'Don't make news out of our tragedy'

Tears of joy and sorrow flowed outside Trident-Oberoi Hotel as the last batch of hostages started coming out on Friday evening.

Anxious relatives waited impatiently as the hostages started coming out. It was a very tense moment and people waited to see their loved ones. In some cases they came out and in some, they did not.

Bhupendra Shah, a friend of Kannubhai Patel who was trapped in the hotel, was turning pessimistic. "I am worried. He has still not come out. I hope he comes out later on," said Shah.

Actor Ashish Chaudhary could not believe the fact that his sister was no more. She had gone to the hotel for a dinner. "Please stop it. Don't click my pictures," said Ashish as he started sobbing non-stop.

Some relatives of deceased didn't know what to do and vented their anger on journalists who were clicking their pictures. "Don't make news out of such a horrible tragedy in our family. Somebody has died, so please stop it," added another grieving relative.

The ordeal at the hotel lasted 40 hours, it ended after Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor made an announcement. "We have killed two terrorists inside the hotel and 93 hostages have been secured. We believe that the operation is over but we are still not taking any chances and going from room to room and searching but there has been hostile firing in the last three hours," said Gafoor.

Meanwhile, Nariman Point, the city business district, was getting back to business as the hawkers began reappearing.
Banwarilal, a paanwala, said, "For two days there has been no business. There are no people around. I hope things will be normal from Monday."

Though the markets were open many brokerage houses kept their offices shut. Nariman Point has many brokerage offices like J. M Financial, Kotak Mahindra and Motilal Oswal.

Most of these offices are located in Maker Towers, Hoechst House and other buildings near the Trident-Oberoi hotel.
"We had decided to keep our offices shut for two days as the situation was tense and it was difficult for people to travel," said a broker from J M Financial.

"We hope to be back in business from Monday," he added.