Underworld & terrorism: A deadly handshake.

While in the decade of 1990s police faced the worst challenge from underworld, the new decade arriving with a new century marked its beginning with a fresh confrontation, the confrontation with terrorist organizations. Although, the underworld works purely for money and terrorist organizations to pursue their radical ideologies, the nexus between the two is multifaceted and has dangerous ramifications. There are many things common in both. Both underworld and terrorism thrive on killings and threatening. Both use violence as a means to convey messages to their targets. Both take advantage of the cracks in the security system. In several cases most of them have recruited members from the vulnerable sections of the society. Whether it an underworld gang or a terrorist organization, the masterminds always stay far away from the actual area of operations. In Indian context, it has been observed in several cases that both use each other to meet their ends. Sometimes they play each others role too.

Dawood Ibrahim and serial bombings of 1993 in Mumbai.
Till 1993 the fugitive gangster of India Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar was just seen as a dangerous criminal, the boss of an organized crime gang in Mumbai which extorted money from businessman, film stars, builders and also smuggled gold and silver. Dawood’s image was of a ruthless man who never spared his enemies & brutally killed those who confronted them. He was seen as a person with high political connections within the ruling party and paid heavy bribe to senior police and government officials to win their loyalty. Although, after escaping to Dubai in 1984, his gang continuously grew stronger in Mumbai and also to other cities of India. Although, Dawood was a Muslim, he had several Hindu gang members including Chota Rajan who later turned out to be his deadliest enemy. Religion had nothing to do with gang activities. Everybody worked for money to lead an extravagant life. However, this perception changed after serial bombings in the city of Mumbai on March 12 1993. From an “underworld Don”, Dawood acquired another designation- “Terrorist.”

The 12 March 1993 blasts of Mumbai were preceded by unprecedented riots between Hindus & Muslims after the demolition of Babri structure in Ayodhya. Hundreds of members from both the communities were killed. It was alleged that Mumbai Police played a biased role during the riots and targeted only a single community. The area around South Mumbai’s Pakmodia street where Dawood grew up also witnessed heavy violence. It is reported that Dawood whose majority of gang members belonged to Muslim community was moved by the pleas of the residents of his locality to take “revenge”. Secondly, Dawood himself was feeling uneasy and insecure in Dubai with the strengthening of diplomatic relations between the government of India and United Arab Emirates. Till then there was no extradition treaty between the two governments and Dawood took advantage of this. However, things were changing and Dawood feared that sooner or later he might be handed over to India. Hence, he wanted to shift his base to Pakistan. While Dawood needed somebody to shelter him Pakistan, Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) was also looking for Muslim radicals in India to conduct acts of terrorism. A meeting between Dawood & senior ISI officials was arranged by few Pakistani businessmen based in Dubai. The meeting resulted in quid pro quo. ISI promised to relocate Dawood Ibrahim, his family members, his key gangsters in Karachi and in turn Dawood will assist ISI in planning and executing anti India operations.

The first material outcome of this deadly coalition was seen in the form of terrorist attack in Mumbai. Dawood had developed an infrastructure of smuggling gold and silver on the coastline of Maharashtra around the city of Mumbai. He had recruited several people in his smuggling syndicate who worked as motor boat and trawler operators. The incharge of this racket was Dawod’s trusted man Tiger Memon who operated from a plush office in South Mumbai’s gold market Zaveri Bazar.

Dawood called Tiger to his Dubai residence alongwith Dawood Taklya who operated trawlers at Raigarh coast. They were informed about the conspiracy and asked to participate in it. Tiger was delighted to hear this as he himself sought revenge after his office in Mahim area was burnt down by rioters.

As per the plan RDX and other weapons were loaded on a Pakistani ship at the instance of ISI and moved towards. Tiger Memon alongwith the help of Dawood Taklya faced no problem while facilitating the consignment at Raigarh coast as they had already bribed senior custom officials and policeman deployed on duty.

On the afternoon of 12 March 1993, bombs exploded at 13 different locations of Mumbai city killing 257 people and injuring around 750. The targets included mostly crowded areas like Zaveri Bazar, Century Bazaar, Sea Rock Hotel, Centaur Hotel, Air India building, Plaza cinema hall, airport and Bombay Stock Exchange. This was the first major terrorist attack in India outside Jammu-Kashmir & Punjab states where terrorism was at its peek that time.

Investigations and arrests after the blasts exposed the role of Dawood Ibrahim and his gang. The blasts were the first example where the underworld was used to execute a terrorist attack. Statements by several accused produced in the special TADA court where trial was conducted are treated as an evidence and Dawood Ibrahim has been proclaimed as accused number 1 in this case. A red corner notice has been issued by Interpol against Dawood & his brother Anees Inrahim. Dawood has been almost in all the agendas of diplomatic talks between India and Pakistan. However, just like Osama bin Laden, Pakistan is denying that Dawood is on its soil. Infact, after the operation by Navy SEALS in Abbotabad  which killed Al Qaeda chief Osama, there was an urge by several groups that India should also conduct a similar operation in Karachi and eliminate Dawood Ibrahim.

Post 1993 blasts Dawood apparently became stronger & more fearsome. He eliminated several of his rival gang members in Mumbai and also made an unsuccessful attempt on Chota Rajan in Bangkok who left his gang after the bomb blasts. It is reported that his family has established matrimonial relations with top ISI & army officials of Pakistan and it is very unlikely for Pakistan’s military and intelligence establishment to allow any harm to his interests.

Riyaz Bhatkal & Indian Mujahideen.

“So are you going to pay up or not?”
“I have told that this much amount is not possible for me. Please dont be so cruel. I beg please consider my problem. I am not as rich as you think.”
“Ok...ok..then get ready to go back to the crematorium. I know you have just returned from there after cremating your body guard.. Now you will again go back there and this time you will not go there on your own legs. Your relatives will carry your body on their shoulders.I have lost my cool now. No money for me means no life for you...ok?”
--
These are the excerpts of an audio conversation which a source delivered to me in 2003. The person being threatened in this conversation is a small time businessman of ready to eat snacks from Mumbai’s suburb Kurla and has just returned from the funeral of his personal security guard who was shot dead a day earlier. The person one the other line was Riyaz Bhatkal whose shooters had killed the businessman’s body guard. Bhatkal was very clear to him- pay up or get killed. Such calls had become a menace for numerous small time traders of Kurla, Sion and Ghatkopar area in 2002 and 2003. The newly emerged RN gang had become a headache for the cops. R stood for Riyaz Bhatkal and N stood for his accomplice Nassir. Whenever anyone from the duo called up somebody for extortion he will introduce himself as RN. Like any other criminal gang they adopted the policy of kill one and scare hundred to extort money. Cops were treating complaints against them just like complaints against other gangsters indulged in extortion. However, case of RN was different. Very soon the Riyaz was to emerge as the dreaded terrorist who aspired to organize bloodshed throughout India.

Riyaz Bhatkal’s original name is Riyaz Shahbandri. He met Nassir  while working for Fazlu Rehman gang who operated in suburban Mumbai and Delhi. In late 2002 they decided to leave Fazlu’s gang and operate on their own. Picking up the initials of their names, they named their gang as RN.

Riyaz came from a small town of Bhatkal in the state of Karnataka. It is a communally sensitive town and has seen number of clashes between Hindu and Muslim communities during the past decade. Riyaz was infamous as a criminal in Bhatkal committing petty crimes. He moved to Mumbai at the behest of Fazlu. As the cops started pursuing him, he abandoned the operations of his newly formed gang and moved to Pune where he met Islamic extremists. After moving to Pune, Riyaz’s focus of life changed from making money to working for “the cause”. Although, Riyaz was not much educated, but he displayed good oratory and leadership skills.
Hence, he was assigned the task of setting up a terrorist organization and recruiting members for it.
Riyaz Bhatkal’s name as a terrorist first appeared in a press conference of Mumbai Police’s crime branch in 2008. Police informed that Riyaz was one of the masterminds behind the series of blasts which rocked several major cities of India that year.

Aftab Ansari: Terrorist who wanted to become Dawood Ibrahim.
Aftab Ansari @ Farhan Mallik is another example of a man who had a dual profile of a gangster and a terrorist. Ansari who once aspired to become as big as underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, is now languishing in jail after awaiting his death penalty to be executed which he got for masterminding Kolkata’s  American Centre attack on 22 January 2002. In that attack 6 policemen were killed and around 20 people were injured. It was a terrorist attack intended to threaten the US and to warn India against getting closer to the US.

Aftab Ansari graduated in underworld with crimes like extortion, kidnappings and attempt to murder. His areas of operations were mostly cities Delhi, Kolkata and adjacent areas. Once when Aftab Ansari was arrested for some offence and sent to Tihar jail, he met Sayyed Omar Shaikh who was the leader of Jaish-E-Mohammed. Omar Shaikh was released from jail in exchange of hostages from the hijacked plane of Indian Airlines, but before Omar moved out the prison he made a deal with Aftab Ansari. The deal was that Jaish E Mohammed will allow Ansari to use its network of Hawala and weapons supply for his gang activities and in return Ansari will help Jaish E Mohammed in recruitment of youths for conducting its terrorist activities. It is reported that a part of money obtained as ransom from the abduction of Kolkata based businessman Parth Roy Burman was sent to Jaish –E-Mohammed by Aftab Ansari. The same money was provided to 9/11 plotter Mohammed Atta.

On the instructions of Jaish-E-Mohammed, Aftab Ansari planned an attack on American Centre in Kolkata. He ordered his shooters to target the policemen guarding the centre in the morning at a time when the shifts were being changed. This daily routine was carefully observed and studied by the shooters. Riding on two motorbikes they raided the centre and started indiscriminate firing from their AK-47 rifles which were arranged by Jaish-E-Mohammed. After the bloodbath assailants fled from the spot.

The investigations not only challenged Indian security agencies but also raised concerns from the US. This was the second major terrorist attack on India just a month after Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2001. After detentions of around 50 suspects and enormous efforts by intelligence agencies it was revealed that Aftab Ansari plotted this attack in connivance with Jaish-E-Mohammed. It was found that Ansari was living in Dubai on a fake Pakistani passport. A CBI team was sent to Dubai and after diplomatic efforts, Aftab Ansari was sent back to India by U.A.E authorities. 3 weeks after the attack, the mastermind was behind the bars.



Why police starts hunting for automobile thieves after every blasts?

Automobile thieves and underworld gangs have a long time “business relations.” Whenever underworld has to kidnap, kill or injure somebody, they use motor cycles or cars which have been stolen. Every gang has a dedicated team of automobile thieves attached to them. They steal the vehicle as per the demand by the gang and deliver it to the gang member who has been assigned to conduct a shootout or kidnapping. The vehicle is abandoned as soon as the operation is executed. The reason behind gangsters using stolen vehicles is that it becomes difficult for cops to trace the perpetrators of the crime.

During last few years it has been revealed in the investigations that just like underworld, terrorist organizations are also using automobile thieves for their acts. In fact, underworld has introduced this modus operandi to the terrorist organizations. The extensive role of automobile thieves to support terrorist acts came out during the investigations of Ahmedabad blasts in 2008.

21 bomb explosions rocked the west Indian city of Ahmedabad on 26 July 2008. In a span of around 70 minutes 56 people were killed and over 200 were injured. Among the targets was also a civil hospital where explosive laden car was parked. The very next day explosives were found in four wheelers in another city of Surat, not very far from Ahmedabad. Terrorist had planned a similar serial bombings in Surat also, but fortunately none of the bombs in Surat exploded due to technical errors while manufacturing them. During the investigations it was found that vehicles used in Ahmedabad and Surat were stolen from New Mumbai.

Crime branch of Mumbai Police, who was conducting a parallel investigation in the case played a major role in detecting Ahmedabad blast case. Cops got a lead in their investigations while assessing the call records and movements of a notorious dealer in stolen automobiles Raju Soni. Soni used to buy stolen cars and motor cycles from car thieves of Mumbai, Thane and New Mumbai and sell them after forging documents and registration plates in neighboring states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Soni was arrested several times earlier for abetting automobile theft cases. “We got to know of the automobile thieves who supplied vehicles to terrorist by keeping an eye on the people who interacted with Soni”told Inspector Nandkumar Gopale.from the crime branch.  The trail led to an Indian Mujahideen operative Afzal Usmani, who had ordered the thieves to steal the cars and deliver it to him. Afzal Usmani was a close associate of Indian Mujahideen’s founding member Riyaz Bhatkal and worked with him since the days when both were affiliated to Fazlu gang. Duo defected from Fazlu gang in 2003 and started their own gang named RN to extort money from small and middle class traders.

When Afzal Usmani was arrested  in an organized crime case in 2005, he was put behind the bars in Arthur Road Jail of Mumbai. During his jail stint, Usmani met an auto mobile thief Mohammed Mobin Khan @ Irfan. In early 2008 after being released on bail, Usmani on the instructions of Riyaz Bhatkal asked Irfan to steal four cars for terrorist attacks in Ahmedabad and Surat. Accordingly, Irfan accompanied by his cousin Ayub Shaikh stole 4 cars from July 7, 2008 to July 14, 2008. A Wagon R car which belonged to Narsappa Nageshwar, a resident of Panvel in New Mumbai was parked by Afzal Usmani himself with explosives at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on the day of blasts. Second car was a Maruti-800 which belonged to Rajkumar Oberoi of Nerul area was used to explode the bomb at L.G.Hospital in Ahmedabad, third car belonging to Pradeep Vaylar of Panvel was found aboandoned with explosives in Surat. The fourth car which was owned by Neeta Madhav residing in Vashi area of New Mumbai was also found abandoned with explosives in Surat city.

Although, Afzal Usmani was arrested in 2008 itself, it is a coincident that Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad announced the arrest of car thieves Irfan and Ayub just a day before triple bombings in Mumbai on 13-07-2011. Interestingly, in this case also investigating agencies have concluded that a stolen 2 wheeler was used for the blast in Zaveri Bazar area.


Encounter Specialists: Men who dealt with terrorists, the underworld style.
“Encounter Specialists”, there is no such official position, rank or designation in the various police forces of India. However, most of the police organizations in several cities of the country have a set of selected police officers who are known within and outside the force as encounter specialists. They are not the officers who have received any special commando training, but they specialize in cases where there is direct confrontation with the criminals. They are the killing machines for a police force. They apprehend the criminal, they conduct their own trial and they proclaim and execute the punishment that is death. Such encounter specialists have been used by various police forces in India as an instrument of counter terror. The most famous and infamous encounter specialist officers in India have been from Mumbai. Mumbai’s case study depicts how effective they were once in combating underworld and terrorism and how they turned out to be a double edged swords.

Decade of 90s brought some of the most challenging years for Mumbai Police in the past century. Shootouts were rampant, gangster called to extort money & killed those who didn’t pay up. It seemed that mafia was ruling the city & law & order machinery went haywire. The scenario was somewhat similar to what it is today in Mexico. To control the underworld, government came up with a stringent law Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Under this law it is not easy to acquire bail for an accused & he or she has to languish behind the bars for a longer period of time. MCOCA also armed the cops with extra ordinary powers. Hundreds of accused under this law have been booked in a single decade. However, this law alone didn’t seem enough to terrify & deter the mobsters from the daily bloodbath. Hence, the police then decided to go the extra judicial way. Based on the thought- “Poison neutralizes the effect of poison.” Mumbai Police came up with the unofficial policy of “encounters.” Hundreds of suspected gang members were picked up & killed. Every time such a killing of suspect took place, the cops claimed that they were attacked first & the suspect died when cops fired in retaliation. Almost in every “encounter” this story was used to justify the killings.

During the tenure of D.Sivanandhan (the then Chief of Crime branch of Mumbai Police) alone 238 suspected gangsters from various gangs were eliminated. Later on the cops reduced the intensity of its operation & came up with “one shootout, one encounter policy.” This policy meant that whenever a gang killed some citizen, the cops will pick up & kill any member from that gang which was suspected behind the shootout. Human rights activist might not concur with me, but the bitter reality is that this unofficial policy of “encounters” worked for the cops & was successful in controlling the terror of underworld to a great extent. At least in the first decade of 21st century the activities of underworld gangs were relatively very low.

Before the Anti Terrorist Squads were established by various states, mostly terror related cases were handled by the crime branch of the city or state police. In case of Mumbai police such cases were dealt by the same elite team of encounter specialists who were originally entrusted with the responsibility of eliminating the gangsters. Following are some of the encounters, which are attributed to these officers:

+ On March 29, 2003 a crime branch team gunned down 3 alleged members of Lashkar-E-Taiyyba in broad daylight at Jogeshwari, a suburb of western Mumbai. The team reported that all 3 terrorist died when police team retaliated to their firing from Ak-56 rifles and a pistol. The police recovered an AK-56 assault rifle, 2 star pistols, several compact discs and diaries.

+ On 22-08-2006 a Pakistani named Abu Osama was killed by police in an encounter. Police team had arrested his accomplice Riyaz Nawabuddin a day earlier and on his information went to search for Osama. The cops claimed that Osama was hiding in a central government employee’s residential colony and fired on police team when he was asked to surrender. Osama died when police fired in retaliation.

+ In September 2003 crime branch team killed one Nassir who was suspected to be one of the masterminds of 25 August 2003 twin blasts in Mumbai which killed around 60 people at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazar of Mumbai. The encounter took place outside Ruparel College of Matunga area in central Mumbai. Crime branch team recovered arms & a car from the spot.

In all the above 3 cases, same officers participated in the encounters who had earlier killed dozens of gangsters in the past.

Now, let us look at the dark side of this policy. The policy of “encounters” led to the rise of a special breed of police officers known as “encounter specialist.” These were the officers with strong network of informants in the underworld & had the tacit authority to conduct extra judicial killings of the suspected gangsters. They enjoyed extra ordinary powers & shared good rapport with senior officials. Infact, most of the superior officials relied on these encounter specialists to update themselves on the latest equations in the underworld. By killing suspected gangsters they became public heroes & received wide media attention including the international media. Every encounter specialist officer proudly boasted the number of gangsters he had killed. Films were made on the life stories of several encounter specialist officers. However, their days of glory lasted only for few years. It is alleged that most of such officers took undue advantage of their position in the police force & rapport with their bosses. They became corrupt, got affiliated with one gang or the other, started killing people for money, extorted money from builders & businessmen etc. This led to tremendous negative publicity & judicial intervention. Public heroes were now seen as villains. Almost all the encounter specialists were arrested & send behind the bars on charges of corruption, murder, extortion, custodial deaths & so on. Today there are no encounter specialist officers. Such officers were over confident that their superiors would come to their rescue & they could get away, but now they claim that they were “used & thrown.”

As described earlier, the “policy of encounters” has yielded results only in the context of underworld and it has failed to deter terrorist groups. Underworld is not as fierce now as it was in the decade of 90s, but fears of bomb blasts and shootouts by terrorists still haunt the city. Fear of death couldn’t deter a terrorist from his mission who has decided to become a “Fidayeen” (like in the case of 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks where all the terrorists were told to die while fighting.) However, in any case such policy has proven itself to be a double edged sword. Moreover, considering the fate of earlier encounter specialist officers, not many police officers now would prefer to be labeled as an encounter specialist. After Mumbai blasts on July 13, 2011 when I asked a police officer attached with the crime branch of Mumbai Police whether he would volunteer to become one, he said- “No way… I have wife & children at home. My parents are old & sick. I have to earn daily bread for them & I don’t want to go to the jail.”

Counter Terrorism & electronic media.

The begining of my career coincided with electronic media revolution in India which took off in the decade of 90s. I started my career as a junior reporter in a 20 minutes daily news capsule which was produced by a private production house and aired by government owned television channel Doordarshan. This production house later transformed itself into a 24 hours news channel and few years later it launched few more such channels. The style, manner of presentation, choice of words and selection of the content appealed to Indian masses, which till few years back had no option other than Doordarshan. Private news channels came up with choices for people, they facilitated to provide the people point of views other than that of the government’s. People got an alternative against government’s instrument of propaganda. As the popularity of private news channels increased, their number multiplied. This led to a media revolution in the country. It was the revolution which influenced the lifestyle and the thinking of people, the revolution which supported campaigns against corruption, the revolution which influenced all the 3 arms of the government, the revolution which campaigned to save life of a poor farmer’s son who fell into a deep pitch dug up for a borewell  and it was the revolution which showed terrorist attacks live non stop for hours.

As a television journalist I have covered around 9 terrorist attacks including 26 November 2008 multiple attacks on Mumbai. The fiercest criticism of news coverage by television channels has been from none other than a variant of media, the print media.
Accusations have been made that electronic media has been insensitive towards the victims and their families, news channels indulge in speculation and rumor mongering, they sensationalize trivial information and while covering attacks they unknowingly support the terrorist organizations by showing the action live. While you cannot dismiss all such allegations as baseless and exaggerated, it will be an error to tag the role of electronic media as damaging to the counter terror efforts. In fact, 24 hours news channels have played a role which has supported the agencies involved in counter terrorism and have also played supportive role in the judicial process of such cases. Moreover, most of the allegations levelled on electronic media are also valid for the other forms of popular media.

Taking case study of 26/11 Mumbai attacks alone there are several instances where electronic media has demonstrated a very positive role right from the beginning. Few weeks after the attacks J.P.Dutta, the chief of National Security Guards (NSG) admitted in an interview to a weekly magazine that it was due to news channels he got an idea that the attacks in Mumbai was not just a petty gangwar, but a terrorist attack. After seeing visuals on television and listening to the information that hundreds of rounds have been fired (which is unusual in a gangwar), he started his preparations to move to Mumbai, hours before he got an official order to do so.

In was due to the continuous coverage of news channels that the world got an idea of the magnitude of attacks in Mumbai. People rushed to hospitals to donate blood after it was announced in news channels that victims of the attacks were facing shortage of blood.

During the attacks, few terrorists got in touch with a national news channel and spoke of their demands which were tutored to them by their handlers. The airing of conversation between news anchors and the terrorist was strongly criticized, but it was due to this conversation that investigating agencies were first able to analyze the accents of terrorists and concluded that they belonged to Punjab province of Pakistan. Moreover, later during the trial, the editor of that news channel deposed as a witness. While punishing accused Ajmal Amir Kasab, the special court acknowledged the testimony of that editor. Photojournalists of several publications who had clicked pictures of Kasab and his accomplice Ismail at CST station also deposed as witnesses in the court.

Post attack it was due to analysis and aggressive coverage by the news channels that the lack of preparedness of security forces and lax attitude of ruling politicians was exposed.
Media became an instrument of ventilation of public anger thereby preventing any other form of reaction by the public which has been provoked several times earlier.

However, while covering terrorist attacks media has bungled too. A day after 26 November attacks, few news channels again started flashing that a fresh group of terrorist had attacked CST railways station and other locations in south Mumbai. However, this turned out be a rumor. Similarly, on 25 August 2003 when bomb blasts happened at Gateway of India and Mumbadevi Temple of Mumbai, it was reported that 4 blasts have happened instead of 2. This was a result of the initial confusion as one of the locations where blast took place was known with more than one name. (Blast outside Mumbadevi Temple was also reported as blast in Zaveri Bazar because geographically both are adjacent to each other. The closest railway station to this spot was Marine Lines, which was taken as the third location.) However, all the news channels corrected themselves within few minutes.
It is true that news channels in their endeavor to lead with visuals and information often compromise with credibility unintentionally during such events.

The role of electronic media while covering the attacks was also discussed by the security agencies. Concerns were raised on the live coverage of commando operations at Nariman House. It was pointed out that media coverage was helping the handlers of terrorists stationed in Pakistan. The handlers were able to know the strategies and positioning of the commandos from the footage shown on television and they instructed their men accordingly. It was decided that in case of such attacks in future the access to media on location will be controlled and live coverage of the attacks will be discouraged. However, News Broadcasters Association(NBA) a self regulatory body is expected to play a decisive role during such events.

Another confrontation between media and law enforcement agencies was seen post triple bombings in Mumbai on 13-07-2011. After the blasts most of the news channels started procuring cctv and mobile phone shot footages from the blast sites. Television is a medium of visuals and such footage add to credible story telling and making viewers comprehend the sequence of events. As soon as the channels started flashing the video, Anti Terrorist Squad(ATS) of Maharashtra state faxed a note to all the news channels which worded- “ This is earnest plea to the media to not publish, display or telecast any cctv footage or cctv coverage of the bomb blasts incidents dated 13/07/2011, that is unfortunately being telecast in certain television channels. Doing so may lead to the disclosure of identity of the witnesses in this important case leading to the exposure of such witnesses. This case is being investigated under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 amended in 2008 and there are several provisions in this act to protect the identity of witnesses. Hence, in the view of above investigation such request is being made.”

Although, “the earnest request” made by the ATS was acknowledged by NBA and its member channels, the same was followed by a court order next day which strictly warned the channels against showing any cctv footage.

India news channels (except 2) followed a similar diktat post 26-11-2008 Mumbai attacks when video recording of the interrogation of accused Ajmal Amir Kasab was leaked. At the same time cctv footages of Taj and Oberoi Hotels and audio conversations between the terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan also reached some news channels. However, news channels were not able to utilize them much as the ATS restricted their airing by marking such material as evidence. The case also exposed the internal rift existing within Mumbai Police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Viswas Nagre Patil was one of the first police officers to respond to the attack on Taj Hotel on the night of 26 November. He challenged the terrorists by holding a simple revolver in his hand not aware that terrorists had advanced weapons and loads of hand grenades with them. He lost one of his man in the initial encounter. All this action was being recorded by the cctv cameras installed at the hotel. Few weeks later, DCP Patil organized a press conference to give details on the security of hotels in his jurisdiction; however, upon being requested by some journalists he also officially provided them the copy of cctv footage of Taj Hotel. When news channels started relaying that footage, it irked many other senior police officials of Mumbai Police. They believed that by distributing cctv footage to media DCP Patil was trying to portray himself as a hero because the footage only showed him confronting the terrorists. Serious objection was raised especially by the crime branch which was investigating the case. The crime branch planned to nail the DCP on charges of indiscipline and leaking the evidence. Accordingly, summons were issued to the news channels asking them to depose before the crime branch and tell the name of the person from whom they procured the footage.

Media refused to respond to the summons of the crime branch. For some media persons it seemed ridiculous that one arm of the police was providing them cctv footage and another arm was asking from where did they get it. Such action by the crime branch exposed the lack of co-ordination, lack of communication, internal rivalry and jealousy prevalent in the police force. At the first place, police should have internally decided whether to provide such footage to media or not and secondly, once the footage was aired then there was no point in harassing media persons to settle personal scores. After political intervention the matter was put to rest and no statement from media persons was recorded.
Another case which highlights the role of media in terrorism related cases is that of e-mails sent by terrorist organization Indian Mujahideen. To multiply the impact of its terrorist actions Indian Mujahideen realized the utility of electronic media. It created a media cell for its one way communication with news channels. Indian Mujahideen used e-mails to own up responsibility for the bomb blasts it executed in various cities of India during 2008. One of its first e-mails was sent 5 minutes before the serial bombings in the city of Ahmedabad on 26 July 2008.  Through that e-mail sent to a national Hindi news channel, Indian Mujahideen claimed that it was avenging the killings of Muslims during Gujarat riots of 2002. After analyzing the mail it was concluded that the content of mail which ran upto 14 pages was generated by somebody who appeared to be well educated, had good command over English language, kept track of current affairs and had enormous hatred in his mind which was reflected from the choicest of abuses he used in the mail. During the investigations it was found that the email was sent by hacking wi-fi network of an American named Ken Heywood residing in New Mumbai. Media cell kept on sending emails to news channels after every bombing by adopting the same modus operandi till 4 of its members were arrested in September 2008 by the crime branch of Mumbai Police.

News channels have co-operated with the investigating agencies and have forwarded the emails of Indian Mujahideen to them as soon as they were received. Such emails played a key role in tracing and apprehending few members of the terrorist organization.

The Indian electronic media is in a nascent stage and is still learning. Like the US and western media, Indian news channels also now refrain from showing graphic visuals of dead, blood and human remains on the spot of terrorist attacks and protect identities of witnesses and minor victims. Many news channels have decided that henceforth no platform will be provided to any terrorist or gangster and their live interviews will not be shown. With the time channels have also understood that late news is always better than wrong news.

References & further readings.

Chapter-1: US Counter Terrorism Strategy in Indian Perspective.

“Celebrating bin Laden’s killing” by Petula Dvorak (Washington Post, 02/05/2011)

Department of Homeland Security’s official website. (http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm)

Central Bureau of Investigations’ (CBI) official website.(www.cbi.gov.in/index.php)

“Finally, govt clears central terror agency, tougher laws.” (Times of India, 16/12/2008)

“If US can after 9/11, Why cant India after 26/11?” by V.Balachandran. (Times of India, 15/07/2011)

“Mumbai Attacks: Failure of commands” (The Hindu, 22/01/2010)

“The Joint Terrorism Task Force-A concept that works.” by Robert.A.Martin.(http://www.adl.org/learn/jttf/default.asp)

“IB ex chief’s gangster friend arrested.” (Times of India, 11/07/2005)

NCTC plan back in focus after Mumbai blasts. (Times of India, 22/07/2011)

“A New Architecture for India’s Security.”-P.Chidambaram (http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?263495)

bibliography

Interview of ex NSG chief J.K.Dutta by Harinder Baweja.(Tehelka magazine, 20/06/2009)

“Terror on TV or Terror by TV?” by Rashmi Sehgal (http://infochangeindia.org/agenda/reporting-conflict/terror-on-tv-or-by-tv.html)

Official website of Federal Bureau of Information. (http://www.fbi.gov/)

“Times Square arrest raises US security questions.” by Tony Karon, 05/05/2010.

“Times Square bomber gets life sentence. Warns of more attacks.”Geraldine (Seattle Times, 05/10/10)

“Faisal Shahzad: violent, fanatic or unhappy home owner?” by Charles Lane. (Washington Post, 06/05/2010.)

Official website of United States Marshals Service. (http://www.usmarshals.gov/witsec/index.html)

Zaveri Bazar and Gateway blast verdict. (DNA, 26/07/2009)

“It is crucial to win confidence of witnesses.” (Hindustan Times, 24/01/2011.)

PATRIOT ACT-American Civil Liberties Union. (http://www.aclu.org/national-security/usa-patriot-act)

“FBI chief urges renewal of PATRIOT Act measures.”(Washington Post, 26/03/2009)

Battle looms over Patriot Act. (New York Times, 19/09/2009)

US Congress passes extension of PATRIOT Act wiretap provision. (Business Week, 27/05/2100)

“Black Friday: the true story of Bombay bomb blasts.” by Hussain Zaidi.(Published in 2002)

“Its good bye to POTA” (Rediff.com, 18/09/2004)

Operation Nexus.( http://www.nypdshield.org/public/nexus.nypd)

Whu Mumbai burnt & Bhiwandi didn’t? (Marathi) by Suresh Khopade ( October 2010, Sneh Prakashan)

Death for 3 in 2003 Mumbai blasts case. (The Hindu, 07/08/2009)

Official website of John Jay College, Center on Terrorism. (http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/centers/terrorism/)

Syllabus: Defence & Strategic Studies, University of Pune. (http://www.unipune.ac.in/dept/mental_moral_and_social_science/defense_and_strategic_studies/default.htm)

“Borders open, criminals walk to Nepal” by R.N.Sinha (The Telegraph, 23-03-2010)

Pakistan’s export of Indian fake currency via Nepal (indiandefencereview.com, 19/11/2010)

5 Indians held in Nepal for trafficking, arms smuggling.( Deccan Herald, 04/10/2010.)

The easy way to arms & Violence. (tehelka.com, 26/01/2008)

Dawood’s man in Nepal. (Outlook, 15/06/1998)

“The Kathamandu Connection” by Bhavana Vij & Ritu Sarin(Indian Express, 17/02/199)

Harkat-ul-Jihad ul Islami. (http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/bangladesh/terroristoutfits/Huj.htm#)

Bengal link in Masjid, Mumbai train blasts. (Times of India, 21/05/2007)

“The Terror.The Threat.The Twist.” By Rana Ayyub (30/07/2011. tehelka.com)

“Harper, Obama to push for major border deal.” (03/02/2011, http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110203/harper-obama-border-summit-faces-sovereignty-delays-110203/)

“The integration of Canada & USA” by Dana Gabriel. (06/02/2011, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=GAB20110206&articleId=23109)

“Latin America in global economy: Running faster to stay in place.” by Gereffi, Gary, Hempel, Lynn. (http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/097.html)

“Clinton says US feeds Mexico drug trade.” (New York Times, 25/03/2009)

“US to step up battle against drug trafficking along Mexican border.” (Washington Post, 25/03/2009)

“Canada major player in illegal drug trdae.” (24/06/2009, http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/canada/2009/06/24/9916306-sun.html)

Total/Terrorism Awareness Office: Is it truly dead? (Electronic Frontier Foundation, http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/TIA/20031003_comments.php)

“Chief takes over agency to thwart attacks on US” by Mark Off, John (The New York Times, 13/02/2002)

Official website of Information Awareness Office (http://infowar.net/tia/www.darpa.mil/iao/)

“Rs 100 crore for unique identification project.” (The Hindu, 19/02/2009)

Aaadhar takes off: PM, Sonia launch UID in tribal area (Indian Express, 29/09/2010)

Attack on American Center in Kolkata (23/01/2002, The Hindu)

“How we found pearl buried in 10 pieces” –Musharaf’s Memoirs. (26/09/2006, The Sunday Times)

“Marriott Marine mystery” (The Saudi Gazzette)

Bali Bomber’s book exposes mind of a terrorist. (http://www.jihadwatch.org/2004/09/bali-bomber-book-exposes-mind-of-terrorist.html)

Mumbai attacks American victims want Headley to depose. (23-08-11, Deccan Herald)

Chapter-2: Mumbai Attacks: 59 Hours of Death.

(This chapter is largely based on author’s own experiences while covering the Mumbai attacks.)

Interview of ex NSG chief J.K.Dutta by Harinder Baweja.(Tehelka magazine, 20/06/2009)

Attacks draw worldwide condemnation. (The Guardian, 28/11/2008)

Mumbai Attack: Timeline of how the terror unfolded: (27/11/2008, Daily Mirror, UK)

NSG ends reign of terror at Nariman. (29/11/2008, Times of India)

Karambir Kang has kept away from his family suite on Taj’s sixth floor. (http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/nov/26/anniversary-26-11-taj-gm-will-not-enter-the-suite-on-sixth-floor.htm)

Case closed, the criminal is stress. ( 17/05/2008, DNA)

26/11: Mumbai Fire Fighters: the Unsung Heroes. (18/11/2009, Indian Express)

Gunning for each other. (13/04/2003, Mid Day)

Media introspects on its voverage of 26/11 attacks. (http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?651445)

Baseless rumors create panic in Mumbai. (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/baseless-rumours-create-panic-in-mumbai_100124753.html)

Jaago Mumbai Jaagao (26/12/2008, Mid Day)

CM under fire over Varma’s Taj visit. (01/12/2008, Times of India)

Are politicians suffering from foot in mouth syndrome? (04/12/2008, Indian Express)

2 Patil heads rolled after 26/11. (10/11/2009, Indian Express.)

Gafoor shifted, Sivanandhan new Mumbai police chief. (13/06/2009, Indian Express)

Chapter-3: Mohammed Afroz: A pilot, a terrorist & a politician.

“The curious case of Mohammed Afroz.”  by Praveen Swamy. (13/04/2002, The Frontline)

Who advised to drop POTO charge against Afroz? (27/03/2002, Mid Day)

Police, not I charged Afroz under POTO-Nikam (28/03/2002, Mid Day)

Mohammed Afroz finally gets taste of freedom. (10/04/2002, Times of India)

Candidate with a 9/11 past. (http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/oct/08muslim.htm)

The model prisoner who thrives on yoga. (28/03/2002, Indian Express)

Give and Take(17/10/2004, Indian Express)

Mumbai Police chief going on leave raises eyebrows. (http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/09afroz1.htm)

Chapter-4: Underworld & Terrorism: A Deadly Handshake.

Order of Hon.Tada court in the case of 12 March 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast case.

Black Friday by Hussain Zaidi.(2002)

India not like US to launch Abottabad type operation-Singh. (13/05/2011, Tribune)

Old aide of Bhatkal held for 02-03 blasts. (11/05/2004)

Pune Blast: Bhatkal brothers emerge as prime suspects. (15/02/2010)

“The arrest of Aftab Ansari” by Praveen Swami. (16/03/02,  Frontline)

Aftab Ansari’s death sentence stayed. (25/05/2010, Times of India)

A canary in the cage. (25/02/2002, Outlook)

Mumbai blasts: Cops to now focus on bike thieves. (29/07/2011, Times of India)

ATS arrests 2 Indian Mujahideen members. (13/07/2011, Sakaal Times)

17 blasts rock Ahmedabad (27/07/2008, Hindustan Times)

Mumbai Encounter specialist: The story so far. (13/01/2010, Rediff.com)

Key is the fear; How encounters struck fear in gangster’ hearts. (13/07/2011, DNA)

D.Sivanandhan to be new police chief of Mumbai. (14/06/2009, Mumbai Mirror)

Urban Cowboys( 06/01/2003, Time Magazine)

“Maximum City: Bombay lost & found” by Suketu Mehta(Published in 2004)

Chapter-5: Counter Terrorism & Media.

Booming: Television news channels in India. (http://ezinearticles.com/?Booming:-Television-News-Channels-in-India&id=83168)

Media introspects on its voverage of 26/11 attacks. (http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?651445)

Baseless rumors create panic in Mumbai. (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/baseless-rumours-create-panic-in-mumbai_100124753.html

Interview of ex NSG chief J.K.Dutta by Harinder Baweja.(Tehelka magazine, 20/06/2009)

Journalist who spoke to 26/11 attackers depose. (05/11/2009, Rediff.com)

Managing editor of a news channel deposes in 26/11 trial.(http://www.indlaw.com/guest/DisplayNews.aspx?0441BA7E-148B-4396-A775-9B6D3706B1F3)

26/11: Photographers evidence. (12/03/2010, The Hindu)

Mumbai blasts: Some personal reflections by Parful Ketkar. (http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/mumbai-blasts-some-personal-reflections-1131.html)

NBA imposes rules for news channels on terror coverage. (18/12/2008, www.indiantelevision.com)

Mumbai court restrains media over cctv footage of blasts. (19/07/2011, The Hindu)

Hunt for IM media cell member. (23/12/2010, Indian Express)

About the author.

Jitendra Dixit is an enthusiast of research & reporting on terrorism, counter terrorism strategies & international organized crime. He did his masters in International Politics from University of Mumbai. Over the years he has developed a network of law enforcers, intelligence agents, counter terror analyst & academicians across various countries of the globe. With an experience of television journalism over 12 years, Jitendra has covered 9 terrorist attacks in India & has also followed their investigations & judicial trials. Jitendra represented India in “Combat International Crime Conference 2011” organized by the US government under auspices of International Visitors Leadership Program. Presently he is working with Indian television channel Star News as a Senior Editor.

Bombay Number 3. (Memoirs of a Mumbai Boy)

(This is first of the series on old Mumbai.The series focusses on various aspects of the megapolis encompassing its social life, politics, crime and transformation.)

1979. It was one of those years when the cold war was at its worst. Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan, the aggressive stances of US President Ronald Reagan & British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher fuelled the fears of a third world war and the deadly arms race assured to destroy the globe multiple times. Newspapers were full of scary stories and the intellectual class talked about the perils of war. Whole world got divided into two power blocs. Although, India claimed to be a founding member of Non-Aligned Movement, its proximity towards Soviet Union was evident. It was in this year that I was born, unaware of what was happening in the world where I just entered. I grew up in Masjid Bunder area of Mumbai which too just like a new born was neither bothered nor aware of the World politics…because Masjid Bunder is a world in itself with its own colours, struggles and politics. The world changed after cold war, but Masjid Bunder remains more or less the same.

Masjid Bunder is an area of South Mumbai having close proximity to the ports on its eastern side. Take a walk from Mumbadevi Temple to Masjid Bunder station any part of the day and you will find it heavily crowded and filled with noises of various kinds. In fact Masjid Bunder is one of the most noise polluted area of South Mumbai. You may see a sweating hand cart puller who is putting more energy to shout for getting the way in the crowd than pulling his heavily loaded cart. They are known as “Haathgaadi walas”. The two wheel cart is like a sea-saw which is pulled and pushed by one or two men. Haathgaadiwalas are mostly from Bihar or eastern Uttar Pradesh states of India, but you may find few local Maharashtrians also. The carts they pull are peculiar only in this part of the city. They are mostly employed by small wholesale dealers of food grains, tarpaulins, industrial gadgets, clothes etc. Haathgaadi walas take utmost care that they or their carts doesn’t touch anybody in the crowd, but even a slight brush with somebody can bring trouble for them. You may see a poor haathgaadiwala being slapped by motor cycle riding youngsters for “touching” their bike or obstructing their way too long. Dozens of hand carts occupy a major part of the road which is already narrow and encroached by stall owners and hawkers on both the sides. Taxi drivers dread these haathgaadis and this is one reason why they refuse passengers for this area. Experienced taxi drivers avoid coming this way during day time. Only the ones who have newly picked up the job of taxi driving accept passengers for Masjid Bunder and they too after getting stuck for hours here twice or thrice learn the lesson-“Say no to passengers for Masjid Bunder.”

Apart from deafening shouts of haathgaadiwaalas you could hear different interesting sounds in this walk of about a kilometer. Audio cd stall owners mostly play Bhojpuri songs and that is to entice north Indian customers who alight at Masjid Bunder station in large numbers to visit Mumbadevi Temple. As you move ahead towards the station you will find numerous shops on each side of the road which are mostly run by Hindu and Muslim Gujarati businessmen. From stationery to dry fruits and clothes to perfumes everything is sold in here in wholesale and retail. Small retail shopkeepers from other parts of the city throng this area for their supplies. Heavy vehicles like trucks are another feature of this area. Food grains and other items brought from other parts of India and the world lands at the wholesalers storages and shops on trucks and tempos which park beside the roads till the goods are unloaded or loaded. This adds to traffic chaos in the area. The trader who calls the truck pays to the local traffic cops for looking the other way. Getting posted in this area turns out to be heaven for such cops. Often on Saturday traffic creates hell for Masjid Bunder as traders want to clear the deliveries pending since the week before a new week begins. Whole road is clogged with Haathgaadiwalas, trucks and tempos and it takes at least 45 minutes to cover one kilometer distance from Mumbadevi Temple to Masjid Bunder station.

Masjid Bunder derives one part of its name from more than a century old Jakaria Masjid which is situated at Yusuf Meherali Road and another from Ports. “Port” in Marathi is called as “Bunder”. Hence, the area got its name from two of its landmarks. The area has majority of Muslim population which are mostly of Gujarati origins like Memons, Bohras, Patels, Khojas etc. A part of Samuel Street which is also known Pala Galli  is inhabited by Shia Muslims. The non Muslim population in the area comprises of Hindu Gujaratis, Marathis and a small number of North and South Indians. There is a small synagogue also at the southern end of Samuel Street which indicates a miniscule presence of Jewish population. Most of the families belong to lower or middle economic class. You may not see many people who could afford a simple car here and those who can afford buy a second hand one. Many well to do families prefer motor cycles instead of cars due to traffic and parking woes in the area. The bylanes of Masjid Bunder are controlled by powerful parking mafia who grab the parking space and then extort heavy amounts from traders to let them park their trucks. If some resident confront these mafias and park his own vehicle at the space grabbed by them, he is not dealt with directly. Next day the vehicle owner finds the vehicle damage. Either the air from tyre is leaked or side mirrors or parking lights are smashed. This is a kind of warning given to the resident by parking mafia which says-“Don’t mess with us. Damage could be more next time.”

People live in old buildings which are as old as 100 years old. Although, multistoried towers are being constructed now in the area, most of the buildings in Masjid Bunder are of maximum 5 or 6 floors. There are very few buildings with elevators in the locality and residents have to climb up the stairs to reach their house. Most people live in a 1 or 2 room’s house with common toilets on each floor used by all the residents of the building.

A one room house serves as an all in one arrangement with kitchen, cupboards, bed, praying area, television etc in the same room. There is a grave issue of privacy as large families manage themselves in tiny rooms. When the boy of a family gets married the parents leave for pilgrimage or head to their native place so that couple could get privacy and time to “make efforts for family expansion.” Even in the absence of parents, privacy is not assured considering the intrusions of neighbours who come to borrow sugar or salt and then there are hawkers who knock the door to sell pani puri, utensils and grocery. On each floor there are 3 to 4 rooms and they are so close to each other that aroma tells everybody who is cooking what. Unlike flat system which is mostly prevalent in suburbs, the occupants of the rooms are not their owners. The housing in this area like other areas of old Mumbai has a unique system called “Pagadi” As per this system whole building is owned by a landlord and residents buy their rooms from him. Although, the purchaser pays the amount equal to the prevalent real estate price in the area, he doesn’t get the right of owning the room which he has purchased. He lives in the rooms and pays monthly maintenance also, although a person could own a flat by spending same amount in suburban Mumbai. The landlord is called as “Ghardhani” and purchaser is called as “Bhadoot” (tenant) in local housing lingo. Although, technically the landlord is owner of the room, he/she cannot sell the room with Bhadoot’s consent. If a Bhadoot wants to sell the room, then he has to pay 1 or 2 % of the total deal in cash to the landlord so that he allows the next purchaser to occupy the room. With redevelopment of old buildings in the area “Pagadi” system is on the decline.

The social life in this part of Mumbai is quite different from what one sees in suburban Mumbai. Infact, life in old Mumbai resembles the life of Indian villages where everybody knows everybody. An occupant of a room in Masjid Bunder’s old building knows what his neighbour is doing, how many members are there in neighbour’s family, his children go to which school and his parents are suffering from which medical problems. Almost everyday there is gathering of housewives near the staircase (which is the only common area in the building after toilets) where personal information, gossips etc is shared and back biting is done on those who are not present. Youngsters unite for “Gulli Cricket” (street cricket) matches and to organize festivals like Ganesh Utsav and Dahi Handi. Quarrels are also frequent especially among the housewives and most of the time reason for quarrels are petty issues like priority in filling water from common taps, putting ones belonging close to others house or playing loud music. However, rarely such matters are reported to the police and even in cases where the police are called, both the sides get a verbal bashing and warnings that they will be put in jail. The hostility between the warring families end within days and housewives of both the families are soon seen at the gossip corner near the staircase.

Residents of Masjid Bunder like other residents of south Mumbai take pride for being a “townwalla” (belonging to downtown Mumbai.) and are subject of envy for people who live in suburban Mumbai and travel everyday like cattle in local trains or drive with snail speed on road to reach Mumbai for work. Contrary to this, if a south Mumbai resident has to travel everyday to suburbs for work, he is at an advantage because in the morning the rush is from suburbs to South Mumbai and trains heading suburbs are not crowded. Traffic also moves smoothly towards suburbs. Hence, although having a lifestyle inferior to a suburban resident, a south Mumbai resident feels himself as fortunate & superior.

The general style and mannerism of majority of young and middle aged people from this area seems to be inspired from Hindi films based on underworld. Every motor cycle riding youngster will appear to be imitating film stars like Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan or Sanjay Dutt. The kind of clothes, caps or glares wore by these film stars take no time to influence youngsters of Masjid Bunder.

Motorbikes are a craze in this locality. As soon as a teen passes his tenth grade he urges his parents to get him a bike even if by that age he is not eligible for a driving licence. In the decade of 90s Yamaha RX 100 and Hero Honda CD 100 were the most seen bikes in the area which were replaced in 21^st century by new age bikes like Honda Unicorn and Bajaj Pulsar. A ride to Nariman Point for a Chinese soup or a plate of Pav Bhaji every night is relished by the youth. The guys also visit this place for “bird watching” which means having an eyeful of beautiful girls and women who come to Queen’s Necklace for an evening stroll or jogging. These are mostly guests of Trident-Oberoi Hotels or residents of Marine Drive. Few youngsters who get over excited after seeing some “Hot Item” (this is how a sexually attractive girl is referred) start doing “wheelies” on their motor cycles to grab the girl’s attention. “Wheely” means a stunt where the motorcycle’s frontal wheel is lifted vertically. Many have broken their bones or have got thrashing by cops while doing such stunts.

The craze of bikes made an illiterate mechanic Mohsin Rizvi a celebrity in the city. Rizvi migrated to Mumbai in early eighties from Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh and started a garage near J.J.Hospital. Very soon he realized that young boys in the area are willing to spend any amount of money for bikes which looks attractive and different from others. Hence, he started modifying bikes and started experimenting with popular bikes in the market. Mohsin Rizvi who publicized himself as MR introduced several features in motorcycles which were later imitated by bike manufacturing companies. He not only twisted the body of motorcycles, but also made alterations in engines for better pick up and performance. Rizvi installed mechanism in bike which prevented stealing of fuels. His remote control starting bike and chutki start bike became very popular in the area. An educated and computer savvy motorcycle freak Umar became his friend in early 90s and started a website for him. This made MR popular throughout the country and he was also noticed by motorcycle manufacturers who used to send their representatives at his workshop to check what his latest innovation was.

Mohsin Rizvi earned an image of honest and sincere mechanic. He never used substandard parts and delivered a complaint free vehicle to his customers on time. He chose his customers and provided services only to those who were ready to abide by his conditions. One of his conditions was that he will replace any part of the motorcycle without asking the customer which he feels needed to be replaced. MR’s service charges were 10 times higher than other mechanics in the area and were non negotiable. Rizvi used to rudely throw out customers who tried to bargain with him on the cost. Still, he had a line of customer’s everyday at his garage. Very soon he attracted the attention of press also and every other day some media person visited his garage for interviews.

Rizvi was a very strict boss and a ruthless teacher. He was a terror for the boys working under him. If he noticed any laxity in their work a tight slap or a hit by hammer on leg joints was imminent.  Many boys who learnt from him have become established automobile mechanics today and follow his values of professionalism and honesty.

I was a friend of Mohsin Rizvi and got my own Hero Honda Splendor modified from him. Mohsin Rizvi’s story didn’t continue for more than 10 years. I have been a witness of his glorious rise and sudden fall. Most of his acquaintances claim that Rizvi was not able to digest his quick earned success. He became very arrogant and also started behaving rudely with his well wishers. Very soon Umar left him and this marked the beginning of his decline. Few issues with the landlord on whose place Rizvi was running his garage cropped up and he had to shift from the main road to an interior street of Imamwada area. The change of location also affected his customer base. Rizvi was not getting oriented with his new workshop. Meanwhile, he developed a sudden interest in religion and spirituality and started devoting more time on religious activities. The brain which was earlier engrossed in innovations and experimentations had changed. Meanwhile, other mechanics also started their garages in the locality and poached Rizvi’s customers by imitating his style of service, with only difference being that they were polite and respectful to their customers. Very soon Rizvi realized that he was unable to bear the expenditure for his new workshop and hence he shut it down by 2007. The new motorcycle riders of the area don’t know anything about him.

The area is also characterized by gross disrespect to traffic rules and lack of road manners. In reality Motor Vehicle Act is neither followed nor enforced between 3 kilometers stretch under J.J.Flyover from Crawford Market till J.J.Hospital junction. You will see traffic policemen on duty, but they are just there to be seen and not to be feared by rash drivers and riders. Stand at J.J.Hospital junction any time of the day and you may find a helmetless biker with two pillion riders (triple seats) jumping a signal while talking on his cell phone unmindful of the traffic cop’s presence. You will be shocked to see that the cop makes no attempt to stop and penalize the rider. In other areas if such a motorcycle rider would have been caught, he would have been charged for four offences- a) Triple seat riding, b) Signal Jumping, c) Riding without helmet and d) Talking on a cell phone while riding an automobile. Nobody stops at red signal in this stretch and nobody is worried of penalty for violating traffic norms.

Is there any special order from the government for not taking any action against traffic offenders in this area? I asked Deepak Lad a traffic constable from Colaba who became my friend during my days as a junior crime reporter.

“Oh God…all traffic policemen dread to be posted in that area. It’s a headache to be there. First of all if you try to stop a traffic offender, he will not listen to you and speed away and even if you manage to catch someone he will abuse you and start shouting. The offender will not only abuse the police department but also the government saying that it is harassing poor people. Very soon the policeman is surrounded by a crowd of passersby and then the offender will make a false allegation that he was asked to pay a bribe. The crowd becomes sympathetic towards the offender and sees policeman as the culprit. They join the offender in abusing the policeman and the government. The cop is threatened and psychologically pressurized to leave the offender. Ultimately after observing the growing anger of the crowd the cop feels it prudent to leave him rather than getting beaten up by the crowd. A newly posted traffic cop in this locality never intercepts a traffic offender after having such experience once or twice. This is the reason why we don’t do anything in this area.”

“But you can always take down offender’s vehicle registration number, track down his residence and take action against him. Cant you?”

“Yes…that system is there…but that is like another punishment to us rather than for the offender. Once you take down the registration number, you have to go to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to find the offenders address etc. After that a notice is issued to him and tedious legal proceedings begin. It is like an extra burden for a policeman who stands for 8 hours on the road, facing harsh sun, bad weather and noise and air pollution.”

Lad also informed that traffic policemen were teased and insulted here by being called as “Mamu”. Although, in Urdu language “Mamu” means maternal uncle, in Masjid Bunder and adjoining areas it means a foolish policeman. There are few notorious youngsters who speed away on their motor cycles after lifting away policeman’s cap even if he hasn’t intercepted them. Fearlessly they make fun of the poor traffic cop who desperately chases them to get his cap back. Cops feel insulted with this kind of proactive harassment and hence maintain a low profile.

Considering the temperament and general style of behaviour of the residents of Masjid Bunder, one high profile mobile phone company came up with a smart idea to handle customers in this locality. They opened an outlet at Mohammed Ali Road and employed only local boys and girls to deal with the customers. This led to a very different kind of experience for customers who have visited outlets of this company in other areas. The welcoming and smiling faces of staffers were replaced with expressions like “Why the hell have you come here?” and “Get your job done fast and get lost.” There was no sophistication in the behaviour and the employees seemed- “Not happy to help”. The local youth dealt arrogantly with customers who raised their voice and often spoke in intimidating tone. They were trained for a “Tit for tat behaviour.”

I was born in Laxmibai Maternity home of Vadgadi Street in Masjid Bunder area. The maternity home got shutdown few years after my birth and then the premises was leased to a commercial establishment.  After getting discharged from the maternity home, I was brought to my “Nana’s (maternal grandfather’s) home. My father who ran a small shop of imported and cutlery items in Zaveri Bazar was staying with him that time. As I grew up to the age of schooling, my parents started looking for a good English medium school in the locality. My parents who were educated in a Hindi medium school of rural Uttar Pradesh considered it to be a handicap for not being fluent in English in a city like Mumbai. They didn’t want me to grow up with such handicap. They got me admitted in junior K.G. class of St.Ignatius School of Koliwada area when I was about 2 years old.

 I have very blurred memory of the classes which I attended there. I remember a middle aged Christian lady who used to teach us ABC for sometime and then took us at the school terrace for games. I don’t remember what exactly happened that I had to leave this school, but my mother tells me that I fought with a classmate. He had thrown away my tiffin box from the fourth floor of the school building and to take revenge I bit him so forcefully that he fell ill. When the teacher got to know about this, she thrashed me black and blue with a foot ruler. I got so scared next day that I refused to go to the school. I informed about the fight with that classmate and subsequent thrashing to my mother and Nani (maternal grandmother). They got enraged after listening to my story and straightaway headed to Principals office asking him to take action against the teacher in a very high temper. The Principal defended his teacher and told that I was a danger for other students of the class. This further angered my mother and Nani and they immediately decided to withdraw my name from St.Ignatius School.

After leaving St.Ignatius, my parents had to search for another school. In any case they had to do that later on as St.Ignatius was till just Class 4. They decided to admit me in Khoja Khanmohammed Habibbhai High School, shortly known as Khoja Khan School. The school is located in Samuel Street, just 2 lanes away from where I stayed at Masjid Bunder. It is run by a trust of Khoja Muslims. Khoja Khan is an all boys English medium school and has classes uptil 10^th standard. Although, the medium of instruction is English here, teachers explain everything in Hindi and communicate with students in Hindi unlike convent schools.

Most of the students of Khoja Khan were from Muslims families. I was one of the 3-4  non Muslims students of the class and when I reached class 10, I was the only Hindu student in my class. It was few years after leaving the school that I realized that grandsons, great grandsons, nephews and cousins of the deadly Pathan gang which were one of the key players of Mumbai underworld had been my classmates. During my school days these class mates flaunted their relationship with the Pathan gang, but I never recognized the importance of that gang in Mumbai underworld nor was I interested to know about criminal gangs. There were children of other local gang members also studying in that school. Most of the gangsters wanted their children to be educated in English and have a decent career. Khoja Khan School came handy for them where fees were not very high, parents were not interviewed and it was located near to their residences. However, there were few cases where teachers came under attack by gangsters when their sons complained of “harassment” by them. One of the cases I remember is of “Popat Sir”. Popat’s original name was Robert Perira. He was our physical training teacher and was called “Popat” because of his parrot like nose and Hitler style moustaches. He was infamous for becoming over friendly with students and talking to them with words which abused mothers and sisters. Once he jokingly abused son of a local gangster. The offended student reported the case by adding his own spice to his father. Next day the gangster entered the school with a naked sword in his hand along with two of his associates thundering abuses. Popat, who was taking a P.T class on the terrace, got an idea that he was the target of gangster’s wrath and rushed towards the toilet to hide, but was caught. The gangster pulled him back again to the terrace and rained dozens of kicks and punches on him in front of the class. Popat  touched his head on gangster’s feet and begged for forgiveness. The gangster pulled him with his hairs , pointed his sword towards Popat’s neck and thundered-

“You are a teacher of my son and that is why I am leaving you alive…but you don’t behave like a teacher. You should be ashamed of yourself. Next time if you repeat what you did yesterday, this sword will cut your body into so many pieces that people will not be able to count. Leave this school if you want to be alive.”

After giving an earful to Popat, the gangster left. The whole incident happened in front of 40 students of 7^th standard. There were around 6 teachers and 3 peons also present, but nobody came to Popat’s rescue. The matter was not reported to the police and after few months Popat resigned from the school.

When I was in 3^rd standard  Principal S.A.H Abedi died due to a heart attack in his office  and  Zamirul Hassan Khan known as “Khan Sir” took over as the Principal.

Khan Sir, a short heighted man with a French beard was a local resident.  He was a sincere teacher and a good administrator. He reached office before time and was last to leave from the school. He identified others schools in the locality like Dawoodbhai Fazalbhai High School, Habib High School, St.Joseph’s High School etc as rivals and wanted that the number of students passing SSC exams should be more than these schools. Although, never a student of Khoja Khan made it to merit list or scored over 90% of marks, Khan Sir got satisfied that his school got 100% passing result in SSC (meaning none of the students failed) Khan Sir went out of the way to deliver 100% passing result. He started taking extra classes of students in 9^th standard and taught them syllabus of standard 10^th. He identified weak students and focused more on them and even if they didn’t show improvement, he threatened them to repeat in 9^th standard next year also. For 10^th standard students there were no weekly holidays, no Diwali vacations & no summer vacations. Khan Sir himself used to take extra classes on these days so that students are better prepared to face SSC exams. Being very strict in his approach, Khan Sir was not very popular among students & one can see numerous abuses and cartoons of him on the walls of school toilet.

Although, Khan Sir was not very popular among the students he was seen with great respect among the educationists of “Bombay Number 3.” Masjid Bunder has postal code 400003 and that is why it is known as Bombay number 3, but over the years “Bombay Number 3” has become much more than a postal code. It has become an identity for those adjoining areas also which have different postal codes like Dongri, Bhendi Bazar, Pydhonie & Null Bazar. “Bombay Number 3” has become a description of a geographical area which has a unique character and represents an aggressive, flamboyant, vibrant, polluted, multicultural, multilingual and multireligious lifestyle. “Bombay Number 3” in its exhaustive sense has been not only crime prone but has been also a breeding ground for criminals who have ruled the Mumbai underworld. Pakmodia Street where underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim’s ancestral house is located is just about 3 kilometers from Masjid Bunder. His sister Haseena Parker stays nearby at Nagpada. Around 4 kilometers away from Masjid Bunder is Grant Road where the founder of Pathan gang Karim Lala lived. Another gangster of his time Haji Mastan who later became politician opened his office opposite J.J.Hospital. During the last 4 decades these areas have witnessed tremendous amount of bloodshed caused by gangwars, communal riots and extortion rackets. This is why there is a certain degree of fear associated with Bombay Number 3. Whenever there is a dispute between cricket teams of lads, a particular team gets defensive if the opponent is from Bombay Number 3. Nobody in Mumbai wants to have confrontation with people from Bombay number 3. Old Mumbaikars from other parts of the city often refer to residents of this locality as “Bombay number 3 ka shaana.” (Smarty from Bombay number 3) 

Address to the Nation.: The World during Cold War & now. (from Indian pers...

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