MPs recall night of horror in Mumbai's Taj hotel

New Delhi: It was a night without end for Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP N N Krishnadas who was having dinner at the Taj hotel in Mumbai when masked militants barged in.

The Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, who was rescued by commandoes on Thursday morning, lived to tell his tale of horror following Mumbai's worst terror attack.

"I was having dinner with some of my colleagues when two masked militants barged into the restaurant. They fired indiscriminately, I saw three people being shot. The terrorists left the room soon after that," Krishnadas said.

Recalling the nightmare at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel - one of Mumbai's most identifiable landmarks and one of the seven places attacked by terrorists Wednesday night - he said: "The hotel staff rushed us into another room after the terroists moved out of the restaurant."

"We stayed there through the night. In the morning, commandos rescued us," he said.

Along with him were BJP MP from Godhra in Gujarat Bhupendrasinh Solanki, BSP parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh Mani Tripathi - both of whom were visiting the metropolis as members of the Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation - as well as another MP from Maharashtra.

"The waiters told us that it seemed to be a terrorist attack. The senior staff then took all of us to the back of the hotel. We were in the swimming pool area and were asked to lie on the ground," Solanki said.

"I left the hotel at around 11 PM. Then I was taken to nearby police station and spent the whole night there. I was present when the terrorists attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001 but I think it is the biggest terror attack in the country," he added.

At least 87 people were killed and more than 250 injured as armed terrorists took over seven places in India's financial capital.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has declared a general holiday on Thursday in Mumbai - with the exception for state government offices.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said, "Until we take control of the two places, we can think of nothing else."