Near Mumbai’s Marine Drive, the Mantralaya houses the Chief Minister’s office on the sixth floor. Access to this floor is restricted, as it’s a high-security zone. The Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister both have their offices on this floor. However, back in 1993, the Maharashtra Chief Minister at the time was Sharad Pawar, whose office was on the sixth floor. Adjacent to the Chief Minister’s Office was a room, typically considered an administrative unit of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), where Pawar’s staff used to work. In 1993, a man entered this office and began shouting, loudly voicing a significant phrase: “I’ll expose everything; don’t mess with me. I’ll reveal the truth, who was involved, and what everyone did.”

Maulana Ziauddin Bukhari

The moment he spoke these words aloud, a sudden silence filled the administrative unit. All officials turned to look at him. This man was someone who was never stopped from entering the sixth floor, the Chief Minister’s floor. He had connections and could walk into the Chief Minister’s office at will. This man was an MLA named Maulana Ziauddin Bukhari, representing a constituency in Mumbai at the time and associated with the Muslim League Party. He was shouting out of frustration because Sharad Pawar, who was seated in his office next door, had refused to meet him. But why was this man making such threats?

To understand this, one must first know how he became an MLA. Bukhari’s MLA ticket was secured with the help of the original don of Mumbai, Bashu Dada, a significant mafia figure from the 1950s and 1960s who supported many people and ran an illegal racket throughout Mumbai. Before figures like Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan rose, Bashu Dada was the original don of Mumbai. Through his proximity to Bashu Dada, Bukhari got the MLA ticket, won the seat, and maintained strong connections with Bashu Dada. After Bashu Dada’s death, his stronghold, Teli Mohalla, fell silent, leaving a void in the area. New dons emerged in Mumbai, such as Haji Mastan and later Dawood Ibrahim Kasar.

Bukhari built relations with each of these figures and was known for delivering fiery communal speeches. However, he also maintained good relations with Sharad Pawar and several top Congress leaders. But in 1993, after the Mumbai blasts, Bukhari stood outside Pawar’s office and shouted, “I’ll expose everyone; don’t mess with me, or I’ll reveal who was involved.” This statement caused a stir, and one of the staff immediately called a senior Congress leader, informing them of what Bukhari had said. This Congress leader realized the gravity of the situation, knowing that if Bukhari revealed the truth, it could destabilize the Maharashtra government. Something had to be done, but what?

Bukhari was influential. In the 1970s and 80s, he bought a vast plot near Oshiwara in Andheri and built buildings, leading to the formation of an area known as Malad Nagar, dominated by Muslims. The area became a prominent Muslim-dominated locality, and Bukhari owned much property there. Recognizing the threat posed by Bukhari’s statements, a senior Congress leader, alerted by an official from Pawar’s administrative unit, made a decision. He sent a representative to Byculla, a well-known chawl system area where lower-middle-class people still live today.

Byculla was infamous for Dagdi Chawl, where a man named Arun Gawli resided, a sworn enemy of Muslim gangsters like Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan, and Haji Mastan. The Congress leader’s representative went to Dagdi Chawl, delivering a “supari” (contract) on Bukhari. Arun Gawli had reservations about this contract because, while he had no qualms targeting Muslim gangsters like Dawood’s men, the idea of targeting a respected Maulana troubled him. But the “supari” had come from a highly influential Congress leader, so he couldn’t refuse.

Arun Gawli thought of assigning the task to one of his close associates, Shailesh Haldkar, a notorious sharpshooter known for killing Dawood’s brother-in-law, Ibrahim Parker, in Nagpada. Haldkar was famous, but Gawli was concerned about finding someone reliable. Eventually, the responsibility was taken up by another trusted shooter, Raju Philip.

On April 21, 1993, Philip, along with two accomplices, went to Bukhari’s office at Khada Parsi Chowk in Byculla. Calmly, he entered, pulled out a gun, and shot Bukhari in the chest. Bukhari’s security couldn’t react quickly enough. Philip escaped, but he was later arrested. Charges under the TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act) were filed, yet Philip received bail. Despite repeated arrests, charges against him in the Bukhari case couldn’t be proven, as the instruction to remove Bukhari had come from very high up. Philip remained silent during police interrogations, as is the unspoken rule in the mafia.

Years later, Philip distanced himself from Arun Gawli’s group and began preaching Christianity, becoming a preacher in local homes. People were puzzled by this transformation, but Philip’s behavior changed significantly. It is believed that an IPS officer, who played a vital role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts investigation and later became the Commissioner of Mumbai Police, orchestrated the split between Philip and Gawli, intending to weaken Gawli’s influence by isolating Philip. Slowly, Philip moved towards religious preaching, occasionally sharing information with the police, which led to rumors that he might have become an informant.

Today, Raju Philip is actively involved in religious preaching. He faced no conviction in the Bukhari case. The Congress leader who used Philip to eliminate Bukhari later became a senior cabinet minister in the 2004 central government. The core truths Bukhari wanted to reveal about the 1993 blasts died with him. What were these secrets? Only Bukhari knew, and he took them with him. However, through actions like these, brave IPS officers have managed to neutralize organized crime within the states, similar to how intelligence agencies handle terrorist groups.

Info credit: Pavneet Singh