Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan will pay tribute to the heroes of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in a poignant episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 16. The episode, commemorating the 16th anniversary of the tragic event, is set to air on Tuesday and will feature frontline warriors Vishwas Nangre Patil, Additional Director General of Police, and Sanjay Govilkar, Additional Superintendent of Police, who will recount their experiences from that harrowing night.
Frontline Stories: Vishwas Nangre Patil’s Account
In a promo shared by the show’s team, Vishwas Nangre Patil, who served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Mumbai) during the attacks, described the intense operation inside the Taj Hotel.
“That night, I received a call reporting grenade blasts and AK-47 firing sounds at the Taj. Without waiting for a bulletproof vest, Amit (my bodyguard) and I went inside first. We encountered three terrorists carrying haversacks and armed with AK-47s. I took a battle-ready position and fired three rounds. One bullet hit a terrorist named Abu Ali. They had an AK-47 each, six double magazines, 50 bullets, 20-25 grenades, and 8 kg of RDX bombs, which they detonated,” he recalled.
He described the smoke-filled, chaotic conditions inside the Taj, adding,
“The lights went out, cameras were damaged, and it was completely dark and smoky. My bodyguard, Amit Khetle, was shot in the stomach, and Rahul Shinde, a 21-year-old boy with me, was also shot. I went back to retrieve Rahul’s martyred body.”
Visibly moved, Vishwas shared Rahul’s final moments:
“I saw his eyes were open—just a 21-year-old boy. The butt of his .303 rifle rested on his shoulder, the gun pointed upwards, and his finger was still on the trigger guard. Fighting until the very end, he became a martyr.”
Remembering the 26/11 Attacks
On this day in 2008, 10 terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out coordinated attacks in Mumbai, targeting key locations such as the Taj Hotel, Leopold Café, Nariman House, Oberoi Trident Hotel, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The attacks claimed at least 174 lives, including 20 security personnel and 26 foreigners, and left over 300 injured.
A Nation Remembers
The special KBC episode aims to honour the bravery and sacrifice of those who faced the terrorists head-on, including police officers, NSG commandos, and civilians.