‘Enough of life under shadow of fear’

By Mateen Hafeez
Mumbai: Kala Pani, which unani physician Tanvir Ansari calls his home, has now got used to men in khaki — or mufti — making an appearance, storming a house and then taking away someone. It always happens, say residents of the neighbourhood, whenever something “bad’’ happens anywhere in the country.

There are reasons why Kala Pani, in central Mumbai’s Madanpura, has acquired notoriety. It started with the arrest of a certain physician, called Jalees Ansari, in 1994 and there has been “no looking back’’ since then, residents say. Jalees Ansari, accused of having a hand in over 40 blasts across the country, has been convicted for life and is currently lodged at Gulbarga Jail.

“After that, whenever some terrorism-related case has happened in any part of the country, the police have come to our area and kept a close watch on goings-on. We are now used to it,’’ Rashid Ahmed, a resident of the area, says. So, when the neighbourhood learnt about Tanvir’s arrest, no one was unduly surprised, Ahmed’s neighbours said.

The narrow, dingy and densely populated area has around 5,000 Muslims. At least nine other youths from the locality have been picked up since Jalees Ansari’s arrest. But they have been released after being interrogated. Nonetheless, their names have become part of police records and, whenever tension prevails in the city or any part of the country, the police increase patrolling and bandobast in this area. “Frequent visits by police and journalists are nothing new for us. They come, show sympathy and write whatever they want. Our life goes on,’’ another resident of the area said. The neighbourhood now knows what reporters are like. “Many cub reporters come to this area to observe people and are keen to know who Jalees Ansari was,’’ informs Mehmood Ahmed. The area saw a huge inflow during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 as a large number of families migrated from Uttar Pradesh and other states. A huge pond, filled with brackish water, gave the area its name. It has Nagpada, known as the place that harboured the Dawood Ibrahim gang, to its south; the Arun Gawli gang dominated the east; and Amar Naik and Ashwin Naik ruled the north.

The new generation, however, wants to change the locality and its image. Many are now going abroad to study computers, accountancy and business administration. “We want to change our image,’’ Imran Ahmed said.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED: Residence of Jalees Ansari, Kala Pani’s first terror convict

The Times of India, July 26, 2006