Editorial: Death Threats And Extortion Back In Badlands

Close on the heels of the audacious murder of former minister Baba Siddiqui in Mumbai last month and repeated threats to his friend, actor Salman Khan, another Bollywood icon has received death threats with the usual extortion demand. A call was made to the Bandra police station demanding that Shah Rukh Khan pay up Rs 50 lakh or face the consequences and, by all accounts, the Mumbai Police is not taking this threat lightly. The series of events have raised the question if the underworld mafia’s methods of extortion and killings, which were the headlines through the 1990-2000s as Bombay/Mumbai shuddered with gang wars, have made a comeback and how the don Lawrence Bishnoi, allegedly behind Siddiqui’s killing, can plan and execute this wave of terror from behind the bars in a Gujarat jail.

There’s a grain of truth in that the underworld has reared its head once again, but astute long-time observers believe that it was never totally obliterated from the city’s map. The names changed and so did the methods given the new economy and technology, but it would be inaccurate to say that the underworld was wiped out. It has always had an ongoing interest in the glamour industries led by Bollywood, and icons have been visibly important targets. That Bishnoi is seen as some sort of cult figure among a section of young men with his alleged exploits tells its own story of how crime and mafia-style operations continue to hold power in society. This time though, unlike in the past, it is not merely about business interests and dominance; it has, from accounts available, to do with politicisation of the Bollywood. Icons like the Khans do not depend on the local police for protection but, despite trusted inner rings of security, death threats in real life are hardly as easy to deal with as on the reel.