I wasn’t prepared for what I saw at the Trident

I stepped into the Trident a few hours after the National Security Guards (NSG) commandos killed the terrorist holed up in the Oberoi next door. Just as I walked in with a police friend, the NSG snipers were leaving the place to a loud applause from the hotel’s staff.

I understood the magnitude of the horrendous terror attack from the strong stench of decomposed bodies. It was so strong it reached the Trident lobby which was some distance from the Oberoi lobby where the bloodbath happened.

“Please wear this,” said my police friend, passing on a mask to me. He said that soon after the attack on Wednesday the hotel’s central air conditioning was switched off and all the windows closed. The bodies had been lying there for close to three days.

Having seen many gory scenes before, I thought I could take it. But the sight that met my eyes sent shivers down my spine. A trail of blood led me to the Oberoi lobby. Near the entrance I counted eight bodies.

Empty shells of AK-47 assault rifles, pools of blood, shards of glass and food were all over the beige carpet in the restaurant. Many tables had on them plates with half-eaten food. An officer said the Kandhar restaurant on the first floor had seen more killings because it had only one door for entry and exit. The famous Piano in the lobby was destroyed.

As I walked out, my eyes fell on a book on a shelf. Titled Beyond the Battlefield, it was launched in the hotel in 2004 to commemorate the affiliation between an Indian Navy ship and the Maratha Light Infantry.