Sunday Snippets
By Venkatesh Raghavan*
My tryst with the “dreaded” gangster Aziz Patni
Continuing from where I ended last week, the unending saga of Mumbai gangsters resumes in these columns this Sunday too. It was Monday, December 7 of 1992, a day after the Babri Masjid demolition reports had stirred up tension in various parts of India’s commercial hub, Mumbai. Our late Chief Reporter, Glen D’Souza in the Free Press Journal, asked me to get reactions from the Muslim community about the demolition of the mosque at Ayodhya.
Also read:
- Sunday Snippets: When I mulled penning a Don’s biography
- Sunday Snippets: Reporting from the don’s den
India was slated to play a one-day international against South Africa on that very day in their away series. Glen instructed me that I can gather all the inputs and give them over the telephone and move on home. That made me feel relieved, knowing I would be in time to catch up with the live cricket match. Soon I set off to Masjid bunder from our Free Press office located in Nariman Point. The first thought that struck me was local Corporator Bashir Patel would be the right contact person for comments and reactions that will carry weight.
On reaching the spot, I was informed that Bashir had gone out to subdue the trouble brewing in sensitive spots and I can talk to Aziz Patni who was present inside the office that adjoined a plush hotel premise. I opted to visit him despite the cautionary note from the local cops that I could get shot dead. Contrary to the warnings heaped on me, I found Aziz to be a warm and affable person and we got along well. Aziz wanted me to have a soft drink. After some persuasion I relented.
I decided to strike a common thread before broaching the real topic about how the local Muslims felt soon after the demolition of the Babri mosque. Consequently, our conversation took off on a discussion about Prophet Moses and Jesus whom the Muslims called Moosa and Esa. The only difference in the common thread was that Islam regarded Jesus as a prophet and not the son of God as the Christian faith believes. Subsequently, I switched to our current times and asked Aziz, “What do you feel about the mosque being demolished in Ayodhya?” Aziz was vehement in criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party and also was of the opinion that the saffron party planned this event with an eye on communally polarizing our country for electoral gains.
The reaction was fairly long and he had given me long enough quotes to file a three-column story. Those were the days when mobiles had not set in. I sought his guidance on where I can phone up the office to file the report. Aziz asked me to use the telephone on the ground floor of the nearby hotel. It took me nearly 15 minutes to pour in the elaborate report to a person seated on the desk in the Free Press Journal. After I finished, I asked Aziz, “How much should I pay for the call?” Aziz refused to accept payment and said, “You are my guest and I have extended the cordiality to you.” I smiled and asked him, “When do you think our country will limp back to normalcy after this event?” He put his hands up, saying “Insha Allah”.
After a short chat, I left for home. He asked me to stay back and said, “Let’s watch BBC World for the latest reports.” I politely declined to state I have to go around and get a few more reactions. Days after that, I heard about him leaving the city and relocating himself to Dubai.
