“The police tricked me into a trap on the direction of their political bosses.…I have become a threat for them as I cannot be ‘managed’,” gangster turned MLA from Chinchpokli Arun Gawli alleged during an interview with HT on Sunday night at his den Dagdi Chawl in Byculla. “But I am not going to keep quiet,” he added.
It was just about a couple of hours back since Gawli had been granted bail in a case of criminal breach of trust filed against him by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in which he was arrested late on Saturday night.
“See in this case, none other than the police are the complainants,” he maintained while accusing the Indian Police Service (IPS) lobby of dancing to the tunes of their bosses in the state Home department, especially home minister RR Patil, with a view to ‘finish’ his political career.
Though initially reserving his comments on the case by stating that it was subjudice, Gawli later opened up. He alleged that arrest was just a pretext to prevent him from canvassing for his party, the Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS) during the forthcoming civic polls.
According to Gawli it all began after his lawyer made an application in the Sewree sessions court on Saturday, urging the police to make it clear whether he was an accused or a witness in the infamous Preeti Jain ‘supari case’ involving director Madhur Bhandarkar.
The police in its turn told the court that they would make their stand clear by December 11. However, the court granted permission to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Agripada, to call him for questioning in the intervening period.
“The same day at 4 pm, I was called to the Agripada police station. Instead of being questioned in connection with that case (Preeti Jain case), senior officials of the Economic Offences Wing barged into the room. After a brief questioning, they put me under arrest,” Gawli wondered.
According to Gawli it all began after his lawyer made an application in the Sewree sessions court on Saturday, urging the police to make it clear whether he was an accused or a witness in the infamous Preeti Jain ‘supari case’ involving director Madhur Bhandarkar.
The police in its turn told the court that they would make their stand clear by December 11. However, the court granted permission to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Agripada, to call him for questioning in the intervening period.
“The same day at 4 pm, I was called to the Agripada police station. Instead of being questioned in connection with that case (Preeti Jain case), senior officials of the Economic Offences Wing barged into the room. After a brief questioning, they put me under arrest,” Gawli wondered.
Gawli, who plans to take an early morning flight to Nagpur on Monday to attend the winter session of the state legislature, said that he would raise the issue of his ‘arbitrary’ arrest in the house during the zero hour.
Launching a frontal attack on home minister R R Patil and the NCP, Gawli said he had crossed swords with the party ever since he contested the Parliamentary polls against the will of Chhagan Bhujbal. “They are scared of my popularity. They are out to finish me,” he charged the NCP.
He alleged that he had been denied protection by the government though the speaker of the house had already given his direction to that effect. “They all want Gawli to be killed by Dawood or Chhota Rajan. I am scared. I cannot move out,” he feared.
Citing the example of the Mumbai District Co-Operative bank fraud case, Gawli said many of his ‘straight and people oriented’ questions had embarrassed the government in the past. “They know they cannot manage me. That’s why they are scared this time too,” he added.
He said he had sent a list of 200 questions, including the suicide of farmers in Vidarbha, to raise them during the ensuing assembly session. “Let’s see, how many of them find place in the list,” he wondered.
Email Debashish Panigrahi: debasish.panigrahi@hindustantimes.com