“Joint global efforts can eradicate terrorism”, Mumbai terror attack survivor Anjali Kulthe

By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Anjali Vijay Kulthe, a nurse at the Cama and Albless Hospital and a victim of the 26/11 terror attacks, in an exclusive interview with ANI, narrated her ordeal of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Speaking after her address at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on counterterrorism, she said that the global leaders in the Security Council with their joint efforts can end the menace of terrorism.
“In this Security Council, there are many world leaders who can jointly act against terrorism and eradication of terrorism is the main objective of this Security Council,” Anjali told ANI.
Remembering the terrorist attack that shook the entire world, Anjali said that her uniform was her driving power and further said that it was her time of performing her duty even after not being so sure of her life the next day.
Speaking about Ajmal Kasab, the sole terrorist who was captured alive, she said that despite killing thousands, Kasab didn’t have an iota of guilt or remorse on his face while she went to the Arthur Jail for his identification.
“I didn’t have faith that I would be able to see the next morning but this time was mine and I would do whatever I can. I think that this was the power of my uniform. This was a passion that kept going. After that, I was called for Ajmal Kasab’s identification, he laughed and said that I identified him correctly and that he was only Ajmal Kasab. Despite killing so many people, there wasn’t any remorse on his face. I was saddened and angry by this”, she said.
On the fatal day of November 26, she was on night duty in the antenatal ward at Cama and Albless hospital for Women and Children. While she was on duty, from the window she noticed hospital guards lying in a pool of blood. She immediately locked the doors of her ward and moved all the pregnant women into a small pantry space in the ward. She risked her own life to protect 20 pregnant women.
“After shifting my injured colleague to a ward, I went to my ward and shut the main door and shifted 20 pregnant women to the pantry, they were sacred. I turned off the lights and calmed them down. One of the patients started having labour pain but the doctor couldn’t come as there was shooting outside…we were in the ward till morning and opened the gate only when the police came”, she said.
Earlier, she addressed the ‘UNSC Briefing: Global Counterterrorism Approach: Challenges and Way Forward’ via video link where she recalled the horror that the victims of the attacks went through on that fateful day when 10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists launched coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai at five major locations, killing 166 people and injuring over 300 people.
Many foreign delegates lauded Kulthe’s efforts to save the victims of the terror attack. UAE minister at UNSC called nurse Anjali Vijay Kulthe, the victim of the 26/11 terror’s testimony as “moving.”
Addressing the high-level UNSC briefing on ‘Global Counterterrorism Approach: Challenges and Way Forward’, Jaishankar said terrorism is a challenge that the international community must combat collectively together.
Jaishankar addressed the UN Counter Terror meeting. He said that Nurse Anjali Kulthe’s testimony “is a stark reminder to the Council and the international community that justice is yet to be delivered to the victims of several terrorist incidents, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks”.
The UNSC meeting on counter-terror under Indian Presidency began with a minute in silence in memory of victims of terrorism. (ANI)