Comments on: Sixty Hours of Terror: “It’s Do or Die”

By: dsi r4

dsi r4 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:57:18 +0000

Great post. This is a very sad moment for all the Indians. We should support the needful guys and help them. Our army people are doing a good job. Lets pray to God to success them…..

By: Mumbai terror attacks « Thinking Beyond Competition

Mumbai terror attacks « Thinking Beyond Competition — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:41:44 +0000

[...] all at once, you can read the four blog posts in the form of which it was originally posted (1, 2, 3, and [...]

By: james stevenson

james stevenson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:11:36 +0000

Excellent reporting. As a Mumbai resident I would also like to mention that the prime minister’s fleeting visit after the attack was pathetic as was his emotionless speech. I cannot forgive him for this. The Pakistani response from their representative in the U.S. was infuriating. The police reaction at the time of the attack was sad, except for the heroic examples you mention in the article. That Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar, famous names in this city, controversial and with many enemies were assassinated almost two hours after the attack began, at a stone’s throw from the Mumbai police headquarters is difficult to comprehend. In the absence of any thorough investigation of the attack the conspiracy angle will thrive.

By: Sixty Hours of Terror: “It’s Do or Die”, The Elephant, Oprah, Occupied Palestine, Iraq, Rajasthan, Faux News, Karzai, Rove’s Memory Loss,Paul Krugman | Tea Break

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:21:46 +0000

[...] Faux News, Karzai, Rove’s Memory Loss,Paul Krugman November 21st, 2009 // Sixty Hours of Terror: “It’s Do or Die” – By Jason Motlagh – Editor’s Note—This is part two of a four-part series [1, 2, 3, 4] on the [...]

By: R lall

R lall — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:06:57 +0000

Dear Ted and Jason

This is what good journalism is about. I saw the HBO documentary on Mumbai attack last night and read this very riveting account of the the massacre.

As a frequent guest at Taj this rings at so many different levels.

The cold bloodied ruthlessness of the attack and the control of the pakistani controllers over the terrorist even in there dying moments was very disturbing and gave an insight into the nihilistic mindset of the enemy. Undoubtedly Indian policemen were not only not prepared but there was a complete absence of training it seemed.

Looks like its going to happen again and again till you fight back – It is imperative for all people of goodwill to oppose this cancer that has plagued the Pakistan society and continues to infect globally

By: faisal butt

faisal butt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:34:48 +0000

disaster tourism meet disaster journalism = dis-journed. this is not acceptable without a context…where is the context..???

beautiful writing though.

By: Alison Wellner

Alison Wellner — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:10:21 +0000

Ted, thanks so much. The depth of the reporting is astonishing — it shines through each word.

By: Gaurav Singh

Gaurav Singh — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:03:33 +0000

@Ted, Jason – Yes it is very disturbing to note that most of the policemen were running away from CST. But we need to remember this was a commando style raid by well trained terrorists (experienced Pak army commandos and Lashkar terrorists imparted this training) who were using grenades and gunfire to spread panic and terror. Railway Police are not trained to subdue such type of attacks.
It was not expected that CST would be attacked in this way. Train stations in Jammu (J&K) are targets of such attacks and have Quick reaction teams stationed to eliminate terrorists. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/403255.cms.
Unfortunately the senseless violence that Islamic fundamentalists are spreading throughout India is forcing the government to spend more on security. After this attack security in Mumbai and other cities was upgraded. Money that could be spent on development is diverted to stop these brainless madmen.

By: Ted Genoways

Ted Genoways — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:20:40 +0000

Nino, you can send your account to VQR. I’ll send you my address off list.

By: Ted Genoways

Ted Genoways — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:19:43 +0000

This is a great question, Alison. As the person who fact-checked the article, I can tell you that we did our best to match everything from Jason’s text against published eyewitness accounts or recorded sources (CCTV tapes, phone intercerpts, etc.). In this particular case, the account of Bhind’s last words comes from a statement made by Yasmin Bansi Sheikh, the niece of Zarina Shamsuddin Sheikh. She was among the family members in Ekta Nagar meeting the cab and was nearby when her aunt was paying the fare to Fulchand Bhind. She told Indian journalist Rahi Gaikwad: “They boarded a taxi from Dana Bunder and arrived at Ruma’s doorstep. ‘Do you have change?’ the taxi driver asked. My aunt walked up to the door. Just then the taxi exploded and everything was blown to smithereens.” It’s a small detail, but it’s derived from eyewitness testimony.

The instance of this kind of rich detail that most amazed me was this simple description from the first installment: “Standing in the cool, perfumed Taj lobby for the first time, Hafeez Arshad and Javed couldn’t help but pause for a moment to marvel. Arshad wore a red hat printed with the word YESHU, Hindi for Jesus. The polished marble floors squeaked under the soles of their tennis shoes, just audible over the soft background music. For a moment, they seemed to float in the quiet.” That little passage includes Jason’s own knowledge of the Taj, security video of the gunmen from the hotel lobby, phone intercepts (where they describe their awe at the opulence of the Taj), and eyewitness testimony of their behavior. What I admire so much about this piece is that even what may appear to be narrative flight of fancy is actually firmly grounded in reporting.