Good Home Minister, Bad Home Minister: A Look At The Political Bosses Of Mumbai Police

However, the killing of a politician belonging to the ruling party has brought his ability to handle the home department under scrutiny. Let's take a look at some of the politicians who have held the hot seat in the last three decades and examine their achievements and shortcomings.

Let's begin with Gopinath Munde, who became the Deputy CM and Home Minister when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance first came to power in Maharashtra in 1995. Munde took charge of the home department at a time when underworld gangs were terrorising Mumbai. Blood was spilt on the streets daily, and hundreds of people were killed during the decade.

The business community and the film industry felt threatened. In such a scenario, Munde endorsed the unofficial policy of "encounters," which led the police to start shooting down gangsters. The police gunned down around 100 gangsters belonging to organised crime syndicates headed by Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan, Arun Gawli, and others. The policy, though illegal, started delivering results, and by the dawn of the century, the backbone of the Mumbai underworld had been broken.

In 1999, the Shiv Sena-BJP government was replaced by the Congress-NCP alliance, and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal became Home Minister and Deputy CM. Bhujbal not only continued the policy of encounters but also targeted the support systems of the underworld during his tenure. In the "Chori Chori Chupke Chupke" movie case, the Mumbai Police arrested members of the film industry as well as a prominent diamond trader who financed films.

A Sessions Court judge was also arrested for allegedly having links with underworld don Chhota Shakeel. However, Bhujbal's name became embroiled in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam known as the Telgi Scam, and he had to resign.

Bhujbal was replaced by another NCP leader, R.R. Patil, fondly called "Aaba" by his supporters. Patil had a reputation as an honest and upright politician. He focused on corruption within the police force and jail administration, and many officers were dismissed or suspended during his tenure.

However, his tenure is most remembered for a landmark decision that forever changed Mumbai's nightlife: the Maharashtra government passed a law banning dance bars in the state. Under Patil, the police rigorously enforced the law, with Patil warning that if any dance bar was found operating, the DCP of that zone would be suspended.

The Nov. 26, 2008, terrorist attacks took place during his tenure. He was removed after quoting a Hindi film dialogue in the aftermath of the attacks, which was seen as a callous remark. His poor command of Hindi contributed to his downfall.

After Patil, Jayant Patil, now the state chief of the NCP (SP), became Home Minister. His tenure saw a heightened number of police checkpoints (Nakabandis) in Mumbai and other cities, as he ordered maximum police visibility on the streets to restore public confidence, which had been shaken by the terrorist attacks. However, he was replaced within a year, and R.R. Patil once again took charge.

In 2014, when the saffron alliance returned to power, Devendra Fadnavis became Chief Minister. As is typical in BJP-ruled states, the CM also holds the home portfolio, and Fadnavis took charge of the home department. His biggest achievement as CM was the crackdown on Naxalites in Gadchiroli, where the Naxals were almost wiped out, paving the way for industrial growth in the region.

However, the latter part of his tenure was marked by violence during the agitation for Maratha reservations, and it was alleged that the State Intelligence Department illegally intercepted the phones of opposition leaders like Nana Patole and Sanjay Raut.

In 2019, when the MVA government came to power, NCP leader Anil Deshmukh became Home Minister. He was criticised by the opposition for allowing the scam-accused Yes Bank officials to visit tourist destinations during the pandemic. The Antilia bomb scare, in which an explosive-laden car was parked outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence, also occurred during his tenure.

Mumbai Police Inspector Sachin Waze, the prime accused in the case, alleged that Deshmukh pressured him to extort Rs. 100 crore every month from hotels and other establishments. Deshmukh resigned after then Police Commissioner Parambir Singh wrote a letter to the Governor and then CM Uddhav Thackeray accused him of misconduct. He was replaced by Dilip Walse Patil, whose tenure was relatively uneventful. The government collapsed a year later.

Fadnavis's second tenure as Home Minister, beginning in June 2022, has also faced challenges. It has been marred by incidents that question his effectiveness. The police lathi charge at the site in Jalna, where Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil was on a hunger strike, became a major controversy, putting his party and government in a tough spot.

It propelled Manoj Jarange Patil to prominence in Maharashtra politics. A few communal skirmishes and incidents of crimes against women have also given his critics ammunition to question his ability to manage the home department.

The position of Maharashtra's Home Minister is powerful, but it is also one that comes with significant challenges—a true crown of thorns.