Mumbai News: Arun Gawli Walks Free After 17 Years, Sparks Speculation On Underworld Revival And Political Role

Mumbai: The man who in the 80's and 90's was in the top rung of Mumbai's dreaded underworld, Arun Gawli (70), is back. After a 17-year-long incarceration, he walked out of Nagpur Central Jail on Wednesday following the grant of bail by the Supreme Court in the 2007 murder of corporator Kamlakar Jamsandhekar in Asalfa, Ghatkopar (W).

He was arrested under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). He had challenged his conviction in the apex court the December 9, 2019 verdict of the Bombay High Court, upholding his life sentence given by the trial court.

Vacuum in Mumbai’s Underworld

The question now being asked is that will Gawli revive his gang and become active again. The supreme court has set certain rigid conditions while granting him bail. In view of that he will not be officially able to do "bhaigiri." But nothing prevents him from raising his head again through his proxies.

Right now there is a huge vaccum in Mumbai's underworld. Dawood Ibrahim has relocated to Pakistan where he is operating in tandem with the ISI. Chhota Rajan, the other don, is currently in Tihar Jail, Delhi, where his health is reportedly not good.

Another gangster Ashwin Naik is confined to a wheel chair following a stroke while the Thakur gang is confined only to the Vasai-Virar belt. So there is a clear cut vacancy which Gawli may fill in.

‘Daddy’ and Dagdi Chawl Legacy

Gawli, who is popularly called 'Daddy' by his supporters, is the only gangland leader of consequence who refused to leave Mumbai unlike Dawood, Chhota Rajan and others who moved to Dubai following a police crackdown on organised crime.

He was also consistently opposed to Dawood. In fact, the latter was mortally afraid of Gawli, who used to operate from his fortress, Dagdi Chawl, not far away from Byculla railway station on the west side. Some years ago, Gawli told this correspondent that an assistant commissioner of the Mumbai crime branch had put forth a compromise proposal on behalf of Dawood.

"I turned down the big offer. Dawood was an anti-national and I told the ACP that there was absolutely no question of any compromise with him," he had stated.

Real Estate and Extortion Concerns

With the real estate industry in Mumbai metropolis witnessing an unprecedented boom fuelled by massive redevelopment projects extortion threats may now increase. In central Mumbai, including Lower Parel, no construction project in the past could go beyond the drawing board unless the Gawli gang was "looked after."

In fact, a team of architects would study the BMC-approved plan of building projects and depending upon the built up area ``donations" had to be given to Daddy's boys the builders. The redevelopment of defunct textile mills resulted in a rich harvest for Gawli.

Political Influence Ahead of BMC Polls

The release of Gawli has taken place when the metropolis is preparing for elections to the Muncipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), which boasts of an annual budget of over Rs 74,000 crores. Gawli's gang could decide the fortune of candidates in at least 70 wards in central Mumbai.

Gawli himself had floated a political party, Akhil Bharatiya Sena, under whose banner he won the assembly elections from Chinchpokli constituency in 2004. It will not be surprising if he fields his own candidates in which case he will decide the next mayor of Mumbai if there is a hung house.

In the past, the Shiv Sena led by Bal Thackeray used to openly support Gawli by projecting him as a "Hindu don." But much water has flown down the Mithi river since then. If anything the BJP, which is extremely keen on installing its mayor, may work out a tacit understanding with Gawli.

Also Watch:

Navratri at Dagdi Chawl to be Grand

All in all, the situation in Mumbai's dormant underworld and politics may witness major changes following the "gharwapsi" of Gawli to the dreaded Dagdi Chawl. This year's Navratri celebrations in Dagdi Chawl may well be the grandest ever staged so far.