Mumbai:
Qasab was once again reprimanded in court for laughing as the third prosecution witness began speaking of his capture.
"Why are you laughing? We're talking about Omble and you are laughing," the judge said. Qasab only said there's nothing in his heart.
This came just hours after another Sub-Inspector told the court how ill-equipped policemen like Tukaram Ombale battled and captured Qasab.
"We only had lathis and no weapons. Along with 12-15 other policemen, we had blocked the road at Chowpatty on Marine Drive. A Skoda car stopped a distance away. The driver refused to switch off the headlights or stop the wipers. Six policemen including Tukaram Ombale and myself surrounded the left side of the car. Ombale and myself attempted to catch hold of Qasab's weapon. Qasab resisted and fell on the ground and began firing. We were both injured. Ombale fell. I held on to the AK-47 as the others overpowered Qasab," the eyewitness said.
However, the description given by the witness drew angry reactions from the families of those who died.
"The terrorists have AK-47s, but the police just have revolvers," said Chandrasen Shinde, father of martyr Shashank Shinde.
Since the attacks, the state government has given Rs 127 crore to the Mumbai police alone to buy new arms and ammunition. But even six months after the attacks, the upgrade has barely begun.
Inside court, Qasab's lawyer once again accused trying to slow the trial, prompting even the judge to ask he wanted to withdraw from the case. But the second witness' testimony has once again brought the focus back to how ill-prepared the Mumbai police was on that day, battling AK-47s with lathis. Six months on, with new weapons in the pipeline, the Mumbai police will be hoping that next time around history will not repeat itself.