Is Chhota Rajan's arrest a deal to nab Dawood? India, don't cheer just yet
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhaljee, a 55-year-old man, was arrested by the Indonesian police on Monday. The man was found to be traveling with a false Indian passport. Would all hell have broken loose if the above news item had appeared in such a simple manner? Probably not. The fact of the matter is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhaljee is the real name of the self-proclaimed patriotic underworld don Chhota Rajan, who is wanted by the Mumbai police on multiple charges of murders and possession of illegal firearms.
As it normally happens in India, the media is feeling more triumphant than the sleuths who might have pulled the strings away from the camera glares to get India's one of the most wanted men nabbed. The coverage of the Chhota Rajan arrest is divided with many theories doing the rounds.
Did Chhota Rajan turn himself in because his arch rival Dawood Ibrahim wants him dead? Did the Indonesian police really nab him from where it is claiming to have nabbed him? Is there a secret deal between the don and the government of India? Will the don be brought to India and tried in the court of law? Will he get off with light punishment because he might have appeared out of nowhere to help the intelligence agencies get their hands on Dawood Ibrahim? Chhota Rajan now, is Dawood Ibrahim next on the list? Has the government scored a major coup de grâce by ensnaring this retired don into its trap who shut his shop several years ago and is out of touch with the latest developments in the underworld?
As you can see, attempts are on to play down the diplomatic victory vis-a-vis Chhota Rajan's arrest from the foreign soil. At the same time Chhota Rajan is freely allowed to talk to media and express his desire to return to his homeland. (This is strange given the fact that Chhota Rajan is an expert at giving slips to the police much to the surprise of everybody.) So far he has outright denied any secret pact with the powers that be. But that has not deterred desi Sherlocks to float theories that sound utterly bizarre in nature. The million-dollar question is why are the diplomats on both sides not pressing the mute button on the magnum opus called the "Chhota Rajan arrest"? Is the real intention to send out a strong warning to Dawood Ibrahim who is believed to be in Pakistan? Will it not alert the absconding don who may scramble to change his hideout? Or, is this precisely what's on the minds of the sleuths so that they can strike the moment Dawood Ibrahim appears out of his hiding hole?
Be that as it may, Chhota Rajan is being given a hero's welcome whereas those who worked behind the scenes to get him are given stepmotherly treatment. Moreover, is there any need to underscore this achievement? Why this tendency to deny where the credit is due? Chhota Rajan may have grown old and hung his boots (guns). He may be living a life of perfect gentleman after severing off all his ties with the underworld. But that doesn't mean he doesn't possess information useful to root out the menace of underworld crime altogether. By arriving at a conclusion that Chhota Rajan is not as big a prized catch as is being claimed does no good to the morale of the brave intelligence officers who are working silently behind the scenes.
The need of the hour is to show restraint in the coverage of such sensitive and high-profile arrests. But this is impossible given the cut-throat competition and mindless race to become first in the breaking news department. A gangster, a don and police make for a great crime thriller. Together, they keep the pot boiling in a game of oneupmanship and intense battle of wits. Those who are registering a disappointed note on the arrest of Chhota Rajan are dismayed that there was no car chase or gun fire. Everything happened silently. A dreaded don walking into the hands of waiting police is a total disaster for the heavy rush of adrenaline. This is precisely why for these doubting Thomases, Chhota Rajan's arrest raises more questions than a sense of pride. How silly!