By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
New Delhi: The only photographer who clicked Pakistani terrorists killing innocents at Mumbai’s largest railway station says he is not proud of his iconic pictures although they have won him global fame.
Sebastian D’Souza can never forget the cold-blooded massacre he witnessed at the Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station on this day last year as he risked his life to capture on camera the terrorists in action — a rarity in photo journalism.
“Technically they are great pictures. They are the first pictures in the world of terrorists in action,” Sabby, as the photographer is popularly known, said in a telephonic interview.
“What I saw was not a great person. He is just a killer. He has killed our citizens� From that point of view, it not a great picture for me,” the 57-year-old told IANS.
“Had he been a great guy, then I would have been very proud of my pictures. What happened that day is a sad thing, what he did was bad,” he said.
One of the two killers photographed at the railway station was Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab, the only one of 10 Pakistani terrorists to be taken alive by police. All of them had sneaked into Mumbai from Pakistan by sea and attacked select targets, killing 166 Indians and foreigners.
But Sabby, who has been a Mumbai-based photographer since 1981, added that the 100 frames he shot that day within 45 minutes, hiding behind pillars and in deserted trains, were now “iconic pictures” and had been reproduced in practically every country.
And in the ongoing trial against Kasab, when the terrorist was shown the pictures of men, women and children who bled to death at the railway hub, the Pakistani broke down.
“When he saw the pictures, he cried,” Sabby said. “I was standing facing him. We looked at one another. I was looking at a guy who had tried to kill me too. Suddenly, all of a sudden, Kasab hung his head. He did not look into my eyes any more.”
Sabby was in his Mumbai Mirror newspaper office Nov 26 last year when he was told that gunfire had erupted at the seafront Taj luxury hotel.
Armed with his Nikon D200 camera, Sabby rushed out.
“Our office is right across the (railway) terminus. I heard sounds coming from inside. So I decided to take a look at the station instead of going to the Taj.”
Sabby went in, ignorant of what was going on. The otherwise busy station wore a deserted, eerie look.
“I realized very soon that they were terrorists. But I could not see anybody. I looked for them…
“Suddenly I saw them. They were far away. They had finished people killing everyone in the waiting lounge. They had spared no one.
“When they started firing (again), I thought, oh my god, it is time for my pictures,” Sabby said.
But they were far away, Sabby recalled.
“There was a policeman with a rifle. I told him to fire. We were at an exit where there was a popcorn shop and a bookstall. The popcorn seller was closing his shop. Suddenly he got shot. He fell.
“I ran away from there. I entered a (deserted) train. The terrorist came near there. I felt it was too close for comfort. I slowly got off that train and went over to another platform.
“By then they had trapped three policemen and shot them. Two of them died.”
Sabby waited.
“I wanted pictures. I went to platforms three and four. Again I waited. I did not know from which direction they (terrorists) would come.
“Again I saw them. Hurriedly I took two pictures. Then they turned towards me. I immediately hid behind a pillar.
“Mercifully, they were engaged in crossfire with the police.”
He then saw both terrorists going into a train, probably to reload.
“As ill luck would have it, a train moved into the station just then. But there were very few passengers. I told everyone to get out real fast.
“I now heard firing from platform number one. At one point, the killers came towards me after lobbing grenades at the station. It was like close, very close. I decided not to stay where I was.
“By then, both the terrorists had left the station. So I went back to where they had done all the killings. I clicked lots of pictures. I also saw the dead policemen, with who I was talking to some time back.”
Nobody was there, said Sabby. People lay dead and bleeding with no one to help them.
“When people hiding here and there saw me, they all came out� They probably thought if a photographer has reached the spot, then there must be no danger. No one realised that I had been there for a long time.”