Sadanand Date, 26/11 Hero Tasked With Probing Tahawwur Rana

Life has come a full circle for police officer Sadanand Date, the 1990-batch Maharashtra Cadre officer who will now be responsible for the interrogation of 26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana.

On 26 November 2008, Sadanand Date, who was Additional Commissioner of Police, Central Region, rushed to Cama and Albless Hospital near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus when he heard terrorists had entered the hospital after crossing a foot overbridge from the CSMT station. They had killed over 60 people and intended to take hostages from the hospital. The terrorists, including Ajmal Kasab, encountered Mr Date and his team, which resulted in a shootout at the Cama Hospital.

Mr Date and his team took on the two terrorists, resulting in moments of stealthy movements in silence, interrupted by indiscriminate gunshots fired by the terrorists as they attempted to take hostages from the hospital. Mr Date and his team were among the first responders to the AK-47-wielding terrorists who had come to kill. Despite Mr Date's efforts, the terrorists managed to leave Cama Hospital after lobbing a grenade towards Mr Date and his team. Mr Date was injured. He was later awarded the President's Medal for gallantry for his heroic attempts to stop the two terrorists. 

After leaving the Cama Hospital, Kasab and his accomplice killed more Mumbai Police personnel, including then Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar and others. However, Mr Date's intervention led to one of the terrorists suffering injuries, depleting their capabilities. 

Mr Date went on to take up important assignments in the police including heading the famous Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad. He also did stints in the CRPF, where he handled Left Wing Insurgency. As IG (Ops), Mr Date was responsible for crucial anti-Maoist operations. 

Among reporters, Mr Date is known as a man who rarely speaks off the record or gives interviews. In fact, when the convicted 26/11 terrorist Kasab, who was on death row, had to be transported to Pune to be hanged, the operation had to be handled with top secrecy. Mr Date was among the officers given the responsibility of planning and executing this task 

In his early years, Mr Date is believed to have delivered newspapers and done other odd jobs while continuing his education. He was appointed the Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year and is now responsible for the interrogation of Tahawwur Rana, who has been extradited to India. 

Mr Date, who saw the 26/11 terrorist attack unfold first hand, will be in a unique position to bring out elements of the conspiracy that Tahawwur Rana can reveal, including the purpose of his trips to India, especially Agra and Mumbai. While David Coleman Headley - another accused in the 26/11 attacks case -  will not have to face trial in India, he has already deposed in a Mumbai court, detailing Rana's role. The NIA chief is now in a position where he has to ensure that whatever Rana knows, especially about the involvement of the Pakistani establishment, the ISI and the main conspirators, is extracted from him and presented in court to prove his culpability and involvement in the crime and Pakistan's role in the conspiracy.