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'In 10 minutes there were dead bodies everywhere at CST'

Firoze, a resident of Bhiwandi, was at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus last year on November 26. While 56 people died in the indiscriminate firing opened by two terrorists from Pakistan, he was one of the many fortunate survivors.

His train to Pune was scheduled at 10.55. Sometime between 9.30 and 10 pm that night he saw Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail walk into the outstation side of CST, armed to the teeth with AK-47s, fire wantonly at the people around.

"Andhadhoondi goli maar rahe the," (they were firing indiscriminately) he recalls what he saw that night with horror. "Before anybody could understand what was happening two terrorists walked out of the station leaving behind 56 dead bodies in just about 10 minutes," he says pointing towards the place where people either lay still or maimed that night. "I too helped take somebody towards an ambulance later," his voice trembles as the scenes run past his eyes.

Firoze, however, failed to see their faces but describes them as a "tall" and "short" fellow carrying heavy bags on their shoulders and "big guns in their hands".

Almost a year later Firoze had come to the same place where the massacre took place not because he was traveling some where but to express his solidarity with the departed souls.

He rues the fact that political parties of all hues cynically exploited the memory of the departed for their own selfish agendas. "I don't feel they care for anybody's sorrow."

"It would have felt so good had the Congress, Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party had not put their party's names on the banners that paid homage to the martyrs," he says. Anger rushes through him when asked if Kasab should be hanged at the earliest. "He should be hanged at the earliest. Sometime I feel that we should not have captured him alive. Our police should have killed him that very night."