Author: Jaidev Hemmady
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: December 15, 2008
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/profiles-in-courage/398433/
Constable Rahul Shinde
Farmer's son, he was 'brightest in his unit'
Rahul Shinde came from a typical farming family
in a village called Mada in Maharashtra.
An SRPF constable attached with the Solapur
unit, Shinde had just appeared for his written examinations on November 14
which he had failed to clear during his recruitment in 2006 even though he
had done exceptionally well in the physical tests. "He was one of the
brightest in our unit. He had no issues with anyone and would get along well
with all," said one of his colleagues, adding that Shinde was a bachelor
who had joined the force to support his parents and two siblings.
"As all the family members were small-time
farmers, they did not have a fixed income as such and Rahul was the sole support
of the family. As he was the only earning member of the family, his death
seems much more tragic. The terrorists did not just kill him, they killed
his family's support system," said the colleague. From the information
available with the colleague, Shinde was killed in a grenade attack at the
Taj on the Wednesday night when a group of heavily-armed terrorists stormed
the hotel.
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Constable Vijay Khandekar
'He grew up hearing cop stories'
Vijay Khandekar (36), a constable with the
Azad Maidan police station grew up hearing stories of police gallantry from
his father and uncle. He went on to join the police in 1992. "When Vijay
grew up to be a policeman, no one was really surprised," says elder brother
Ashok as he sits outside Khandekar's residence at police quarters in Nagpada.
Ashok describes his younger brother as a very
helpful person. "As I work for a mutual funds company, Vijay often used
to call me up for advice about investments and mutual funds and share the
information that I would give with his colleagues. Because of this, all his
colleagues knew about me and we would all meet up often at Vijay's house,"
says a stoic Ashok.
On Wednesday night when the terrorists struck
the city, Khandekar was a part of a team deputed to secure the Cama hospital
area and was shot in an exchange of fire with the terrorists. "A few
hours before the incident at 9:30 pm, he had called me up and told me about
the terrorist attack. He also told me that he would soon be in action,"
said Ashok. When asked about how Vijay sounded, he said, "He did not
sound afraid or worried about the attack at all. In fact, he seemed enthusiastic.
After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for him to prove himself."
Ashok received a call at 5:30 am on Thursday
from a colleague of Vijay who asked him to come to GT hospital, where Ashok
learnt of his younger brother's death. "From what one of his colleagues
told me, even after Vijay was hit in the throat by a bullet, he still contacted
his comrades standing outside the hospital to give them information about
the situation before breathing his last. His sacrifice shall never be forgotten,"
said Ashok. Vijay is survived by his wife Shraddha and a three- year-old daughter.
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Constable Ambadas Pawar
'He had to collect his brother's wedding card'
Constable Ambadas Pawar (29) was supposed
to collect cards of his younger brother's wedding in Satara from the printer
on November 27, a day after the Mumbai attack, said a friend with whom Ambadas
had been staying for the last two years in Sion Koliwada. "Ambadas's
family is in Satara and he was the only earning member of the family. His
father is no more and he has a mother and two brothers to take care of, besides
his own wife and infant son who stay at Satara with the family," says
Shailesh Salunkhe, an electrical contractor and Ambadas's room-mate.
According to Salunkhe, Pawar's younger brother
was to get married on December 4. "On Wednesday evening, I had called
up Ambadas and reminded him to pick up the cards from the local printer the
next day. On Wednesday night, when I heard about the firing at CST, I tried
calling him up on his cell phone. However, there was no answer and after repeatedly
calling, a colleague of Pawar took the call and told me to come to the St
George Hospital. On reaching there, I learned about his death in the firing
at the CST station," said Salunkhe. Pawar's body was taken to Satara
for the funeral where his family carried out the rites. "All we friends
will remember him as a yaaron ka yaar (friend of friends)," concluded
Salunkhe.
