GR Khairnar, the former deputy commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, demolished several illegal encroachments and constructions in the city, some belonging to dreaded don Dawood Ibrahim
Govind Ragho Khairnar earned the earned the sobriquet of ‘demolition man’. He went after illegal encroachments in Mumbai with zeal and passion. Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Bulldozer justice, bulldozer politics. Look at social media or even the news and that’s what everyone and anyone is talking about.
On Wednesday, bulldozers became the focal point of the news when nine of these machines rolled into Jahangirpuri area in Delhi and demolished properties — houses and shops — as part of an anti-encroachment drive, by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled civic body.
The incident turned political swiftly when the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress accused the BJP of ‘hooliganism’.
While the AAP accused the BJP of targeting houses belonging to only one community, the Congress called it a ‘bulldozing of Indian democracy’.
But, before all of this was ‘Demolition Man’ GR Khairnar, who earned his nickname for going after against illegal constructions in Mumbai.
Here’s a look at who he is and how he earned his sobriquet of ‘demolition man.’
In 1985, Khairnar first came into the limelight when he demolished a hotel run by the chief minister’s son as a ward officer.
In the early 1990s, Govind Ragho Khairnar was promoted to deputy commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He was tasked with clearing the city of encroachers and illegal buildings.
Khairnar took on the challenge with no fear and went after illegal structures in a systematic manner. However, this also brought him in confrontation with even the city mafia, against whom he has even lacked his government’s support.
Nevertheless, he continued on and is today, considered to be responsible for the demolition of more than 1,00,000 illegal houses across the financial capital, including 29, which belonged to dreaded gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
During his tenure, he even clashed with Sharad Pawar, the former chief minister and accused him of shielding criminals and having links with the underworld.
In his autobiography Ekaki Jhunj, he spoke of how Pawar’s election meetings in some areas of south Mumbai were sponsored by Dawood.
Pawar denied the allegations and none of the charges against him were ever proved.
In 1994, he was suspended after an inquiry committee found him guilty of overstepping of authority.
In 1995, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and Shiv-Sena took up Khairnar’s cause and with their help, he was reinstated.
Following his reinstatement, he continued to live up to his title of ‘One-man Demolition Army’ by clearing encroachments and even suffered injuries in the process.
At the time, he was quoted as telling news agency PTI, “I am continuing with my drive against unauthorised structures and it is job of the city police to give me protection if they feel so. I am hesitant to ask any such facilities, it is they (police) who have to decide about the security of the people who take up such risks in cleaning the city.”
His tenure came to a final end in 2002 when the then Municipal Commissioner V Ranganathan did not extend the retirement age of Khairnar and he had to retire.
His popularity was so well-known that in 2018, he was turned into a reel-life character in Alt Balaji’s show Home. The show was an emotional story of a middle-class family showcasing their struggle to fight for their home.
Khairnar was not without criticism though. There are many who accuse him of carrying out demolitions ruthlessly, and harassing citizens during his tenure.
Regardless of the brickbats, he carried on his work. In today’s time where bulldozers have become the buzzword, he is remembered by many, and still remains feared by some.
With inputs from agencies
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