In a special episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 16, Amitabh Bachchan paid tribute to the heroes of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, marking the 16th anniversary of the tragedy on November 26, 2024. The show featured Vishwas Nangre Patil, Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra, and Sanjay Govilkar, Additional Superintendent of Police, Mumbai. Both shared their first-hand experiences of that fateful night. Ten terrorist had taken a death toll on 166 people, 20 security force and 26 foreigners. Vishwash Nagre Patil began with chanting the poem ‘Main Khanki hoon’ by Sukriti Madhav.
Vishwas Nangre Patil described how his night began on November 26, 2008. At 9:30 PM, he had just concluded an Advanced Security Liaisoning (ASL) meeting. He returned to his home near Metro Theatre, where his wife served him dinner. At 9:47 PM, he received a call from the Additional Commissioner of Police, informing him of a shooting incident at Leopold Café. A constable had already been injured. Patil, still in uniform, immediately asked his driver and bodyguard to be ready and instructed them to load their pistols. Patil himself loaded his Glock pistol, which carried 17 rounds per magazine.
By 9:49 PM, he had left the house and passed Metro Theatre. He began giving instructions via wireless, setting up nakabandis (roadblocks) and directing mobile vans toward Leopold Café. Calls from the then Director General of Police (DGP) and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) informed him that there were blasts and gunfire at multiple locations: The Taj Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident, and CST Station. He ordered his driver to speed up as they headed toward the Taj Hotel.
Upon arriving at the Taj, Patil entered through the back gate without waiting for additional backup or equipment. He saw 10 to 12 dead bodies on the floor, victims of the terrorists’ attack. Along with his bodyguard, Patil moved into the hotel. They got to know about a grenade blast and an AK-47 fire, that assured him about the terrorist attack.
He further informed that till he entered 11 people were killed. The entrance gate he had previously suggested to install a road grill and couldn’t be installed on due to the heritage identity of the place, unfortunately became their way of entrsnce. He recalled that even a wedding was going on there on that day.
Patil recounted how they encountered the terrorists. He shot at one terrorist named Abu Ali, injuring him and causing him to limp. However, chaos reigned in the hotel, and the danger was far from over. Patil and two constables then made their way to the CCTV room to locate the terrorists. On the monitors, they saw three terrorists in two separate hotel rooms, holding five hostages. Patil reported the situation to the Commissioner of Police via wireless. The Commissioner ordered them to pin down the terrorists as Naval commandos were on their way.
Unfortunately, their communication was intercepted by a media channel that aired the information live. The handlers in Pakistan, using a VOIP phone, relayed this to the terrorists, instructing them to destroy the CCTV cameras and set the hotel on fire.
Despite this setback, Patil coordinated with the hotel staff through walkie-talkies, intercoms, and mobile phones, helping to evacuate 650 people. The terrorists detonated grenades, including one that blew up the iconic dome of the Taj. Thick smoke filled the CCTV room, reducing visibility to almost nothing, and Patil’s team had to split up as terrorists started firing on them.
At 12:30 AM, Patil received the devastating news that ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar, and Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte had been killed. He also learned of the martyrdom of a 21-year-old constable named Rahul Shinde. Patil retrieved Rahul’s body, noting that his eyes were open, his rifle still on his shoulder, and his finger on the trigger. “Ladte ladte woh shaheed ho gaya,” Patil said, filled with sorrow.
Patil also shared a haunting memory of finding a mother in a bathtub, shielding her three-year-old child from the terrorists. “I cannot sleep even today when I think about it,” he confessed. Amitabh Bachchan, visibly moved, stood to honor Patil and his team, while the audience erupted in chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” He recited some beautiful lines, “Duniya mein mil jayenge aashiq kayi, magar vatan se khoobsurat sanam nahi hota, noto mein simat kar mare, sone mein lipat kar marein hain kayi, magar tirange se khoobsurat kafan nahi hota!” The prize money won in the episode was donated to Bharat Ke Vaar NGO, a fitting tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the heroes of 26/11.