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By Nelson Benjamin
MUMBAI, INDIA: Sebastian Dsouza has been through many horrifying moments during his 27-year career as a press photographer but seeing a massacre was the worst.
The photo editor of the Mumbai Mirror, whose photographs of two of the terrorists dominated the world's front pages, said the attackers gun- ned down anything that moved inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station opposite his office on the night of Nov 26.
"Most of the people killed were sitting ducks as they were just waiting in a lounge area with their families for the trains," he said.
Dsouza said he and his colleagues were waiting for the paper to go to print that night.
"Someone came running to say that there was a terrorist attack at the station and the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel.
"Although there were four other photographers with me that night, I decided to grab my camera bag and head to the station along with the others," he said, adding that he heard intermittent gunshots when he reached the station.
"There were at least four trains on the six platforms and after moving through the carriages, I was with three policemen who were trailing the suspects.
"At first glance they (terrorists) looked like tourists with a bag pack and they were strolling calmly around the entrance area.
"One of the policemen even used his rifle to fire a shot but missed," Dsouza said, adding that the attackers then headed towards them.
He hid in one of the train carriages and took pictures while the policemen took up positions to ambush the suspects.
But the terrorists split up and gunned down all the policemen instead.
Dsouza said the years of covering sectarian violence, terrorism and armed mobs around India helped him to keep his cool during the one-hour siege at the station. He snapped over 100 photographs, including those of the terrorists.
"At the height of the attack, a crowded train pulled up into the station.
"As the people were exiting, the announcer managed to caution the passengers to leave the area and this angered the terrorists who then started shooting at the announcer's office," he said.
Asked whether he would enter the photographs in any competition, Dsouza replied: "I do not believe in entering competitions. Anyway this is a very sad thing, especially with many lives lost."
The terrorist in Dsouza's photograph has been identified as Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, 21, from Pakistan, the only one among the group of 10 captured alive.
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