Hemant Karkare, Maharashta Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad chief, who was probing the Malegaon blast case was among 11officials killed on Wednesday night in encounters with terrorists who struck late at night in India's financial nucleus.

Karkare, 54, was leading an operation at hotel Taj against terrorists who had taken 15 people, including seven foreigners, as hostages when he was shot by terrorists.

Additional commissioner Ashok Marutirao Kamte, a 1989 batch IPS officer, was killed in a shootout with terrorists at Metro Cinema in the city along with ‘encounter specialist’ Vijay Salaskar.  

IPS officer Sadanand Date was killed in a separate encounter.

So far, this terrorist attack has been the worst that India has ever witnessed. Over 100 people have been killed while approximately 300 have been injured. Wednesday night will certainly go down in the history if India as a “dark night”.