By NNN-PTI,
Mumbai : The Taj Mahal hotel, known for its super luxurious interiors with vaulted alabaster ceilings, beautiful archways and the dramatic cantilever stairways, now stands completely shattered by blood-stained floors, soot- marred ceilings, burnt windows and of course the stench of bodies strewn across it.
What greets you as go you near the lobby are broken glass panes, gun-toting commandos looking at you menacingly for closing in rather than the regular smiling bell boys who were quick to welcome you with a greeting.
“The interior is completely destroyed. It smells awful as bodies have been lying there since the day everything began. The terrorists had shot at many of the lights, making many parts of the hotel difficult to move in after evening,” said an NSG commando who had taken part in the operation to flush out terrorists responsible for the bloodiest siege situation in the country.
The ballroom, which hosted innumerable number of wedding receptions, books’ release, product launches and parties, stands burnt completely with bullet marks which are still visible and water flooding the floors, as pointed out by a Mumbai Fire Brigade personnel.
The much-sought after restaurants, patronised by the who’s who from the country’s corporate world to film industry and the political class, are now haunted by an eerie silence, waiting to tell the horrific story of what actually happened inside for 60 hours.
According to a few of the ambulance boys, who were rushed inside the hotel at regular intervals to bring out the injured security personnel and bodies of terrorists, “most of the guests whose bodies are still lying inside seem to have been killed while having their food.”
Amid reports that one of the terrorists worked as a chef in its hotel, Tata-owned Taj Group Saturday said there was no indication that any of its employees was involved in the attack.
“We are extending our full cooperation to the investigating authorities. We have had no indications from them that any employee or contractual staff of the hotel have been involved as part of this terrorist attack as is being reported by some media outlets,” The Indian Hotels Company Ltd CEO and Managing Director Raymond Bickson said in a statement.
There have been reports that one of the terrorists involved in the attack had worked as chef in the hotel for the last 10 months.
Bickson, along with Vice-Chairman of the company Krishna Kumar, accompanied group Chairman Ratan Tata to the devastated heritage hotel, immediately after the commandos gunned downed three terrorists, who were holed up in the hotel since Wednesday.