Fazal Pathan/Mumbai

When Pakistani terrorists targeted Nariman House, Cama Hospital, Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and Leopold Cafe on 11 November, 20 16 years ago, killing 166 people, Mohammad Taufiq Sheikh was one of the lucky persons to have narrowly missed the terrorists' bullet.

Now famous as Chotu Chaiwala, as he continues to sell tea in front of St. George Hospital, he gets into a pensive mood at the mention of Tahawwur Rana, one of the key planners of the attack who has been extradited to India from the US to face trial.

Toufiq saved many lives as he was present at the Railway station on that fateful day.

Recently, on knowing that Tahawvur Rana was brought to India after 16 years, he said, “He should not be given any relief; instead, hang him.”

Taufiq Mohammad, an eyewitness to the 26/11 attack, looked upset. He said, “The government should not him any facility as he is the main culprit of 26/11. He is not a hero; he is a beast. In the attack, someone's mother, sister, brother, or father was killed. He should not be shown mercy and should be lodged in a separate cell, the government should take strict action against him. The government should hang this terrorist within 15 days.”

Taufiq said, “The government should make a separate law to take action against terrorists. Pakistan still gives shelter to terrorists as a result the common people also suffer. Punish Rana so severely that the rest of the terrorists start trembling with fear.”

#WATCH | Mumbai: On 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India, Mohammed Taufiq, a tea seller known as 'Chhotu Chai Wala' whose alertness helped a large number of people escape the attack, says, "...For India, there is no need to provide him with a cell.… pic.twitter.com/zLqHEt7sHs

— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2025

A terrorist has no caste or religion. He should only be called a terrorist, Taufiq says.

“Rana and I have the same religion. Rana, in the name of religion, helped those people who fired bullets at innocent people. Islam does not teach to kill anyone. Islam gives the message of peace and love. Shedding blood in the name of religion is not the teaching of religion. We are proud to be Indian Muslims. Every terrorist should get severe punishment.”

Pakistani terrorists were killing people mercilessly. The entire station was silent. People were saving their lives. No one was there to help them. Talking about that time, Taufiq says, "Seeing the guns with them, I first thought they were commandos. But they were killing people mercilessly. They were not humans, they were monsters. One of them (Kasab) was coming towards me. He abused me. I thought I would be killed too."

He further says, "The glass of doors and windows were broken due to the firing. The entire station was filled with blood. People were struggling to save their lives. Many people were injured. I wanted to save the injured people. I put the injured people on a cart and took them to St. George Hospital and Byculla Railway Hospital. In this way, many people's lives were saved."

This incident was terrifying, but Taufiq handled the situation with courage. Keeping humanity at the top, he saved people's lives without looking at caste or religion. For this, he was given 27 rewards and some financial help.

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Taufiq says, "On the night of 26/11, I went to the railway station to collect money for tea. There were more than 4000 people there. There was a rush to buy tickets, so the ticket master asked me to collect the money after a while. I stood outside the station. I still remember, that day a cricket match between India and England was going on. After a while, suddenly I heard a loud firecracker-like sound from inside the station."Toufiq continues to sell chai at the same place.