Click to play videoMumbai: The indiscriminate firing by terrorists at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in Mumbai took many lives. However, many other lives were saved because of one ordinary Mumbaikar who announces railway timetables for a living.
It was a usual evening shift for VD Zhende, making announcements of suburban train arrivals and departures from his small office room, overlooking the CST in south Mumbai when two terrorists entered near the main line and started firing at the passengers.
VD Zhende says, "I heard a loud explosion and then I saw public running. So, we started announcing for the government railway police (GRP) and the railway protection force (RPF)."
However, the police for some reason did not appear on time.
“Only when public started coming with blood all over, I realised that there was some gunfight happening. So I started announcing that all passengers go out from platform 1 and not go towards the main line, recalls Zhende.
The announcer and his colleague only hid from the gunfire.after the platform was completely evacuated and a bullets were fired at them.
Co-worker Shekhar says, “They (terrorists) were standing right in front of us for half an hour. They had huge guns and grenades.”
When the terrorists reached the suburban line, a platform generally milling with people, was already evacuated.
The presence of mind of one man saved hundreds of lives on the evening of November 26.
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