While a south central Mumbai hotel linked to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was >purchased by a former journalist for an eye-popping price of Rs. 4.28 crore last week, Swami Chakrapani of the All India Hindu Mahasabha purchased a Hyundai Accent car in such a poor condition that he intends to either sell it in scrap or burn it publicly in the capital.
Chakrapani, who claims to be president of the Mahasabha, came from New Delhi to participate in an auction of seven properties forfeited under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA), 1976, believing all seven properties were linked to Dawood. In the open auction conducted on December 9, he bid for a 2000-model of a green Hyundai Accent Sedan and won it for Rs. 32,000.
The only other bidder was a scrap dealer who bid Rs. 30,000.
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His Mahasabha colleague and secretary-general Indira Tiwari then returned to Mumbai to pay the amount, and to her chagrin, she discovered that the property might not be linked to Dawood at all.
“The owner of the vehicle is one Randhir Singh from Thane. After completing the formalities at Safema office, I had to go first to the Tardeo Regional Transport Office. Then I learnt that the car was registered with the Thane RTO. At Thane, we got the registration cancellation certificate, submitted the number plate, and surrendered it to the Thane RTO for scrap,” Tiwari told The Hindu on Wednesday.
“When we decided to purchase it, we did not intend to use it for anything other than a social purpose. We rushed to Mumbai a day before the auction, and we were not allowed to inspect the car. But, the car condition was so poor that there was no alternative but to relegate it to scrap,” Tiwari said, annoyed that a fear psychosis was created around the Safema auction and all properties were dubbed as those of Dawood.
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‘It is a drama’
“This whole auction is a drama that needs to be exposed. If the government really intends to make public use of these properties, why didn’t they open government offices, schools or social organisations in these properties instead of auctioning them and building up a fear psychosis aided by a media hype,” said Tiwari
Now, Chakrapani has announced that he will publicly burn the car as a symbolic way to protest against Dawood Ibrahim.
“I would not have come to Mumbai for the auction had it not been for reports that a Mumbai journalist was threatened by the Dawood gang. I wanted to send out the message that even if the government is weak, the people of this country do not fear absconders like Dawood. I wanted to convert it into an ambulance. But now that it cannot be converted into an ambulance, we will burn it publicly,” Chakrapani told this newspaper on the phone from Delhi.
Threatening SMS He claimed he had received a threatening SMS from Dawood’s associates and lodged an FIR with the Mandir Marg police station in Delhi on December 11.
Asked whether he had asked for security, Chakrapani said: “No, I don’t need security. I am a man who has been petitioning the courts in the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. I am not afraid of anyone. I will go ahead and burn the car once it comes to Delhi.”