The gun attack on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai is a chilling example of gangsters’ flagrant disregard for the law. It is obvious that organised crime continues to pose a serious challenge to law and order in Mumbai. The fact that gunmen opened fire in a public place, endangering everyone present, highlights the need for a sustained campaign against organised crime and accountability for the failures that allow armed criminals to strike. For high-profile people in Mumbai, the Shroff shootout seems a return to the bloodied streets and shocking hits when the underworld gangs of Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan were in force. Hit lists, threatening calls, and gunshots were common for high achievers then. The targets do not seem to be safe today either. Reports of gangland gaining notoriety in Goa are also making rounds. The government’s objective must be the elimination of criminal lobbies. Arresting the shooters is essential, but not sufficient. Investigators must pursue recruiters, weapons suppliers chain, financiers, extortion collectors and those arranging transport, accommodation and reconnaissance.
GREGORY FERNANDES, Mumbai
