Only 6 out of 21 CCTVs were working at CST on 26/11

Court takes camera footages on record as secondary evidence

 A cop was standing at a police booth. Yadav snatched his rifle and tried to fire at Abu Ismail but the rifle was jammed. At that time, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab appeared on the scene and fired at Yadav.

Yadav, unhurt, hid behind a piller. In retaliation, he threw a chair at the terrorists.
The live footage of this entire sequence was screened in the special court conducting the 26/11 terror attacks trial on Thursday. The prosecution screened footages from the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) installed in the suburban section of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

The special court was told that all the 15 CCTVs installed at the long distance main section of the CST were not working on the 26/11 night when Kasab and Ismail attacked the hapless passengers with their AK-47 rifles.

However, the six cameras installed at the suburban section of the CST were functional and captured the moving images of the terror strike, which were displayed in the court.

Less clear

The footage was not very clear but one could see the two terrorists moving here and there while passengers running helter-skelter to save their lives.

As the footage was being shown, Kasab watched it silently, without showing any emotions.

Deposing before the designated judge M L Tahilyani, an RPF Police Inspector Sandeep Kiratkar said a total of 21 cameras were installed at the CST.

Under maintenance

Fifteen of them positioned at the main section were, however, non-functional at the time of the attack as they were under maintenance.

On the suburban section, there were six CCTVs installed at platform numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Footage recorded from camera 1 and 3 were screened.
Out of the one hour and 30 minutes footage, only 15 to 20 minutes of footage was screened before the court.

“I have taken on record the CCTV footage as secondary evidence,” the judge said. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the footage was of corroborative value as it supports the statements of earlier witnesses.

Footage captured from CCTV on platform 1 showed people running out of the station.
The terrorists, seen in the footage; initially go out of the CST from the subway side, but fearing stiff opposition they retreat and take cover behind the pillars and move out of the station from the northern side.

With Thursday’s screening of CCTV footage, the deposition of witnesses in the CST case has concluded.

There are in all a dozen cases filed against Kasab. The court will hear witnesses from the Cama hospital from Friday.