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1991 - Lakshadwala : A Bollywood Gunfight Story
Episode 114th October 2024 • Gunfight Pod • Andy Jackson
00:00:00 00:40:07

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Today's episode takes us to the bustling Lakhinwala complex in Bombay (now Mumbai) during a chaotic gunfight on November 16, 1991, involving the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the notorious Suryavanshi gang. Host Andy dives into the intricate details of this high-stakes confrontation, blending historical context with a dose of humor and colorful anecdotes. As the narrative unfolds, we explore the societal implications of the encounter and the controversial aftermath, including accusations of extrajudicial killings. With a vibrant backdrop of Bollywood and local culture, the episode illustrates how crime, police action, and media spectacle intertwine in modern India. Expect a mix of riveting storytelling, insights into firearms history, and a few unexpected twists along the way.

In this episode The Gunfight Pod will travel back to 1991 to catch the most infamous shootout in Indian history: the Lokhandwala Complex Stand-Off. Join Andy as he breaks down this intense gunfight between the Bombay Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the notorious Maya Dolas gang in the heart of Bombay’s bustling Lokhandwala neighborhood.

This high-stakes confrontation brought the streets of a peaceful residential area to a standstill, with over 450 rounds of ammunition fired in a high-density apartment building during a broad daylight "encounter". What triggered the stand-off? How did a routine police raid escalate into an all-out urban gun battle? We’ll dive into the background of the Mumbai underworld, explore the gritty details of the firefight, and reflect on how this event shaped public perception of law enforcement in India.

Gunfight Pod takes listeners on a thrilling journey back to November 16, 1991, to explore a major gunfight in the Lakhinwala complex in Bombay, now Mumbai. Host Andy, a firearms history enthusiast, introduces the scene with a mix of humor and education, setting the stage for a chaotic showdown between the Bombay Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the notorious Suryavanshi gang. As he navigates through the complexities of the neighborhood, Andy provides rich historical context about the city’s transformation from Bombay to Mumbai, the cultural significance of the area, and the explosive rise of gang violence during this era. Through humorous anecdotes and vivid imagery, he paints a picture of a city bustling with life, unaware of the impending violence, while also detailing the personalities involved in this high-stakes drama.


The episode delves deeply into the dynamics of the gunfight itself, where the ATS, led by the super cop ACP Ahmed Khan, prepares for a raid against a gang led by the infamous Maya Dolas. Andy navigates through the tactical positions taken by the police and the gang members, all while keeping the tone engaging and light-hearted, even as the gravity of the situation unfolds. The narrative captures the tension of the moment, highlighting the absurdity of the circumstances as both sides prepare for an inevitable clash, with the added layer of media presence documenting every moment. The episode culminates in a detailed recounting of the gunfight's aftermath, the public's reaction, and the ongoing societal implications of such violent encounters, providing listeners with a comprehensive view of this significant event in India's police history and its portrayal in popular culture.

Takeaways:

  • The Lakhinwala complex in Bombay, home to about 30,000 residents, resembles a small city.
  • In 1991, the Anti-Terrorism Squad conducted a high-profile raid against the Suryavanshi gang.
  • The notorious gunfight sparked controversy over police tactics and the ethics of encounter killings.
  • The extensive media coverage of the shootout fueled public mistrust towards police operations in India.
  • The aftermath of the incident highlighted ongoing issues with illegal firearms in Indian society.
  • The Bollywood film 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' dramatized the events, mixing entertainment with real-life violence.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Airbus
  • Beretta

Transcripts

Andy:

Well, hello there.

Andy:

I'm Andy.

Andy:

I'm your host for this voyage of the Gunfight Pod.

Andy:

I'm a firearms history bot and a writer with a full time day gig.

Andy:

I like to shoot things and squander the remainder of my free time talking about gun history and making up words as I go along.

Andy:

Today's made up word will be Kalishnikovri.

Andy:

ibe all things related to the:

Andy:

Also debuting will be the non word futuristical, an adjectival form I inadvertently blurted out to deviate from futuristic and maybe add a slight allusion to mystical technology.

Andy:

So sprinkle some bamboo dust on your head and hop on the gun Fight pods magic carpet, because today we will be traveling to the mysterious and magical land of India.

Andy:

Our destination will be a spot just behind the Lakhinwala complex in the quaint seaside village of Bombay.

Andy:

And by quaint, well, I'm using the term wrong.

Andy:

Bombay is currently the 10th largest city in the world and home to some 30 million ish people at last count.

Andy:

To get an idea of how many people this is, let's say you wanted to fly them somewhere safe using the world's largest passenger airplane.

Andy:

That would be the Airbus 380.

Andy:

Each one of these can hold roughly 600 people, so you'll need about 50,000 of them.

Andy:

I don't know about your imagination, but mine won't even accommodate 50,000 Dodge caravans, let alone 50,000 wide body double decker jumbo jets.

Andy:

Luckily for us, we're only talking about the Lakhinwala complex, which only has something like 30,000 people.

Andy:

So if a single Airbus 380 holds 600 people, then.

Andy:

Math, math.

Andy:

We only need to charter about 50 Airbus 380s to get these folks out of harm's way.

Andy:

That's still a lot of Airbus 380s and 600 is a hell a lot of people to cram into each one.

Andy:

But we're talking about Indians here, so they'll probably fit right in.

Andy:

And you might think 30,000 sounds like a lot of people for an apartment complex.

Andy:

And you'd be right.

Andy:

But the Lakadwala complex is more like a small city of apartment buildings on the west coast of Bombay.

Andy:

What?

Andy:

to position, it's going to be:

Andy:

ay didn't become Mumbai until:

Andy:

And the name Bombay was a British Mispronunciation of the 14th century Portuguese colonizer's name for the place, Bombayum, or in English, good bay.

Andy:

And it was Bombayam Bombay or something for about 500 years.

Andy:

But in:

Andy:

Calcutta became Kolkata, Madras became Chennai.

Andy:

Yeah, and Bombay was renamed Mumbai after Mumba Devi, a lovely Hindu goddess whose name I'm pretty sure means fish mother.

Andy:

But where was I?

Andy:

Oh yeah, I was telling you about the complex.

Andy:

The Laguna Walla complex is more like a small city made out of apartment buildings situated on the west coast of Bombay.

Andy:

They just call the whole thing a complex because, well, it's India.

Andy:

Most of the residents here are polyglots that jump between English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and several other regional languages that I can't pronounce.

Andy:

And while most people speak English, often the English words they use are used to mean something entirely different from what your dictionary might lead you to believe.

Andy:

Yes, we are in the Lakhandwala complex, home to about 30,000 of the fanciest Indians in India.

Andy:

In fact, this high class neighborhood is where many of our favorite Bollywood actors live.

Andy:

You see, it's kind of like America's Hollywood.

Andy:

Lots of actors, movie production sets, starstruck tourists, and lots of highly choreographed yet totally spontaneous flash mob dance routines.

Andy:

Okay, Hollywood doesn't have a lot of those, but I think they should.

Andy:

How great would it be to see Jennifer Lawrence take a break from her shopping and start dancing?

Andy:

And then have DiCaprio and Hemsworth and De Niro spin in from the background and start.

Andy:

Okay, yeah, maybe not De Niro.

Andy:

Anyway, what makes all of this important is that there is always a camera rolling somewhere and nothing is ever not being recorded.

Andy:

You would think that high profile underworld folks would make themselves scarce in order to avoid being spotted here, but you'd be wrong.

Andy:

,:

Andy:

Who knows, maybe it'll even inspire a genuine Bollywood movie of its own.

Andy:

This special world of heart is about to erupt in a posh residential neighborhood where the residents are accustomed to either getting Their daily dose of Bollywood drama from television screens or just stepping into the street to join in on any number of highly choreographed yet spontaneous flash mob dance routines already in progress to introduce our gunfighters.

Andy:

And to do so, in no particular order, our first group of contestants are representatives of the freshly minted Bombay ats, which might sound a lot like, but isn't exactly like the ATF in the us.

Andy:

Here, ATF and sometimes E is for alcohol, Tobacco and firearms and sometimes explosives.

Andy:

Here in:

Andy:

The ATS is being led by super cop ACP Ahmed Khan.

Andy:

You'll be the guy that looks a lot like a Bollywood version of Clint Eastwood.

Andy:

Like, okay, not at all.

Andy:

But he will look like a pudgy Indian guy trying really hard to act like Clint Eastwood.

Andy:

Khan and the ATS are matched against the infamous Suryavanshi gang, which would be likely portrayed and led by the eponymous Mayan survey had he not been deleted in an ambush led by Bombay police inspector isaac Pagwan about 10 years ago.

Andy:

No, today the Suryavanshis are marshaled by one Maya Dolas, a scrappy young gangster with a pencil thin mustache that has risen to infamy by way of loyalty, hubris and having enjoyed the good fortune of surviving a lot of gunfights with significantly less unfortunate gangsters and policemen armed to the teeth.

Andy:

Khan and 400 of his ATS officers are taking up strategic positions throughout the complex.

Andy:

Rooftops, stairwells, bustling courtyards, unoccupied apartments, occupied apartments.

Andy:

The whole place is crawling with them.

Andy:

But despite the high risk nature of the raid, Khan has invited all of the local police.

Andy:

He could find a bunch of photographers, his personal assistants, a few grips, some makeup artists, a folding chair, a clapper board, one of those huge cardboard megaphone things.

Andy:

He's also invited a backup film crew from Indian National TV Doordashan, along with their cracked team of Geraldo esque, hard hitting news type reporters from the bright yellow News Track video magazine show they have instructions to capture key moments of the potential shootout along with any of the ATS brave and heroic deeds that may occur.

Andy:

And also, as you will soon see, as many screaming, burning, mangled, dead or dying gangster carcasses as they can possibly see.

Andy:

Meanwhile, Maya and his gang, six of his co gangsters, they have prepared themselves totally not at all.

Andy:

tching an old VHS copy of the:

Andy:

Meanwhile, also also, the posh and cozy residents of Lachenvala haven't prepared for squat either and are in fact trying to go about their regular afternoon activities with happy, cheerful expressions on their faces which clearly betray a total lack of situational awareness.

Andy:

This is not their fault.

Andy:

See, Khan has elected to keep his plans under wraps in order to surprise the bad guys.

Andy:

Khan's afraid that if the residents knew anything about what their underworld neighbors are about to enjoy, they'd spoil the surprise for them.

Andy:

It's about 1:30 in the afternoon and Inspector Kavi along with Sub Inspector Garal have knocked on the door of the Shiravanshi's apartment and politely asked him to surrender.

Andy:

The gangsters have very impolitely declined to acquiesce.

Andy:

By shooting Emi Kavi in the elbow with a Berata 92 semi automatic pistol, we can assume the gangster who winged copy was aiming for a more vital target.

Andy:

But the miss really can't be attributed to the Beretta 92.

Andy:

These are about as accurate as handguns get for now.

Andy:

And since this gun fight is all about showbiz, I'll tell you about the Beretta 92.

Andy:

It's perhaps the most famous TV and movie handgun ever made.

Andy:

You know exactly what it looks like if you have watched almost any movie or TV show with handguns in it.

Andy:

The entertainment industry has obviously awarded Beretta 92 the sexiest handgun in Existence award.

Andy:

If you get a glimpse of the muzzle end and profile, you'll know it's a Beretta 92 right away from the distinct fluted form of the slide just under the front side.

Andy:

one of these beauties back in:

Andy:

No, not really.

Andy:

The 92 came from a collaborative effort between Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Mazzotti and Vitorio Valle of in their native tongue, Pabrika the Army Pietro Beretta, which I think would translate into my native tongue as Factory Armed Rock Hat.

Andy:

series in:

Andy:

I'll never get back on that show.

Andy:

Tony started out in:

Andy:

Nowadays the Beretta 92 is nothing special, but it was fancy.

Andy:

For:

Andy:

In the Walther and Beretta 92 design, rounds are just crammed directly into the chamber from double stack magazine via a special locking block carriage mechanism.

Andy:

This effectively eliminated feed ramp jams and replaced them with locking block carriage mechanism jams.

Andy:

There was the 92S for Secura, a model that was introduced when somebody bitched about it not having a manual safety Switch.

Andy:

Then the 92 SB for secura blocka when they realized that the which wasn't Secura enougha.

Andy:

Then came the 92fa for for armate, designed for the forces Armed FS was for forze speciali.

Andy:

Yeah, forces special.

Andy:

And then there was the 92G which stands for gendarmere, a weird but cooler sounding French word for military police.

Andy:

My personal favorite, the 92D.

Andy:

My personal favorite, the 92DA for Dopia Azoni or double action.

Andy:

Not really because I'm a fan of the trigger type, but because I always order an Americano doppia at Starbucks.

Andy:

It's just two shots of espresso with some hot water, yet somehow I find it more coffee flavored than anything else they sell there.

Andy:

Okay, okay.

Andy:

So after the DA came the sexed up 92A1 for Agorio Momento Uno, which means Update 1.

Andy:

It had a new fangled picatinny rail to mount lasers and other flashy things on a serious rounded curvy trigger guard, a removable replaceable front sight, and a bigger magazine that holds seven more rounds and slips into a tighter fitting magazine.

Andy:

Well, that slightly beveled for your magazine insertion pleasure.

Andy:

If that wasn't enough, Beretta gave us an internal recoil buffer for added cushion in the pushing as well as beveling all of the hard edges and delivering it all in a new sexy matte black finish.

Andy:

This model comes with a cigarette and a towel.

Andy:

Beretta is still making new models in the 92 series, but I think it's reached its end because, you know, probably won't be produced much longer.

Andy:

And just a feeling I get because Beretta has given up on the fancy Italian names for new 92.

Andy:

Whatever releases and just switched over to Roman numerals for the 92x.

Andy:

I assumed that was for extreme, but I turned out to be wrong.

Andy:

because:

Andy:

ke them to either call it the:

Andy:

It bugs me when people mix Arabic and Roman number systems.

Andy:

It just kind of feels like they gave up and they're not even thinking about this stuff anymore.

Andy:

I'd like to have an Xi, by the way.

Andy:

It comes in about 10 different ceramic cerakote finishes including BDU, camo, flat dark earth and my favorite chocolate chip.

Andy:

There's literally no telling how many Beretta 92 somethings have been made.

Andy:

My best estimate is a upwards of 6 million if we include Brazilian knockoffs.

Andy:

And maybe double that if you include inert movie dummy guns.

Andy:

You know, throw in realistic looking BB and airsoft pistols and you don't stand much of a chance of making it through the rest of the afternoon without seeing a Beretta 92 of some sort somewhere.

Andy:

Joaquin Agivaldo Gizmond Laura the actual guy from the movie El Chapo that played the drug lord and leader of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel in real life had a gold plated Beretta 92Fs complete with a gold plated suppressor.

Andy:

The artist formerly known as Prince has a purple cerakote 92 Xi with pearl rips emblazoned with the symbol that replaced his name.

Andy:

Okay, I made up the thing about Prince, but you could see it there for a second, couldn't you?

Andy:

And where were we?

Andy:

Oh yeah.

Andy:

Lockedwalla.

Andy:

Sorry.

Andy:

Back to lock and walla in my Kavi.

Andy:

Remember Kavi in my coffee of The Bombay Police ATS was about 6ft away from Gangster 1 of 7 and responded to having been shot in the elbow by using his newly issued INSAS rifle to shoot Gangster 1 of 7 directly in his everything about 30 times, instantly rendering him unavailable for comment.

Andy:

Officer Cobbie's shiny new INSAS Indian Small Arm Systems rifle is a full auto AK47 platform form rifle chambered in good old American 5.56 by 45 millimeter, which makes it the hottest AK47 looking thing ever to hit.

Andy:

Okay, okay, okay.

Andy:

Wait, wait, wait.

Andy:

Sure.

Andy:

Okay.

Andy:

Yeah.

Andy:

We have to save the Kalishna cavalry for another time and we'll have plenty of opportunities and other trips and we.

Andy:

We still have a few hours.

Andy:

We still have a few hours to go here in Lacandwalla.

Andy:

And so we need to keep moving.

Andy:

If you've ever tried to watch Chole while your fellow gangster on the sofa next to you eats 30 rounds of 5, 5, 6 and suddenly turns into a huge pile of ground human, you know exactly what gangster 2 of 7 is feeling.

Andy:

While caught lobby is reloading and preparing to turn you into the same sort of gooey couch puddle.

Andy:

The noise and brief outburst of screaming motivates gangsters 3 through 7 of 7 to skedaddle into various positions throughout the complex and try desperately to blend in with the locals.

Andy:

But to be honest, they're not having to try all that hard.

Andy:

See, you may have noticed a major safety issue here.

Andy:

Everybody here looks exactly like everybody else.

Andy:

They are dressed the same, they walk the same.

Andy:

And I'd like to remind you that the ATS is also blending in because their official operational attire of the day is plain clothes.

Andy:

I mean, I guess I'd like to remind you, but I can't since I never told you in the first place.

Andy:

But I'm telling you now because what you need to think about is that nobody can really tell who's who or what's what.

Andy:

And this is making it generally impossible to follow St.

Andy:

Cooper's rule number four of gun safety.

Andy:

Raise your hand if you can tell me Rule number four of St Cooper's Laws of gun Safety.

Andy:

That's right.

Andy:

Be sure of your target.

Andy:

To review Jeff Cooper's rules of gun safety.

Andy:

They are rule one.

Andy:

All guns are always loaded.

Andy:

What St.

Andy:

Jeff wanted us to do here is to treat all guns as loaded.

Andy:

Don't make this is harder than it has to be.

Andy:

Of course, at any time you believe you might need to use the firearm, it needs to be loaded.

Andy:

And since you have no idea when that might be, it's best practice just to keep it loaded all the time.

Andy:

And follow the next three rules also.

Andy:

Of course.

Andy:

Of course it is never loaded when you are cleaning it, or doing dry fire drills or just gently caressing it in the privacy of your own bathtub.

Andy:

But stop being difficult.

Andy:

You get the idea.

Andy:

Rule two is never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

Andy:

With this one simple rule, St.

Andy:

Cooper showed us how to eliminate 100% of all negligent homicides.

Andy:

Buuuuut no.

Andy:

You're a big shot movie star and you think you know better than St.

Andy:

Jeff.

Andy:

Well, here's the thing.

Andy:

You don't point the damn thing a few feet to the side of the other actor, it'll look the same on Camera.

Andy:

And you'll never have to blame the set armorer for killing anybody.

Andy:

You negligently.

Andy:

Homicide in the face.

Andy:

Rule number three, keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

Andy:

This is maybe the most complicated rule because of the word until right there in the middle.

Andy:

Splitting it in two.

Andy:

But first.

Andy:

Okay, no finger on trigger ever, ever, ever.

Andy:

But until what?

Andy:

Yeah, that's right.

Andy:

Target in sights, then finger.

Andy:

Rule number four, be sure of your target.

Andy:

This is maybe the only beef I have with St Cooper and the rules here.

Andy:

I think this rule should be first and maybe even repeated between each of the other rules and added again at the end.

Andy:

Make it like one.

Andy:

Know your target.

Andy:

Always loaded.

Andy:

Know your target.

Andy:

Don't point at anything that's not a known target.

Andy:

Then know your target.

Andy:

Just know your target.

Andy:

I can.

Andy:

I can't think of no greater sorrow to be experienced by men than that I can only imagine has been experienced by those who have misidentified targets and wound up negligently homiciding pets, friends and family members.

Andy:

Returning once again to Lochenwalla.

Andy:

Nobody currently shooting at anybody in the Lochenwalla complex can really know their targets without being in a well lit room with said target or having some sort of high magnification optics attached to their rivals.

Andy:

They could be easily shooting an NPC or a fellow gangster or a policeman, who knows.

Andy:

And by the way, you don't see any scopes or optics here.

Andy:

Riflemen on both sides are limited to good old three post iron sights, which means that any long range target ID is being done via radio with a spotter located closer to the target.

Andy:

ters are probably using dodgy:

Andy:

But now the action has really trailed off and we have officially entered the standoff portion of this gunfights.

Andy:

So to pass the time, you have some options.

Andy:

Over the next three or four hours you can choose to wander around and watch the ATS try to pick off Lodolus and the remaining gangsters live and in real time.

Andy:

Like not a few complex residents are going to do.

Andy:

Or like most of the Lakhinwala residents, you can sit with the kids and watch Indian national TV doordashan or an episode of he man and the Masters of the Universe.

Andy:

You may wonder why an American kids show that was really just a prolonged animated advertisement for Mattel action figures is playing in India.

Andy:

Well, if you were an Indian kid in the early 90s you'd know.

Andy:

See, your folks either a only have one channel of broad cast TV which was Indian National TV Doordashan, which actually aired he man in the Masters of the Universe as a way to trick kids into watching national tv or B and even better, your folks just got the magical new tech called cable television and you no longer have to watch he man on Door Ton since just like American kids, you'd rather spend all of eternity swallowing shards of broken glass than watch even five minutes of news programming, you really want cable tv.

Andy:

It also didn't hurt that he man was dubbed into Hindi, Tamil, Tugu, etc.

Andy:

You could watch it in any language that you actually understood.

Andy:

Plus these were full social dubs, meaning that they were made by Indians for Indians.

Andy:

They would disregard the original voiceover soundtrack and work in Indian food, holidays, class struggles anytime they could and has often made the show more educational and confrontational and doubtlessly more entertaining than the English version I hear from former 80s Indian kids.

Andy:

Some Indian parents insisted they watch the English version because the Indian language dubs were sometimes inappropriate, just like American kids.

Andy:

They ignored their parents because Indian kids favor inappropriate entertainment with stuff like class insults or heart jokes, just like American kids.

Andy:

And I'll throw in the fact that he man and Masters of the Universe is set on the magical planet of Eterna and featured the kind of endless variety of magical creatures, sorcery and futuristic technology that dovetailed so nicely with Indian culture and mythology, and it's easy to see why the show was such a hit there.

Andy:

If all you have is broadcast TV and He man isn't on, check out Johnny Sako and his Flying Robot Man.

Andy:

I really want to tell you about this one, but like I said, we're on a schedule here now.

Andy:

If you have and are actually glued to cable tv, you might even be able to stay blissfully unaware of the shootout until Tortoisean starts interrupting everything with live news bulletins from News Track featuring the recently dispatched and bloody bodies of the gangsters that have finally stopped screaming and are starting to stack up in the streets and corridors of the whole complex.

Andy:

It's been a few hours and at this point Maya and the remaining gangsters have absconded to and holed up in a flat on the fourth floor of a building adjacent to the one where this all started.

Andy:

Maya Dolas is actually taunting Khan and actually proclaiming himself as the Don Corleone of India with the kind of don't you know who I am Chutzpah.

Andy:

Some think Maya has been Wounded, but I'm really impressed.

Andy:

Either way, this place does not even have elevators, so I have no idea how Maya got balls that size down one flight of stairs, across a courtyard and up another flight.

Andy:

Meanwhile, Khan and the ATS have taken time to reposition themselves and the film crew and assemble a massive collection of fully automatic hardware they are using to Swiss cheese the living shit out of Maya's new digs.

Andy:

From a comfortable position on the roof of a building across the courtyard, Maya and an undetermined number of gangsters are busy absorbing something like 450 rounds of high velocity rifle ammo fired from multiple automatic rifles.

Andy:

And I say undetermined number because it's impossible to count them after the smoke clears.

Andy:

The sudden lack of taunting and eerie silence makes it abundantly clear that this gunfight has reached its conclusion.

Andy:

Now Khan and the news track crew traipse into the freshly ventilated room with cameras rolling, only to capture a scene dimply illuminated by crepuscular rays of light pouring in through hundreds of bullet holes in the apartment walls.

Andy:

The news track cameras pan around inside to see three or four piles of bloody goo distributed about the room.

Andy:

You can assume that one of these piles is the late Maya Dolas because of the sudden cessation of taunting.

Andy:

And when a news track camera zooms in on it, you see what's left of Maya's pencil thin mustache sitting on top.

Andy:

You may now remove your safety glasses and hearing protection.

Andy:

So what the hell happened?

Andy:

Well, a lot really.

Andy:

For starters, since then, the population of Laganwalla complex has grown to over 100,000 people.

Andy:

So we need about what, 150 Airbus?

Andy:

We need all the Airbus bus 380s to fly them somewhere else.

Andy:

In the aftermath, this shootout sparked a lot of controversy over whether or not the police had staged the whole thing, thus deepening the existing mistrust of police and leading to a tradition of fear, uncertainty and doubt regarding ATS mass encounters that persists to this day.

Andy:

The the extensive and repulsive news track footage, first broadcast in hopes of showing the strengths of the Bombay Police ATS crew, kind of backfired after it was aired repeatedly in newscasts about the incidents and during subsequent and seemingly endless televised internal affairs like proceedings.

Andy:

In fact, Maya Dallas, mother Bratna Dallas, publicly accused the police of killing her son in a cold blooded extrajudicial ambush execution, the likes of which are generally frowned upon by civilized nations around the globe.

Andy:

She contended that her son could have been arrested, but that Khan had no intention of letting him out alive.

Andy:

She went so far as to file a case against the police claiming the encounter was unjustified.

Andy:

In in the subsequent and highly publicized inquiry, Khan and the ATS used the old reliable he shot first argument to prove that their only option was to exterminate the threat by any means necessary.

Andy:

Questions about Those means, including 450 rounds of high velocity armor piercing rifle ammo dumped into a public apartment flat in broad daylight, along with still other questions about 7 million rupees that turned up missing from the crime scene went unanswered.

Andy:

Public debate was heated, with a lot of the public critical of the police staging these encounters to liquefy some suspect gang members without arrest and trials and all that due process stuff.

Andy:

I won't say where I come down on this, but you'll be just as pleased or disappointed as I am to learn that despite the magisterial inquiry and legal challenges, no police officers were convicted or held criminally liable for the deaths of Maya Dolis and his gang.

Andy:

The police encounter was ruled as a legitimate action taken in self defense during a dangerous situation.

Andy:

However, this whole mess highlighted concerns about encounter killings in India which have led police and gangsters alike to pick their gunfights more carefully.

Andy:

Additionally, the Arms act of:

Andy:

Most gun related crimes in India involve unlicensed firearms and just as in the good old U.S.

Andy:

of A, an estimated 90% of gun homicides in India are committed using illegal weapons.

Andy:

Which I think is owing to the internationally observed tradition shared by all criminals whereby they do not follow gun laws.

Andy:

And what else happened?

Andy:

Well, the movie.

Andy:

Yeah, they really made a movie.

Andy:

You might remember me mentioning this along the way.

Andy:

e out of the Gunfight was the:

Andy:

This sleeper gem opens with the caption based on true rumors.

Andy:

It's highly recommended.

Andy:

Personally, I got bored with CopagancerTV and American versions of these kinds of movies about what, 30 years ago, but it turns out adding a few curried up dance routines and well, I I enjoyed all 122 minutes of it.

Andy:

Maybe not for the reasons intended, but hey, joy's where you found you, right?

Andy:

Then again I came away with mixed emotions.

Andy:

One of those emotions emotions.

Andy:

One of those emotions being a strong sense of regret and mourning for the 122 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Andy:

And the other being an overwhelming sense of professional pride And Charity, because I watched this whole thing so you don't have to.

Andy:

I mean, okay, Vivek Oboria, who played Maya, looks and dances a lot like the singer from what Wham.

Andy:

Was a joint, George Michael.

Andy:

And oddly, the guy that played super cop con looks and dances like an actual cop, which makes it even more entertaining.

Andy:

He kind of.

Andy:

He's kind of a pudgy guy.

Andy:

He's always a little off rhythm.

Andy:

It's kind of like Steven Seagal would be if he were playing Khan.

Andy:

Researching this episode, I learned that the director, writer, producer, producer Sanjay Gupta is mostly known for Bollywood remakes of American action films.

Andy:

And I've added all of them to my must see list.

Andy:

But before you watch it, you should know that it was totally panned by Radna Dallas.

Andy:

Remember Radna, Maya's mom?

Andy:

Yeah.

Andy:

Ratna felt the film covered up the ATS snuff film aspect of the and MIS portrayed her as the wind beneath the wings of Maya's life of crime and maybe like kind of like a kind of gang mob.

Andy:

I'm not sure if that's a thing, but I'm also not sure that she's wrong about any of this.

Andy:

The film was also dogged by Chota Rajan right along with Ratna, and for similar reasons.

Andy:

Underworld crime boss Chotna Rajan said the movie depicted the situation as a real encounter instead of a photo op production staged by Khan.

Andy:

And to be fair, the film does feature four flash mob dance scenes.

Andy:

ke maybe it wasn't taking the:

Andy:

Not bragging, but I also read the whole Internet about this little desktop here and I watched all of the original news track footage and recording that I could find.

Andy:

out as useful as watching the:

Andy:

That's as far as figuring out what the hell actually happened here.

Andy:

I advise you to avoid watching the news track footage unless you like choppy news video of an attractive young woman narrating random scenes of people getting shot and eviscerated gangster carcasses stacked like cordwood in the streets.

Andy:

I mean, if that's your thing, go for it.

Andy:

We're not judging and in fact, you're probably in our target audience.

Andy:

Congratulations on surviving today's gunfight pod.

Andy:

We hope you make a full recovery.

Andy:

If you enjoyed this episode, come back for another and please do all the likes.

Andy:

Some liking subscribing, reviewy thingies and maybe I don't know, even tell other people about it all.

Andy:

That might keep me behind the microphone and maybe even help me achieve my dream of continuing to support my family in the manner which they have become accustomed.

Andy:

Next round.

Andy:

If you're like me, you can't think of anything more fun and good natured mockery of the British unless it includes equally good natured mockery of the French.

Andy:

If that's the case, you're going to want to catch the next gunfight pad trip.

Andy:

We're going to go to Orleans, France for some silly English niggets on their quest for a holy virgin.

Andy:

Spoiler alert.

Andy:

They already got one gunfight pod.

Andy:

2024.

Andy:

All rights reserved.

Andy:

If you know what's good for ya.

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