many who you see during the weekdays just lazing off at the Marine Drive where Oberoi is situated. The reporter are cool. It must be difficult to keep their cool in such a situation. No, I stand corrected, there are the usual bystanders who keep staring at the camera. They smile at their momentary fame. 

Nobody knows where the hostages are inside the Oberoi, which floor, and in which rooms. Latest news is that 6 foreigners were killed and 16 policemen were killed. There is an Isreaeli family being held hostage in Nariman House in a nondescript part of Colaba. People are being evacuated from this rundown building in not a very tony area of Colaba. There are news of attacks in Neapean Sea Road and Vile Parle. Don't know how they co-ordinate their attacks, but they do. Talk is of negotiations to save lives. One Briton, one Australian and one Japanese are confirmed killed. The total numbers killed is 101 and not 200 as I had reported earlier. Sorry!


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