‘This is India’s 9/11’

Indian-Americans throughout the area, and throughout the country, closely followed the news of terrorist attacks in Mumbai this week.

But for Woodbridge resident Lakhinder Vohra, the news was personal.

His uncle, Jang Bahadur Singh Bakshi, was inside the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai when gunmen attacked it, as well as several other luxury hotels and other sites in the city Wednesday.

As news of the attacks spread, Vohra and other relatives immediately thought of Bakshi, a Delhi businessman who often stays in the hotel while on business trips to Mumbai, he said.

"When we heard about what happened, we all started calling him. He probably got thousands of phone calls," Vohra said.

Bakshi was one of the lucky ones. He was in his room in the right wing of the hotel when gunmen were storming rooms in the left wing, Vohra said.

"We kept calling and he would say 'I'm OK, I'm sleeping,' " Vohra said.

Bakshi and hundreds of other hotel guests had to wait for more than 24 hours until law enforcement officials reached his room to evacuate him from the hotel.

"Just a few hours ago there was a pretty dramatic rescue and he got out safely," Vohra said Friday morning.

Vohra is the executive director of the Prince William County-based Sikh Community Center, an online news organization for Indian-Americans.

He chronicled his uncle's story on the center's Web site, sikhcommunitycenter.org.

On the site, Vohra wrote that his uncle heard a loud bang on his door and voices asking who was in the room. "He responded back in a loud and daring voice: 'Who are you,' adding 'I'm a guest of the hotel,'" Vohra wrote.

"Within minutes, commandos were in his room and he was whisked away to safe confines."

Vohra said the attacks are deeply disturbing to the Sikhs.

A tab on the top on the Sikh Community Center Web site now directs visitors to information about the "Mumbai Massacre!" including the news about Vohra's uncle.

The Associated Press reported that at least 145 people were killed in the attacks in Mumbai that began Wednes-day.

"It's all very symbolic of what happened on 9/11. This is India's 9/11," he said.

Vohra said he believes the attacks will bring more media attention to India, where terrorist attacks have occurred "nearly on a monthly basis" over the past few months.

Area Indian-Americans are planning a prayer service at the Lotus Temple at 12501 Braddock Road in Fairfax today at 11 a.m.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.