World
India
On the night of November 26, 2008, India was shaken to its core as ten heavily armed terrorists unleashed a horrifying attack on Mumbai. While the world watched in disbelief as news channels flashed scenes of chaos, one photo became the face of the horror — a live image of a gun-wielding terrorist at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). That photograph, seen across the globe, was taken by Mumbai-based photojournalist Shriram Vernekar.
In an exclusive conversation with NewsX, Vernekar revisited the night that forever changed not only his career but also the nation’s memory of the 26/11 attacks. Calm and composed, Vernekar recounted in vivid detail the series of events that led to his historic photograph of Ajmal Kasab — the only terrorist captured alive in the attacks.
“I saw two persons with AK-47s firing”
“I was on another assignment at the racecourse that evening. From there, I returned to the office. Just as I arrived, I heard gunfire and explosions,” said Vernekar. The photojournalist immediately filed the photos from his earlier assignment and rushed toward CST station with his camera in hand.
“As I tried to enter CST, I saw two persons at platform number 7 coming towards platform number 1. They had AK-47s,” he recalled. “At the same time, they were firing toward the police across the platform.”
He continued, “Then they moved to platform number 3. There, they changed their magazines, and I clicked more pictures. They even threw a grenade towards the police. After a while, they came toward platform number 1, where I was standing. I hid behind a wall and then jumped from platform number 1 and ran towards the BMC office.”
A moment of sheer bravery — and instinct
Despite being dangerously close to the armed attackers, Vernekar did not stop. “I saw the two men walking on platform number 1. They threw another grenade at the police van and fired at it. Then they headed towards the bridge that leads to Anjuman-I-Islam. From there, they entered Kama Hospital,” he said.
That’s when he captured the now-iconic image. “The light was poor, so I attached a flash and clicked the picture with it. That picture was used on the front pages of most newspapers around the world,” said Vernekar. “It was the first clear image of the terrorist — his face, the gun — everything.”
The photograph would go on to become a defining image of the 26/11 attacks — a stark, chilling reminder of the night when India stood still.
“I didn’t know he was a terrorist”
When asked whether he feared for his life, Vernekar admitted he didn’t immediately grasp the scale of what was happening.
“I used a telephoto lens at that time. But honestly, when I was taking the picture, I thought someone had just snatched a police gun and was firing. I didn’t know it was a terrorist,” he said.
Later, he rushed to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel where more attacks were underway. Around 1:00 a.m., a call from his office confirmed what he hadn’t known until then.
“My reporter called and told me they were using my picture for the front page. He said, ‘The one you caught is Ajmal Kasab. They are Pakistani terrorists. Ten of them came around 7:30 p.m. at Colaba, then separated.’ That’s when I realized what had really happened,” Vernekar said. “I didn’t know when I was taking the picture that he was a terrorist. I was just doing my job — taking pictures.”
Vernekar’s courage and instinct in capturing that haunting moment helped the world put a face to the unimaginable violence that gripped Mumbai for three days. His photo of Kasab, weapon in hand, remains one of the most enduring images of modern terrorism.
