1985. The City of dreams. Red double decker buses, khali-peeli taxis, radios, Doordarshan, video cassettes and rotary dial phones.
DCP Amarnath arrives in Bombay with a mission, straight and clear: To tackle the notorious Crime Syndicates.
As the c...
New Crime Branch DCP in Bombay; Shivaji Park SI suspended
City Crime Branch's newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Amarnath Duggal paid a surprise visit to Shivaji Park police station on his first day of taking charge. He issued a four-week suspension order to the station's sub-inspector on grounds of negligence toward duty.
The list of criminals and rowdy elements was checked and strict night patrolling orders were issued. Shivaji Park area is infamously known for many pickpocketing incidents in the past few years.
The DCP said that if any criminal complaint, big or small, isn't accepted by the concerned police station in charge, they can write to his office directly; immediate action would be taken against the concerned officer.
Amarnath is from the 31st batch of the Indian Police Service and has served as an ACP in Wardha and Solapur before taking charge in Bombay.
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'Saab, Dharavi station's Inspector is here to meet you'
'Send him in' Amarnath says.
A minute later, Inspector Muralidhar walks into the cabin, tucks the baton under his arm and salutes.
And then he says, 'Stand up behenchod'
The chances of spotting a blue moon are higher than the occurrence of such a scene. Addressing your superior's superior officer in such a disrespectful manner would mean only one thing: Self-destruction of your career, perhaps even your life.
But Amarnath duly stands up. The inspector doesn't seem to be scared, or worried. Then, their eyes twinkle. Amarnath smiles. So does Muralidhar. The next moment, they are hugging, laughing, and thumping each other on the back. It is quite an endearing scene.
'Behenchodddd!'
It almost feels like the iconic Jai-Veeru from the Sholay-wala reunion as they clasp hands. Muralidhar is taller, over six feet, and a few shades browner. Amarnath's skin is of fair Punjabi ancestry, as his mother used to admire with pride. He sports a thick chevron moustache, while Muralidhar prefers a clean shave any day.
Muralidhar, who grew up in an old all-boys orphanage home in the small city of Badlapur in Maharashtra, always wondered what the world was beyond the city of dreams. After the orphanage signed out its pupils as they turned eighteen, Muralidhar boarded the train to Delhi, wondering what the capital city would behold, and worked as a cleaner at a restaurant and joined the Hindu College, Delhi University.
And that's where they met. Two curious young boys, one from the Punjab and the other from Maharastra, in the capital city of Delhi.
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For the next three years, they were holed up as roommates in a tiny room in Purani Dilli with a small kerosene stove and a battered radio, and the loud sound of Azaan from Jami masjid as their morning alarm. They would work at the restaurant together, cleaning tables to earn a few extra pennies.
