Arun Gawli
Encyclopedia
Arun Gulab Gawli known to his followers as "Daddy", is an alleged criminal turned politician from Mumbai
, India
. He is based at Dagdi Chawl
in Byculla- Saat Rasta, Mumbai
. In 2004, he was elected as a MLA
from the Mumbai Chinchpokli
Constituency as an Akhil Bharatiya Sena
candidate.
Gawli's rise in prominence is believed to be due to his "native roots" as a local lad, which makes him distinct from most other non-Marathi
-speaking dons. Gawli also differs in that he is Hindu
(his wife, Ashatai [ d/o Mohammed Shaikh Lal Mujawar "Nanhubhai" of Vadgaon-Paanchpir, Dist. Pune] alias Mummy was a Muslim
) while most other dons are Muslim. Gawli was at one point actively supported by Bal Thackeray
, but his ties to Thackeray and the Shiv Sena
later broke down when Gawli's boys mercilessly slew several Sena legislators and party workers. Terrified, the hithero fearless Sena members found themselves at the receiving end of their own terror tactics. In the Mumbai underworld, Gawli actively carried out kidnappings and extortions and was believed to have been supported by some powerful bureaucrats and politicians following the vacuum created by Dawood Ibrahim
's flight from Mumbai. As he slowly began to lose relevance, Gawli stepped into mainstream politics, burning his bridges with his former mentors.
Arun Gawli, like many other alleged criminals arose mostly from the fallout of the infamous Cotton Textile Mills strike of Mumbai
in the 1970s in which millions of mill workers were rendered jobless. All of the above, with the singular exception of Gawli, were subsequently brutally murdered by their mafia rivals. Those who were left took to a life of petty crime. The Dagdi Chawl syndicate was originally aligned with the D-Company
but subsequently split up after infighting over the division of spoils. Gawli who earlier was a small-time charge-sheeter in the Byculla-Mahalaxmi
-Agripada-Parel
/Naigaum-Chinchpokli
area is considered as the undisputed Don of Dagdi Chawl and his word is law in some parts of Mumbai
.
Gawli is a protege of the late Ramabhai Naik, who in 1986 gunned down supari-king Karim Lala
's nephew, the dreaded Samad Khan, and paved the way for Dawood Ibrahim
to become the undisputed don of the Mumbai underworld
. Rama Naik himself was soon slain in an 'encounter' with Nagpada police PSI Rajan Katdhare in 1988, allegedly at the behest of Dawood Ibrahim
, but is still worshiped by Gawli and his henchmen as the original godfather of Byculla's Dagdi Chawl.
and Chhota Rajan
. Once Papa Gawli was killed by his erstwhile partners, he launched the Gawli gang, which cut its teeth on property disputes and workers’ unions in the dying mills. Even while he completed his jail term in the 1990s—he was convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in 1993 and sentenced to four years—he kept Central Mumbai in an iron grip. After the blasts, Gawli was suddenly the Hindu don the Shiv Sena could adopt. As the senior Thackeray once said: “If they have Dawood, we have Gawli”. Gawli was released in 1997 and broke away from the Sena to form the Akhil Bharatiya Sena. Between 1997 and 2004, Gawli has been arrested in over 15 cases—but convicted in none. He’s given up crime, ostensibly, but remains Mumbai
’s solitary resident don.
also is supposed to have taken its shape in the jail. His judicial custody also helped him to avoid assassination attempts by the rival Dawood Ibrahim
/Chhota Shakeel
and Chhota Rajan
Gangs. His decision to enter politics and become a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly also ensured that he would not get "taken out" by a police hit squad in an "encounter".
Gawli was married Asha Gawli
, popularly referred as "Mummy" and has two children. Gawli's political designs suffered a major blow when his nephew and party legislator, Sachin Ahir
, came out openly against him and joined Sharad Pawar
's Nationalist Congress Party
. He even contested against Gawli in the subsequent Lok Sabha
elections on a Nationalist Congress Party
ticket, resulting in defeat for them both, but victory for the Shiv Sena
's sitting MP Mohan Rawle. His daughter was recently elected as a corporator to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Gawli has been acquitted in most of his cases in which he was charged with exception of murder case of Shiv Sena
leader Kamalakar Jamsandekar.
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is based at Dagdi Chawl
Dagdi Chawl
Dagdi Chawl is an erstwhile slum neighbourhood in Byculla, Mumbai, used to house mill workers from the nearby industries. Now it is known for the fortified home of mafia don turned politician Arun Gawli....
in Byculla- Saat Rasta, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. In 2004, he was elected as a MLA
Member of Legislative Assembly
A Member of Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government...
from the Mumbai Chinchpokli
Chinchpokli
Chinchpokli is the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on India's Central Railway line. Older British era spellings: Chinchpugli and Chinchpooghly. the name is derived from two different words; chinch means tamarind and pokali means betel nut...
Constituency as an Akhil Bharatiya Sena
Akhil Bharatiya Sena
Akhil Bharatiya Sena is a political party in India. Founded in 1997 and led by the Mumbai mafia don and contract killer Arun Gawli . Gawli had earlier been close to the Shiv Sena supremo, Bal Thackeray, but in 1996 a bloody feud surged between them when Arun Gawli mercilessly slew several Sena...
candidate.
Gawli's rise in prominence is believed to be due to his "native roots" as a local lad, which makes him distinct from most other non-Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
-speaking dons. Gawli also differs in that he is Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
(his wife, Ashatai [ d/o Mohammed Shaikh Lal Mujawar "Nanhubhai" of Vadgaon-Paanchpir, Dist. Pune] alias Mummy was a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
) while most other dons are Muslim. Gawli was at one point actively supported by Bal Thackeray
Bal Thackeray
Bal Keshav Thackeray , popularly known as Balasaheb Thackeray, is an Indian politician, founder and chief of the Shiv Sena, a right-wing Hindu nationalist, and Marathi ethnocentric party active mainly in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.Born in Pune, Thackeray began his professional career...
, but his ties to Thackeray and the Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
later broke down when Gawli's boys mercilessly slew several Sena legislators and party workers. Terrified, the hithero fearless Sena members found themselves at the receiving end of their own terror tactics. In the Mumbai underworld, Gawli actively carried out kidnappings and extortions and was believed to have been supported by some powerful bureaucrats and politicians following the vacuum created by Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
's flight from Mumbai. As he slowly began to lose relevance, Gawli stepped into mainstream politics, burning his bridges with his former mentors.
Arun Gawli, like many other alleged criminals arose mostly from the fallout of the infamous Cotton Textile Mills strike of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in the 1970s in which millions of mill workers were rendered jobless. All of the above, with the singular exception of Gawli, were subsequently brutally murdered by their mafia rivals. Those who were left took to a life of petty crime. The Dagdi Chawl syndicate was originally aligned with the D-Company
D-Company
D-Company is a term coined by the media for the criminal organization and terrorist group headed by wanted terrorist leader and crime boss Dawood Ibrahim....
but subsequently split up after infighting over the division of spoils. Gawli who earlier was a small-time charge-sheeter in the Byculla-Mahalaxmi
Mahalaxmi
Mahalaxmi can refer to:* Mahalaxmi : the Hindu goddess of wealth and patron goddess of the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra.* Mahalaxmi : a location in the city of Mumbai....
-Agripada-Parel
Parel
Lower Parel or Parel is central part of Mumbai. It is also lends its name to two railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway. Most of the mills in Mumbai used to be in this area till some years ago...
/Naigaum-Chinchpokli
Chinchpokli
Chinchpokli is the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on India's Central Railway line. Older British era spellings: Chinchpugli and Chinchpooghly. the name is derived from two different words; chinch means tamarind and pokali means betel nut...
area is considered as the undisputed Don of Dagdi Chawl and his word is law in some parts of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Gawli is a protege of the late Ramabhai Naik, who in 1986 gunned down supari-king Karim Lala
Karim Lala
Karim Lala , born as Abdul Karim Sher Khan in Kunar province of Afghanistan, was popularly known as the 'don of Mumbai' in India. He is widely recognized as the founder and pioneer of the Indian mafia in the Mumbai area...
's nephew, the dreaded Samad Khan, and paved the way for Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
to become the undisputed don of the Mumbai underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
. Rama Naik himself was soon slain in an 'encounter' with Nagpada police PSI Rajan Katdhare in 1988, allegedly at the behest of Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
, but is still worshiped by Gawli and his henchmen as the original godfather of Byculla's Dagdi Chawl.
Early career
This mill worker’s son tried his hand at a factory job, but lacked the patience. He then turned his Dagdi Chawl home into a mini-fortress and began a brief flirtation with Dawood IbrahimDawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
and Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
. Once Papa Gawli was killed by his erstwhile partners, he launched the Gawli gang, which cut its teeth on property disputes and workers’ unions in the dying mills. Even while he completed his jail term in the 1990s—he was convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in 1993 and sentenced to four years—he kept Central Mumbai in an iron grip. After the blasts, Gawli was suddenly the Hindu don the Shiv Sena could adopt. As the senior Thackeray once said: “If they have Dawood, we have Gawli”. Gawli was released in 1997 and broke away from the Sena to form the Akhil Bharatiya Sena. Between 1997 and 2004, Gawli has been arrested in over 15 cases—but convicted in none. He’s given up crime, ostensibly, but remains Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
’s solitary resident don.
Politics and Jail
Gawli has been in and out of jail several times and spent more than ten years in judicial custody, but has never actually been convicted. It is alleged that even during his period of custody, Gawli ran his criminal empire of kidnappings, extortion and murder from behind bars at Nashik, Pune and Yerawada very efficiently with the aid mobile phone and willing prison and police officials. His political outfit composed of criminals and disgruntled politicos from other parties, Akhil Bharatiya SenaAkhil Bharatiya Sena
Akhil Bharatiya Sena is a political party in India. Founded in 1997 and led by the Mumbai mafia don and contract killer Arun Gawli . Gawli had earlier been close to the Shiv Sena supremo, Bal Thackeray, but in 1996 a bloody feud surged between them when Arun Gawli mercilessly slew several Sena...
also is supposed to have taken its shape in the jail. His judicial custody also helped him to avoid assassination attempts by the rival Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
/Chhota Shakeel
Chhota Shakeel
Chhota Shakeel , is an Indian, accused of association with Dawood Ibrahim.According to old hats, one of his stories which put him in the spotlight was his encounter with the customs officer...
and Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
Gangs. His decision to enter politics and become a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly also ensured that he would not get "taken out" by a police hit squad in an "encounter".
Gawli was married Asha Gawli
Asha Gawli
Asha Gawli is the wife of Arun Gawli, member of the Legislative Assembly for Maharashtra. Asha Gawli was a Muslim with the name Ayesha before she got married to Arun Gawli. She was investigated in 1998 for the murder of a man connected with her husband, a former underworld figure...
, popularly referred as "Mummy" and has two children. Gawli's political designs suffered a major blow when his nephew and party legislator, Sachin Ahir
Sachin Ahir
Sachin Mohan Ahir is an Indian politician from maharashtra. He is the nephew of former underworld don Arun Gawli.He is from the NCP. He was also elected as MLA from Shivadi during 1999-2004.-Notes:...
, came out openly against him and joined Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
's Nationalist Congress Party
Nationalist Congress Party
The Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
. He even contested against Gawli in the subsequent Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
elections on a Nationalist Congress Party
Nationalist Congress Party
The Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
ticket, resulting in defeat for them both, but victory for the Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
's sitting MP Mohan Rawle. His daughter was recently elected as a corporator to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Gawli has been acquitted in most of his cases in which he was charged with exception of murder case of Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
leader Kamalakar Jamsandekar.