Minutes of the arrest

MUMBAI, July 22: Preparations to arrest underworld don Arun Gawli were underway much before Anindita Ramaswamy, an Asian Age journalist, lo...

MUMBAI, July 22: Preparations to arrest underworld don Arun Gawli were underway much before Anindita Ramaswamy, an Asian Age journalist, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at the Agripada Police Station on Monday. Anindita was attacked by Gawli’s men when she went to Dagdi Chawl to gather some information.

The news of the attack was communicated to senior police officials about two hours after the incident at 2 pm. Then, the officials at the Agripada Police Station were not sure if Anindita would lodge an FIR. They were also not quite certain if she would mention Gawli’s name in her complaint.

However, they were in for a surprise – some believe it was a pleasant one. Anindita lodged an FIR around 6 pm and also mentioned Gawli’s name in it. Normally, once an FIR is lodged, senior inspector of the police station has the authority to decide whether to effect an arrest or not. However, this was a sensitive case. So, Deputy Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh was informed immediately. “The decision to arrest Gawli was taken at the top level,” says a senior officer. `Top-level’ here, it can be safely assumed, means home ministry, which is headed by Gopinath Munde, the deputy chief minister. Munde had come under heavy flak from Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, for having allowed Gawli-led Akhil Bharatiya Sena to hold a political rally at Kala Ghoda recently.

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Even as clearance from home ministry was being sought, a battery of lawyers were consulted on the sections under which Gawli and his associates could be booked. Initially, it was proposed to book him under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. However, the proposal was dropped as it would have been difficult to prove the charge in a court of law. At this point of time another tactical decision was taken by the police. While earlier the plan was to arrest him in the morning, it was later decided to raid Dagdi Chawl in the afternoon. Police obviously wanted to keep Gawli in their custody for a night. Had he been arrested in the morning, a considerable part of the night would have been spent in transporting him to the court. After the formalities were completed at the police station, the Commissioner of Police S C Malhotra and Munde were informed about the FIR.

The chief minister was told about it after he returned to the metropolis from New Delhi on Monday night. Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, sources said, was informed after Gawli was actually arrested by the police.

Attack on press: the Sena’s record

Though the Akhil Bharatiya Sena has got into trouble for the attack on a journalist, media-bashing has been a Sena tradition.

In 1991 Nikhil Wagle was attacked by Shiv Sainiks for an article in a Marathi journal.

Wagle, the Sena’s pet-whipping boy, was to taste its ire at least on four more occasions after he set up his own newspaper Apla Mahanagar, the last being Dec. 1996.

Again in 1991, several journalists were roughed up by Sainiks for criticising the vandalisation of the pitch at Wankhede stadium prior to an India-Pakistan match.

In 1993, Shiv Sainiks attacked journalists, including a woman, on a dharna against Thackeray’s attacks on Mahanagar

In 1994, the offices of Lokmat In Aurangabad were ransacked for various articles. Attacks repeated in 1995 and 1996. Reporters at a Thackeray pressmeet were badly manhandled in 1995.

In 1995, The Asian Age office was ransacked by Sena goons when it reported a secret meeting between Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.

In Oct. 1996, Aaj Dinank, a Marathi eveninger was attacked. The paper closed down and was later relaunched as Saanj Dainink

Interestingly, though police cases have been filed, no arrests have been made in any of the cases.

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