For most people, Ratan Tata was affability personified but the industrialist demonstrated resoluteness when it mattered, particularly during the 26/11 terror attacks, recalled Maharashtra's additional director general of police Vishwas Nangre Patil on Thursday.
“Ratan Tata stood like a rock for three days outside the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba as security forces carried out an operation against Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists,” Nangre Patil told PTI.
Nangre Patil was the deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1) in south Mumbai and was among the first set of officers who entered the iconic hotel and fought the Pakistani terrorists in November 2008.
The senior IPS officer said Tata displayed resoluteness, uncharacteristic of his calm demeanour, when the iconic hotel came under attack.
As the operation against the terrorists went on, Tata could be seen standing outside the hotel for most of the time. He would frequently interact with the security personnel and his staff members, he said.
Not just humans, Tata was equally worried about the five to six stray dogs that were affected by the exchange of fire in the hotel's vicinity.
He fed the animals, said Nangre Patil, calling Tata a great human being.
After the operation ended and the terrorists were neutralised, he pledged to reopen the hotel, which had suffered damages, and support the family members of those killed and injured in the attack.
Within a month, the Taj hotel was operational though it took another 21 months to restore its heritage facade and grandeur.
In 2009, he unveiled a memorial at the hotel to honour the 31 people, including his employees and guests, who had lost their lives in the terror attack there.
He also formed the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust to help people during disasters.
Police officer Deepak Dhole, who was seriously injured while fighting the terrorists inside the hotel, called Tata a “real gem of the country”.
“It was our duty to fight against the terrorists, who had entered the hotel, and we did our job to rescue the guests. As the operation was underway, I sustained serious injuries due to fire,” he said.
As he was posted at Colaba police station and Tata also lived in the area, Dhole said he would often meet the business honcho as part of his job.
“Ratan Tata used to greet us with a smile every time. After his demise, we will remember his smile forever,” he said.
The police officer said he first met Tata in 1993 at the Mumbai airport, where he was posted.
“I had got his autograph on my visiting card and I've preserved it till today,” said the officer.
Both Nangre Patil and Dhole were awarded police gallantry medals in 2014.
Tata (86), a Padma Vibhushan recipient, died after a brief illness at a city hospital late on Wednesday night. His final rites were performed with full state honours at a crematorium in Worli on Thursday evening.
