Haji Mastan- The don with kindness

BY Vaidehi Sachin
A Bollywood movie named Once upon a time in Mumbai has been released in Mumbai The film based on the life of Haji Mastan is produced by the soap opera queen Ekta Kapoor. It has Ajay Devgn and Emran Hashmi playing Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim and the story rolls around the former who rises from a small time thief in Mumbai ports to become a king pin smuggler and a sensation in Mumbai. Later with most Muslim operatives in the crime world, Haji is probably coerced into joining politics and relocates to Delhi leaving his empire in Mumbai to a capable person Dawood. Another dreaded gangster is Karim Lala and Samad Khan who was eliminated in the very compound of the High court.

Times changed and so did the organized crime in Mumbai. Their businesses were extortion, smuggling, prostitution, black marketeering and even killing in instances. But there was a pattern in the good old days where there was a certain claimed respect and faith and honour of the word. But as real estate costs escalated the crime scene became more intricate and globalised with Drugs making a headway in back streets of Mumbai and every city of federal India. Moreover, the nexus grew rapidly as socialists and communists were eased out of their strong holds in working areas of Lalbaug and Parel with goons replacing and commanding respect more out of fear and subjugation and harassment rather that social service. Amar Naik, Ashwin Naik and Arun Gawli were calling the shots now from these areas which fed rank and file for the gangs with manpower.The nexus now involved the Bollywood which had yet to get an industry status being financed by hawala and black money makers from smuggling rings and drug cartels. This nexus grew larger and intricate with the involvement of zopadaptti dadas like Babu Reshim and Vardarajan Mudaliar. With the ability of some of these elements to mobilize vote banks the politicians were drawn into the underworld and encounter killings became routine with human right kicked out of shape and police officers becoming dreaded heroes like the Dons of the underworld.

Lay press practically carried daily story of the dons of the underworld and prepared the entertainment seekers to look forward to movies which highlighted hype and thrill of this out of bounds domain. Satya, Parinda, Vastaav, Ab tak Chappan are some of the movies which tried to depict the reign of dons in Mumbai. The word Don itself had roots in Don Corleone of Italian Mafia in Mario Puzos Novel 'The godfather'. Then terrorism slowly seeped into the crime scene with syndicates freely enlisting manpower across borders and region. Dawood was implicated in few such bomb blasts and very cleverly extradicated to middle east which is now the capital of crime world the shift have taken place because the politicians replaced  the local crime syndicates, playing their proxies. Suketu Mehta has brought out some of the politics behind the gang wars in his novel 'Maximum City'

At this juncture, it is necessary to appreciate that underworld is a manpower intensive 'industry' with no particular qualification to get into it. It does not produce or manufacture anything hence at most one can compare it to service industry. Although at present it does not enjoy any industry status eventually it may get one just as prostitution and Bollywood got. From where does this manpower come? From inner city localities which are low income groups with higher rates of unemployment and illiteracy, migrant localities with zero allegiance to any standard groups and organizations i.e. unorganized sector. In those days these areas were Bhendi Bazar and Madanpura. I remember when I visited my friend an excise officer who stayed in Bhendi Bazar area, there were two factions one north Indian Muslim gang and another from Kerala called Malbaris who regularly fought street fights to get control of the area. These included petty thieves, fraudsters, history sheeters, convicts, absconders, Tadi par criminals.

During my tender school days days, I once accompany my uncle in police department, to meet one such tadipar goonda who used to sit in hiding at a small hotel under the staircase of Railway bridge connecting east and west at Dadar. His name was Pappu a well built robust fair boy who later joined Bollywood and acted in a few movies as extra especially in dance sequences. Pappu  was a dare devil and at the MGMO swimming pool where he was a member he would jump the highest on the spring board before he dived in to the water with style and verve. One fine day Pappu was killed on Juhu beach by three goons who attacked him with knives where he was found smooching a girl at a lonely spot. I am sure Pappu must have given a very stiff fight in spite of it being 3 versus one. The story about Haji Mastan that made us admire him in those days was as follows: I was aware of a huge stable for Horses and carriages termed as Tongas on Bellasis road near Alexandra talkies. Shaikh went to stay at a high rise building in front and he told us of the story of how Haji Mastan cleared the place overnight getting rid of the Muslim tonga wallas. He and his men stood at the gate and ousted the horsemen paying them arbitrary amount as compensation for once and ever so that they never returned. The place was then sold to a big builder after this forced eviction. Mumbai which boasted of Horses and Carriages called Victorias lost this heritage. Thanks to the father of Underworld Mafia in Mumbai The Great Haji Mastan.

POLITICS OF IPS POSTINGS

by Vaidehi Sachin

AN ROY

The highest office for policemen in the state was that of the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The first Indian IGP was Kamte , the grandfather of the late Ashok Kamte , the martyr of the 26/11 terror attack and posthumous winner of the Ashoka Chakra.
For reasons best known to the powers that be, the post of a Director General of Police (DGP) was created. Speculation is rife that that the criteria is sometimes more political, than for reasons of seniority and merit, as recent development have proved.
The first DGP was Krishnarao Medhekar . is son is an IPS officer. Rajan Medhlekar in the Kerala cadre, who was instrumental in hosting a Police Museum dedicated to 20,000 martyr of the national police force.

BHUJBAL‘S FAVOURITE


The office has subsequently been graced by some dynamic and esteemed incumbents like S Ramamurthy, who was also the Commissioner Of Police (CP) of Mumbai, V K Saraf ; Arvind Imandar and others. Mumbai Commissioners elevated to the office also include Shubhash Malhotra , who ws unceremoniously transferred out of CP ‘s office after the daylight killing of real estate tycoon. Natwarbhai Desai opposite Mantrayala on 20 May, 1997. He however rose to the top rank of DGP at the initiative of the Detupy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal . This was despite the fact that Malhotra was in Mumbai CP at the time of attack on the residence of Bhujbal by Shiv Sena activists when he was opposition leader.
Dr P.S. Pasricha is another CP Mumbai who was unceremoniously removed from office, about which he even made public comments about his removal. He still rose to the office of DGP again; it was Bhujbal who took the generous decision. It was the first time that names of some tainted officers came up for consideration to be appointed to the office of the DGP. R R Patil decided to arbitrarily allow A N Roy to supersede three senior officers. This is different from the shifting of Arvind Inamdar fron the office of DGP to the office equivalent in the training college; by then Dy. CM Bhujbal. Inamdar resigned. Bhujbal had also taken one other unique decision; that of dividing the Anti Corruption Bureau into the city and rural to ease out Ronnie Mendoca who had just trapped then Addl.CP Ajaykumar Jain. 3Iyyengar was brought in as DG ACB- City areas and Mendoca was given charge of Rural. However, there never was any scope for any officer to challenge the decision.


SHAME AND DISGRACE

S S VIRK

This time, the shame and disgrace was brought by R R Patil, who gave one line statement to justify his decision that he was appointing A N Roy for maintaining law and order. Its needs to be understood by ministers that the discretion is to be used intelegently and not moronically. Vilasrao Deshmukh , while appointing Johnny Joseph as the CS of the State had surpassed seven female bureaucrats out of which three were senior to Joseph and around equal number of his male colleagues were not considered for the post. Then CM had given a detailed assessment report why he was doing so. Then R R. Patil decision has opened floodstages for the judiciary to now assess each and every such desicision that is petitioned before them. S.S. Virk, known for his dynamism and popularity in the force, had a chance to be DGP of the State at the time Pasricha was appointed, but Virk’s friend, Capt. Amrinder Singh , was then CM of Punjab, and so he continued there.
Virk was DCP of Pune when Ranga Raja was the CP of Pune and the two were at loggerheads. A controversy broke when constables of the special branch were used for spying on each other; Virk was suspended and Ranga Raju was transferred. Virk then returned to Punjab and rose to heights in terms of hierarchy, as well as popularity.

TRANSPRACY AND RIGHT APPROACH


Suprakash Chakravaty, ex-servicemen, is again very popular among the forces. He is known for giving sweet surprises. One such was when he was Thane CP. He convened a meeting of the all the senior officers of the district and called a writer constable from the Ramnagar Police Station for the meeting. Without any one’s knowledge he called the constable to the dais to felicitated him for sincerity and dedication and told the audience to follow his example.
The orderly rooms of Chakravarty were a great relief for the staff. The constables seeking transfers for reasons of convenience were shown a map of the district and the chart of availability and were accordingly given postings. Such transparency and affectionate approach was not shown by any CP in Thane district until then. One CP who went on to endear himself to his colleagues as well as the population of Thane was affectionate and ever smiling. D Shivanandan. His concern for the policemen down the line translated into real action and health and counseling clinics for were set up for the first time for the ordinary constable. The population of Thane as well as Mumbai was glad to have an officer who finally had drastically reduced the crime rate. Weather Virk or Chakravarty, the force has all reasons to get delighted as the woes of the lower cadres will soon be over.
The High Court order setting aside the appointment of AN Roy, can be viewed as a welcome precedent to prevent any politically influenced arbitrary appointments in future. This will also increase the level of confidence in the police force that could well do without outside interference