NSG commando recalls the horror of 26/11

Though the worst ever terror attack had ended two weeks ago, the nightmares are still haunting NSG commando Sunil Yadav. Even after he had united with his family, Yadav cannot forget the fateful night when he took three bullets during the operation.

The 29-year-old, who belongs to Pataudi in Haryana, is now back home and recovering from mental and physical injuries he sustained two weeks ago in Mumbai.

An armyman for eight years, Sunil was posted in Jammu and Kashmir for six of those years. But he says that things at Taj hotel were way worse than the encounters he did in the Valley.

"There is a huge difference in the anti-terrorism mission that was carried out in Mumbai in comparison to the Valley. There were 1,200 rooms in Taj hotel. We didn't know which room militants were hiding in. And there is no citizen between terrorists and us in the Valley," he said.

Rated as one of the best NSG commandos, Sunil and his team rescued more than 150 hostages from the Taj hotel. He narrated the challenges they faced, one of them being the language barrier.

"There was too much of smoke and because of water our weapons got wet. A lady was making noise in the room. She didn't open the door so we broke in. She was hiding under the bed and thought we were terrorists. I pulled her out but she refused to come with us. She was a foreigner. Then I called a guide who explained her everything," Sunil said.

Sunil Kumar Yadav was in the team headed by Major Sandeep Unnikrishanan at Taj hotel. Sunil acted as guide to the team constantly informing the team whether it is safe to move ahead or not. He was the first commando who got injured in the operation. But he has only one regret that he couldn't fight for his country till the end.

"On the evening of November 27, a terrorist opened fire at me. Two bullets hit my ribs and one more crossed through my jacket," he said.

Sunil's parents spent a lot of tense time after the news reached them.

"My heart started beating fast when I came to know that he had been shot. I wanted to fly out to be with him," said Rajesh Kumar, Sunil's mother.

For now, Sunil is happy to be with his family and a two-year-old son. But he secretly hopes he recovers soon and goes back to doing what he does best.