Unilever chiefs caught up in Mumbai violence

Unilever chief executive Patrick Cescau and his successor Paul Polman were among those caught up as violence erupted in Mumbai this week. A team of Unilever’s top management barricaded themselves in a private suite at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

Members of Unilever’s managing committee, including Hindustan Unilever chief Nitin Paranjape, as well as Cescau and Polman, remained barricaded in the meeting room for several hours. They are believed to have clambered down ladders to make their escape.

At the same time, hotel staff were seen evacuating people wounded in the attack on luggage trolleys. All members of the Unilever team are believed to be safe and well.

Hindustan Unilever has since decided to shut its offices as a precautionary measure, while violence raged.

A European parliament delegation was also in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in the Indian city as well as many tourists when the raids were launched on Wednesday night.