Staff Reporter

— Photo: Vivek Bendre

Sebastian D’Souza, whose photographs of 26/11 were presented in the special court.

Mumbai: “How can I forget him? He made me famous,” Sebastian D’Souza, whose photograph of Mumbai gunman Mohammad Ajmal Amir ‘Kasab’ was splashed across the world, deposed before the special sessions court here on Monday.

Mr. D’Souza, a photo editor with Mumbai Mirror, said he had clicked up to 100 photographs on the night of the terror attack. The prosecution presented 19 of them before the court.

Mr. D’Souza went to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on hearing the sounds of firing on November 26 last. He saw Ajmal and his companion Abu Ismail firing from afar. Sheltering himself in a stationary train, he saw them come near the local line area. When he snapped Ajmal, the terrorist looked at him, turned and called Ismail. Not paying much heed to Mr. D’Souza, Ajmal put his backpack on the ground and loaded his rifle.

Mr. D’Souza’s photographs, which included shots of Ajmal, Ajmal and Ismail together, bodies of the victims at the station, police officers and a store vendor, were shown to Ajmal. The accused later started crying and when the judge asked him why, Ajmal complained of giddiness.

Another witness, Gitanjali Gurav, a police commando, said commandos were given special weapon training. However, on 26/11 she did not carry any weapon.

Harshad K. Patil, a constable of the Government Railway Police, narrated how his rifle got jammed when he was about to fire at Ajmal.