Meet Anjali Kanthe, the braveheart nurse who saved numerous lives in the 26/11 terror attacks
Eleven years ago, on this day, Anjali Kulthe was working in the ante-natal care ward looking after 20 pregnant women when two terrorists entered the hospital. The courageous nurse not only saved lives but also identified and testified against terrorist Ajmal Kasab.
Anjali Kulthe (Image source: Indian Express)
Anjali Kulthe, 50, staff nurse at Cama and Albless Hospital for Women and Children helped save more than 20 lives on the night of the 26/11 terrorist attacks.
Anjali was on the night shift from 8pm to 8am at the ante-natal care ward, where 20 pregnant women were due for their delivery. However, the night changed drastically as two terrorists - one of them Ajmal Kasab - had entered the hospital premises. They shot two guards, who lay in a pool of blood at the entrance and injured a nurse.
They were climbing up to the first floor, when the nurse jumped into action and shut the heavy double doors of the ward, sealing the room from harm. She moved the 20 pregnant women and some of their family members to the pantry at the far end of the ward and shifted the injured nurse to the casualty ward. She then called the duty doctor to alert the police.
The building reverberated with every grenade explosion as the terrorists exchanged fire from the terrace with the police force below the building.
Meanwhile, one of the two hypertensive women in the ward went into labour. Anjali shifted the patient to the delivery ward on the second floor and helped doctors delivery the baby in a quiet room, lit by only one tubelight.
The night was over, but the terrorist attacks lasted for four days and officially ended on November 28 when nine of the 10 terrorists were killed. Ajmal Kasab, the lone remaining terrorist was nabbed and taken to Arthur Road Jail. Anjali was summoned after a month to help identify him. After initial reluctance, she agreed and recognised him.
She also testified against Kasab in the trial, wearing her nurse uniform. She says she derives her strength from the uniform. A year after the attacks, she said, “I realised I had to live to look after my patients and keep them safe. I was in charge of them,” and added, “When I was on duty, I didn’t for a moment panic, break down or feel scared. The patients were my responsibility and I had to care for them. So I behaved as the uniform demanded of me.”
For almost a month, even the slightest noise would disturb Anjali, and she would wake up with a start at night. She was counselled by the matron at the hospital, not given heavy cases or night shifts after the attacks.
The terrorist attack in Mumbai targeting locations - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Nariman House, Leopold Cafe, Taj Hotel and Oberoi Hotel - left 160 people dead and more than 300 people injured.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
