Assistant Sub-Inspector Tukaram Omble

At around 1 AM on 27 November 2008, Ajmal Kasab — the sole surviving 26/11 attacker — was fleeing in a stolen vehicle after killing scores at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. A Mumbai Police checkpoint was set up at Girgaon Chowpatty. When the vehicle rammed the barricade, ASI Tukaram Omble lunged forward and grabbed Kasab's AK-47 barrel with both hands, refusing to let go even as Kasab pulled the trigger repeatedly. Omble absorbed 17 bullets. His grip never loosened — long enough for his colleagues to overpower and handcuff Kasab. Omble died at the scene. His sacrifice gave India its most crucial witness: Kasab's trial and confession proved Pakistan's direct involvement in 26/11. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra.