DOCSLIB.ORG

Organised Crime and Terrorism: a Strife 4-Part Series

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Organised Crime and Terrorism: a Strife 4-Part Series Strife Journal, Issue 7 (May/ June 2017) Organised Crime and Terrorism: A Strife 4-Part Series The entries forming this series are all reprinted, in a lightly edited form, from the Strife blog (at strifeblog.org) where they were published in February 2016. All web references were last accessed on 27 February 2017, unless otherwise stated. Part I: Godfathers and Bombs: Organised Most importantly, they can play a leading role in Crime and Terrorist Tactics limiting potential violence: that is, they Andrea Varsori, Guest Editor, Strife structure a widespread, individual, anomic violence into something more organised, more The general understanding of how criminal ready to exploit economies of scale, and organisations work implies that the leaders of definitely more dangerous. At their best, mafias those groups are mostly discreet, business- can mimic the state or rule where the latter minded folks.1 After all, criminal organisations does not arrive, establishing their own practices have one, big task that influences their entire and rituals. Thus, an efficient criminal group agenda: they want to make money. They are learns to administer violence to impose a set of criminal because they use illicit means, like rules: it sets itself as judge, jury, and coercion or bribes, or because they deal in executioner; it masters violence, so that only the illegal goods, or both. According to this view, threat of action is enough to quell any most of the time profit is their major objective. opposition. Rivalries and fights may start when there are misgivings on who gains the most from a deal, To the wise godfather, then, terrorism is or when rivals start to use coercive means to arguably the nemesis. In its most brutal, gain control of greater shares of the market. spectacular form, which nowadays has taken Still, according to this view, the most reasonable the form of the threat of Daesh, it is a double- Dons know that indiscriminate violence is a edged knife for a criminal organisation. This tool to be used only in very peculiar occasions. knife, however, has the sharper edge facing its Normally, it is at best useless, or at worst own user. A criminal group stands to lose from outright dangerous. the use of terrorist tactics: terrorism forces the state to focus all attention on the authors, as it Nonetheless, violence is fundamental for mafias constitutes the ultimate danger to a state’s and gangs in most cases. Criminal organisations authority and legitimacy. Also, indiscriminate use it to extort money from legitimate firms; to violence often generates a huge backlash from safeguard the secrecy of important the civil society: thus, criminal organisations, information; to punish those who do not fall in which thrive and prosper in an underworld of line. They can also sell violence, to create secrecy and corruption, may be crushed by the ‘protection rings’2 or to assert monopolies. reaction to a terrorist event. 1 The outmost example of this perspective is the This does not mean that terror and crime can economic analysis of organized crime, whereas the never be partners. More often than not, criminal organisation is analysed as a particular type of terrorist organisations adopt ways and firm. See Gianluca Fiorentini & Sam Peltzman (eds.), The techniques from the criminal world. The most Economics of Organized Crime (Cambridge University Press, 3 1995), pp. 87-108. A view of criminal organisations as obvious application is for financing: terrorist risk-averse groups that prefer to hide or corrupt rather than fight is also used in political science. See Bemjamin Lessing, ‘Logics of Violence in Criminal War’, in Journal 3 For the broader issue of the financing of terrorist of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 59, No. 8 (2015), p. 1497. organizations, see Maya Ehrmann (ed.), ‘Financing 2 Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia: the Business of Private Terror: A Strife 4-part Series’, in Strife Journal, Issue 5 Protection (Harvard University Press, 1993). (May/June 2015), pp. 29-39. 50 Strife Journal, Issue 7 (May/ June 2017) groups have long been dealing in extortion and Faith’. Their daily worries are mostly concerned blackmail (as for the IRA in Northern Ireland)4, with assuring that their network of businesses or in illicit trade (as for the FARC in Colombia,5 runs smoothly, that officials are sufficiently or the Taliban in Afghanistan)6, in order to get bribed or intimidated, and that all their the money to further their political activities. underlings actually remain loyal. However, even Seeing it happen the other way around, the most business-minded criminal bosses can however, is quite rarer. develop a sense of allegiance to their own community, be it ethnic or religious. In times of This series will focus on this latter type of the sectarian violence, these overlords may decide crime/terror nexus. Why should a criminal to act to defend their people. This decision may organisation use dangerous terrorist tactics? be completely at odds with the logic of the Which kind of objective is it pursuing? Is this criminal enterprise: it entails a potential an entirely new phenomenon? We will deal with backlash from the authorities and the larger these questions all along the three parts of our public. During sectarian conflicts, however, Series. First, Martin Stein will explore the their reputation is at stake: inaction may spark bombings of 1992-93 in Italy and their role in doubts about a boss’ ability to project his own the struggle between the Sicilian Mafia and the power, thus encouraging rivals to try to take Italian State; then, the Bombay bombings of over his networks. The boss’ community may March 1993 will be covered, and how one of also feel betrayed, and may begin to sabotage the most famous Indian dons, Dawood the boss’ illicit trade and favour someone else. Ibrahim, was part of the plot to hit India; There is no simple way to solve this problem. finally, Joe Atkins will review the cases of mass killings and ‘disappearances’ in Mexico, Dawood Ibrahim probably never had this kind exploring how terror is widely used as a tool to of thoughts before December 1992. At that assert control on a frightened population. The time, Ibrahim was one of the most powerful varied scope of these articles will highlight citizens of Mumbai, although he was no longer different aspects of the link between criminal a resident. He was born in the southern part of organisations and the use of terror. In Italy, the city in 1955, the eldest son in a low-income bombings were part of a precise strategy to family of ten. After dropping out of school, he intimidate the Italian state; in India, the attacks gradually resorted to extortions and robbing, were motivated by religious reasons and by eventually ending up smuggling goods in local Ibrahim’s intent to appear still as the protector markets. The major boost to his career arrived of Bombay Muslims; in Mexico, terror seems while in jail: there, in fact, he managed to earn to constitute a ‘normal’ part of ‘cartel justice’, the trust of Haji Mastan and Yusuf Patel, two thus delivering worrying parallels between of the most important smugglers of the city.7 ‘narco-warriors’ and fundamentalists. Having understood Dawood’s ambition, they entrusted him with their business before ~*~ retiring. By the time Dawood was free again, he had thus gained access to Mastan’s and Patel’s resources. Starting from there, he used both Part II: Letters from Dubai: ‘D-Company’ ruthless violence and cunning to profit from and the ’93 Mumbai terror attacks the weaknesses of the most important gang in Andrea Varsori, Guest Editor, Strife Mumbai, led by Pathans from Afghanistan. By 1982, he had managed to kill the new leader of Rags-to-riches criminal overlords do not this gang; however, the Mumbai police was normally lack ambition; yet, most of them do often able to prove his complicity in most of not aim to claim the title of ‘Protectors of the his gang’s crimes, and he was visiting prison quite often. On 4 May 1984, he jumped bail and 4 J. Burns, ‘Dealing in the Business of Fear’, in Financial fled to Dubai.8 Times (7 January 1992), p. 10. 5 Peter Chalk, The Latin American Drug Trade (Rand Corp., 2011), pp. 15-18. 6 Antonio Giustozzi (ed.), Decoding the New Taliban: Insights 7 S. Hussain Zaidi, Black Friday: The True Story of the from the Afghan Field (Hurst Publishers, 2009), pp. 7-22, Bombay Bomb Blasts (Penguin Books, 2002), pp. 21-23. 150. 8 Ibid., p. 25. 51 Strife Journal, Issue 7 (May/ June 2017) In Dubai, then a major haven for smugglers, he surrounding the mosque.10 On 6 December managed to build a massive network of illegal 1992, a crowd of 150,000 Hindu nationalist and legal businesses. This network included militants summoned by the main leaders both Muslims and Hindus, as it had often been managed to overcome a weak police presence the case in earlier criminal gangs of Mumbai. and razed to the ground the Babri Masjid.11 What became known as ‘D-Company’ -- from the first letter of Dawood -- smuggled in gold, This was an insult for many Indian Muslims. silver, electronic goods, and textiles; it extorted The destruction of the mosque in Ayodhya was protection from businessmen and occasionally followed by six days of intense riots. In solved disputes between them.9 In Dubai, Mumbai, Muslim mobs started targeting Ibrahim built for himself a luxurious mansion, temples; the police, in a desperate attempt to where he organised lavish parties, inviting control the violence, fired on looters, while Mumbai’s most famous celebrities, cricketers, Hindus retaliated on mosques.12 This cycle of and politicians.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Office of the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai - 1
    Office of the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai - 1 - I N D E X Section 4(1)(b) I to XVII Topic B) Information given on topics Page No. Nos. The particulars of the Police Commissionerate organization, functions I 2 – 3 & duties II The Powers and duties of officers and employees 4 – 8 The procedure followed in decision-making process including channels of III 9 supervision and accountability. IV The norms set for the discharge of functions 10 The rules, regulations, instructions manuals and records held or used by V 11-13 employees for discharging their functions. VI A statement of categories and documents that are held or under control 14 The Particulars of any arrangement that exists for consultation with or VII representation by the members of the public in relation to the formulation 15 of policy or implementation thereof; A statement of the boards, councils, committees and bodies consisting of two or more persons constituted as its part for the purpose of its advice, VIII and as to whether meetings of those board, councils, committees and other 16 bodies are open to the public, or the minutes of such meetings are accessible for public; IX Directory of Mumbai Police Officials -2005. 17-23 The monthly remuneration received by each of the officers and X employees including the system of compensation as provided in the 24 regulations. The budget allocated to each agency, indicating the particulars of all plans 25-31 XI proposed, expenditures and reports of disbursements made; The manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts
    [Show full text]
  • The True Story of Bombay Bomb Blasts by S
    JAC Journal of Arts and Culture ISSN: 0976–9862 & E-ISSN: 0976–9870, Vol. 2, Issue 3, 2011, pp-89-92 Available online at http://www.bioinfo.in/contents.php?id=53 COMMUNAL VIOLENCE TO COMMUNAL TERRORISM: THE HORRENDOUS METAMORPHOSIS AS PORTRAYED IN BLACK FRIDAY: THE TRUE STORY OF BOMBAY BOMB BLASTS BY S. HUSSAIN ZAIDI SHARMA MANJU B.K. Birla Instt. Of Engg. And Technology, Pilani. *Corresponding Author: Email- [email protected] Received: October 20, 2011; Accepted: November 30, 2011 Abstract- Ethnic clashes have been common to the Indian subcontinent since the partition of India in 1947.The Hindu- Muslim riots during the partition of India are one of the most gruesome tragedies of World History. With the rise of the Hindu fundamentalist forces, ethnic riots have erupted time and again at different places in the Nation. The recent decades have witnessed a horrifying metamorphosis of communal violence into communal terrorism. The serial bomb blasts in Bombay (now renamed as Mumbai) on the 12th of March 1993 is the turning point in the form of communal violence; a really horrendous metamorphosis. This paper is an attempt to explore the religious terrorism as witnessed by the whole world when Bombay was targeted by meticulously planned serial bomb blasts under the camouflage of religion. Key words- Hindu-Muslim riots, World History, communal terrorism, serial bomb blasts, communal violence, religion. Introduction The Mumbai blasts of July, 2006, attracted wide publicity chosen for the execution of this ghastly task proves all over the world for two reasons. Firstly it showed once beyond doubt that the perpetrators of terror had lured the again the vulnerability of Mumbai as a city to jihadi young minds in the name of religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Indiatimes.Com POLL and Formed His Own Group
    OID‰‰†‰KOID‰‰†‰OID‰‰†‰MOID‰‰†‰C New Delhi, Tuesday,May 27, 2003www.timesofindia.com Capital 34 pages* Invitation Price Rs. 1.50 International Delhi Times Sport Betrayal. How Saddam’s To college with snob Roger Federer cousins deliberately value - South Campus dumped out of gave Baghdad away gets as hip as North French Open Page 13 Page 5 Page 17 WIN WITH THE TIMES Established 1838 Outsourced: Death in Silicon Valley Lahore bus Bennett, Coleman & Co., Ltd. Peace is a natural effect By Chidanand Rajghatta outsourcing to India, an issue The India connection the deal with Indian companies of trade. TIMES NEWS NETWORK that now seems poised to become will effect no more than 5 per cent a major sticking point between • Bank of America employee of the bank’s 21,000 employees, or — Montesquieu Washington: On a recent April the two countries. Several US about 1,100 jobs, in its technology to run again sees the pink slip on his desk afternoon in Silicon Valley, mo- states are already considering and operations division. NEWS DIGEST ments after he was told he had legislation to ban or limit out- • He comes out, steps into According to some surveys, the been laid off from his computer sourcing. Bank of America is one the parking lot, shoots himself US has lost at least 800,000 jobs in 130 Pak prisoners to be freed Report on Balco : The interests of programming job at a Bank of of the several major US corpora- the past year and some 3.3 million workers of Balco and Modern Foods America training centre, Kevin tions — General Electric, Mi- • His employer outsourced jobs will move overseas over the TIMES NEWS NETWORK progress in the steps an- have been overlooked by the new Flanagan stepped into the park- his job to India nounced by our PM, and crosoft, Intel are among others — next few years because of out- New Delhi: India on Monday owners, Sterlite and Hindustan ing lot and shot himself dead.
    [Show full text]
  • C1-27072018-Section
    TATA CHEMICALS LIMITED LIST OF OUTSTANDING WARRANTS AS ON 27-08-2018. Sr. No. First Name Middle Name Last Name Address Pincode Folio / BENACC Amount 1 A RADHA LAXMI 106/1, THOMSAN RAOD, RAILWAY QTRS, MINTO ROAD, NEW DELHI DELHI 110002 00C11204470000012140 242.00 2 A T SRIDHAR 248 VIKAS KUNJ VIKASPURI NEW DELHI 110018 0000000000C1A0123021 2,200.00 3 A N PAREEKH 28 GREATER KAILASH ENCLAVE-I NEW DELHI 110048 0000000000C1A0123702 1,628.00 4 A K THAPAR C/O THAPAR ISPAT LTD B-47 PHASE VII FOCAL POINT LUDHIANA NR CONTAINER FRT STN 141010 0000000000C1A0035110 1,760.00 5 A S OSAHAN 545 BASANT AVENUE AMRITSAR 143001 0000000000C1A0035260 1,210.00 6 A K AGARWAL P T C P LTD AISHBAGH LUCKNOW 226004 0000000000C1A0035071 1,760.00 7 A R BHANDARI 49 VIDYUT ABHIYANTA COLONY MALVIYA NAGAR JAIPUR RAJASTHAN 302017 0000IN30001110438445 2,750.00 8 A Y SAWANT 20 SHIVNAGAR SOCIETY GHATLODIA AHMEDABAD 380061 0000000000C1A0054845 22.00 9 A ROSALIND MARITA 505, BHASKARA T.I.F.R.HSG.COMPLEX HOMI BHABHA ROAD BOMBAY 400005 0000000000C1A0035242 1,760.00 10 A G DESHPANDE 9/146, SHREE PARLESHWAR SOC., SHANHAJI RAJE MARG., VILE PARLE EAST, MUMBAI 400020 0000000000C1A0115029 550.00 11 A P PARAMESHWARAN 91/0086 21/276, TATA BLDG. SION EAST MUMBAI 400022 0000000000C1A0025898 15,136.00 12 A D KODLIKAR BLDG NO 58 R NO 1861 NEHRU NAGAR KURLA EAST MUMBAI 400024 0000000000C1A0112842 2,200.00 13 A RSEGU ALAUDEEN C 204 ASHISH TIRUPATI APTS B DESAI ROAD BOMBAY 400026 0000000000C1A0054466 3,520.00 14 A K DINESH 204 ST THOMAS SQUARE DIWANMAN NAVYUG NAGAR VASAI WEST MAHARASHTRA THANA
    [Show full text]
  • Breathing Life Into the Constitution
    Breathing Life into the Constitution Human Rights Lawyering In India Arvind Narrain | Saumya Uma Alternative Law Forum Bengaluru Breathing Life into the Constitution Human Rights Lawyering In India Arvind Narrain | Saumya Uma Alternative Law Forum Bengaluru Breathing Life into the Constitution Human Rights Lawyering in India Arvind Narrain | Saumya Uma Edition: January 2017 Published by: Alternative Law Forum 122/4 Infantry Road, Bengaluru - 560001. Karnataka, India. Design by: Vinay C About the Authors: Arvind Narrain is a founding member of the Alternative Law Forum in Bangalore, a collective of lawyers who work on a critical practise of law. He has worked on human rights issues including mass crimes, communal conflict, LGBT rights and human rights history. Saumya Uma has 22 years’ experience as a lawyer, law researcher, writer, campaigner, trainer and activist on gender, law and human rights. Cover page images copied from multiple news articles. All copyrights acknowledged. Any part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted as necessary. The authors only assert the right to be identified wtih the reproduced version. “I am not a religious person but the only sin I believe in is the sin of cynicism.” Parvez Imroz, Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society Coalition (JKCSS), on being told that nothing would change with respect to the human rights situation in Kashmir Dedication This book is dedicated to remembering the courageous work of human rights lawyers, Jalil Andrabi (1954-1996), Shahid Azmi (1977-2010), K. Balagopal (1952-2009), K.G. Kannabiran (1929-2010), Gobinda Mukhoty (1927-1995), T. Purushotham – (killed in 2000), Japa Lakshma Reddy (killed in 1992), P.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Consensus for Mussolini? Popular Opinion in the Province of Venice (1922-1943)
    UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL OF HISTORY AND CULTURES Department of History PhD in Modern History Consensus for Mussolini? Popular opinion in the Province of Venice (1922-1943) Supervisor: Prof. Sabine Lee Student: Marco Tiozzo Fasiolo ACADEMIC YEAR 2016-2017 2 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the University of Birmingham is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of my words. 3 Abstract The thesis focuses on the response of Venice province population to the rise of Fascism and to the regime’s attempts to fascistise Italian society.
    [Show full text]
  • 1880, 17/12/2018 P`Kasana : Baart Sarkar Vyaapar Icanh Rijast/I Esa
    Trade Marks Journal No: 1880, 17/12/2018 Reg. No. TECH/47-714/MBI/2000 Registered as News Paper p`kaSana : Baart sarkar vyaapar icanh rijasT/I esa.ema.raoD eMTa^p ihla ko pasa paosT Aa^ifsa ko pasa vaDalaa mauMba[- 400037 durBaaYa : 022 24101144 ,24101177 ,24148251 ,24112211. fO@sa : 022 24140808 Published by: The Government of India, Office of The Trade Marks Registry, Baudhik Sampada Bhavan (I.P. Bhavan) Near Antop Hill, Head Post Office, S.M. Road, Mumbai-400037. Tel:022-24140808 1 Trade Marks Journal No: 1880, 17/12/2018 Anauk/maiNaka INDEX AiQakairk saucanaaeM Official Notes vyaapar icanh rijasT/IkrNa kayaa-laya ka AiQakar xao~ Jurisdiction of Offices of the Trade Marks Registry sauiBannata ko baaro maoM rijaYT/ar kao p`arMiBak salaah AaoOr Kaoja ko ilayao inavaodna Preliminary advice by Registrar as to distinctiveness and request for search saMbaw icanh Associated Marks ivaraoQa Opposition ivaiQak p`maaNa p`~ iT.ema.46 pr AnauraoQa Legal Certificate/ Request on Form TM-46 k^apIra[T p`maaNa p`~ Copyright Certificate t%kala kaya- Operation Tatkal saava-jainak saucanaaeM Public Notices iva&aipt Aavaodna Applications advertised class-wise: 2 Trade Marks Journal No: 1880, 17/12/2018 vaga- / Class - 1 11-126 vaga- / Class - 2 127-163 vaga- / Class - 3 164-475 vaga- / Class - 4 476-509 vaga- / Class - 5 510-1657 vaga- / Class - 6 1658-1746 vaga- / Class - 7 1747-1923 vaga- / Class - 8 1924-1962 vaga- / Class - 9 1963-2424 vaga- / Class - 10 2425 -2484 vaga- / Class - 11 2485-2667 vaga- / Class - 12 2668-2748 vaga- / Class - 13 2749-2751
    [Show full text]
  • H I C N Households in Conflict Network the Agency and Governance of Urban Battlefields: How Riots Alter Our Understanding Of
    H i C N Households in Conflict Network The Institute of Development Studies - at the University of Sussex - Falmer - Brighton - BN1 9RE www.hicn.org The Agency and Governance of Urban Battlefields: How Riots Alter Our Understanding of Adequate Urban Living1 2 Jaideep Gupte HiCN Working Paper 122 September 2012 Abstract: For the first time in close to 100 years, India reports higher population growth in its urbanised areas than across its vast rural landscape. However, a confluence of vast urbanisation and scarcity of resources has implied heightened levels of localised violence, centred in and around already impoverished neighbourhoods. This therefore has a disproportionate impact in further marginalising poor communities, and is at odds with the notion that cities are incontestably and inevitably the context of sustained poverty eradication. And yet, we know relatively little about the mechanics of security provisioning in Indian cities at large. The central argument in this paper is that violent urban spaces have a profound impact on how safety and security are understood by the state as well as the urban poor, thereby redefining the parameters of adequate urban living. I look in detail at how the 1992-1993 riots in Mumbai unfolded in a group of inner-city neighbourhoods, and find that specific acts of brutality and violence during the riots continue to shape current understandings of the „safe city‟. In doing so, I also find that the nature and form of informal urban space affects the mechanics by which the state endeavours to control violence, while individual acts of public violence function as markers that legitimate the use of, and reliance on, extralegal forms of security provision.
    [Show full text]
  • BOMBAY Story of the Island City
    BOMBAY Story of the Island City By A. D. PUSALKER & V. G. DIGHE -~INDIA ORIENTAL CONFERENCE BOMBAY. 1949 BOMBAY Story <:>f the Island-City. By A. D. PUSALKER & V. G. DIGHE ALL INDIA OltiEN'l'AL CONFERENCE BOMBAY. 1 9 .4 9 Printed bJ G. G. Patbue at 'l'be Popular Pna (Bom.) Ltd., ....~ 7 Uld Publlabed .., the Local s-.r,., All Jndla OrieDtal Confennce, Town Hall, Bombay 1. PRICE IUIPBES '!:. PREFACE The rise and growth of Bombay present interesting problems to a student of history. While the city has been built in comparatively modern times the formation of the island and its rock temples arouse the interest of the geologist and the antiquarian. The history of the island upto 1500 A.D. is not very eventful; this tropical island and its native population slumbered in peaceful repose till the first European set foot on its soil and set in train forces which transformed it into one of the largest cities in the East and made it the beehive of commerce and industry. How this transformation was wrought, what factors contributed to it, has been narrated in the pages that follow. The object of the book as the title explains is to narrate the story of the island city in simple outline. The main sources of information are Edwardes' Rise of Bombay and the statistical Account of the town and island of Bombay based on old Government records and prepared for the Bombay Gazetteer. Other sources have also been consulted. The account of research institutes in the city will, it is hoped, interest Orientalists and Historians.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER I – Bloody Saturday………………………………………………………………
    THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM ITALIAN WHITE-COLLAR CRIME IN THE GLOBALIZATION ERA RICCARDO M. GHIA Spring 2010 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree in Journalism with honors in Journalism Reviewed and approved by Russell Frank Associate Professor Honors Adviser Thesis Supervisor Russ Eshleman Senior Lecturer Second Faculty Reader ABSTRACT At the beginning of the 2000s, three factories in Asti, a small Italian town, went broke and closed in quick succession. Hundreds of men were laid off. After some time, an investigation mounted by local prosecutors began to reveal what led to bankruptcy. A group of Italian and Spanish entrepreneurs organized a scheme to fraudulently bankrupt their own factories. Globalization made production more profitable where manpower and machinery are cheaper. A well-planned fraudulent bankruptcy would kill three birds with one stone: disposing of non- competitive facilities, fleecing creditors and sidestepping Italian labor laws. These managers hired a former labor union leader, Silvano Sordi, who is also a notorious “fixer.” According to the prosecutors, Sordi bribed prominent labor union leaders of the CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labor), the major Italian labor union. My investigation shows that smaller, local scandals were part of a larger scheme that led to the divestments of relevant sectors of the Italian industry. Sordi also played a key role in many shady businesses – varying from awarding bogus university degrees to toxic waste trafficking. My research unveils an expanded, loose network that highlights the multiple connections between political, economic and criminal forces in the Italian system.
    [Show full text]
  • Hindutva Watch
    UNDERCOVER Ashish Khetan is a journalist and a lawyer. In a fifteen-year career as a journalist, he broke several important news stories and wrote over 2,000 investigative and explanatory articles. In 2014, he ran for parliament from the New Delhi Constituency. Between 2015 and 2018, he headed the top think tank of the Delhi government. He now practises law in Mumbai, where he lives with his family. First published by Context, an imprint of Westland Publications Private Limited, in 2020 1st Floor, A Block, East Wing, Plot No. 40, SP Infocity, Dr MGR Salai, Perungudi, Kandanchavadi, Chennai 600096 Context, the Context logo, Westland and the Westland logo are the trademarks of Westland Publications Private Limited, or its affiliates. Copyright © Ashish Khetan, 2020 ISBN: 9789389152517 The views and opinions expressed in this work are the author’s own and the facts are as reported by him, and the publisher is in no way liable for the same. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. For Zoe, Tiya, Dani and Chris Contents Epigraph Preface Introduction 1 A Sting in the Tale 2 Theatre of Masculinity 3 The Ten-foot-tall Officer 4 Painting with Fire 5 Alone in the Dark 6 Truth on Trial 7 Conspirators and Rioters 8 The Gulbarg Massacre 9 The Killing Fields 10 The Salient Feature of a Genocidal Ideology 11 The Artful Faker 12 The Smoking Gun 13 Drum Rolls of an Impending Massacre 14 The Godhra Conundrum 15 Tendulkar’s 100 vs Amit Shah’s 267 16 Walk Alone Epilogue: Riot after Riot Notes Acknowledgements The Big Nurse is able to set the wall clock at whatever speed she wants by just turning one of those dials in the steel door; she takes a notion to hurry things up, she turns the speed up, and those hands whip around that disk like spokes in a wheel.
    [Show full text]
  • Electricity Bill Collection Centres
    Customer Care (South) - Electricity Bill Collection Centres Timings Centre Name Address Tel. No. Mon. to Fri. 8.00 AM TO 6.00 PM Sat. New Administrative Bldg., BEST Head Office 9.15 AM TO 4.00 PM 22873154 Marg, Mumbai - 400 001. Sun. 9.15 AM TO 3.00 PM Hutatma Chowk, BEST Chowkey, Flora Fountain 8.00 AM TO 6.00 PM 22693282 Mumbai - 400 001. Backbay Depot, Captain Prakash 8.00 AM TO 12.30 Backbay 22152359 Pethe Marg, Mumbai - 400 005. PM 9.00 AM TO 1.30 PM Mint Road, Near G.P.O., Mumbai - Fort Market Sat. 22632482 400 001. 9.15 AM TO 1.30 PM Colaba Bus Station, Mumbai - 400 Colaba Bus Station 9.00 AM TO 1.30 PM 22164337 005. MCGM Head Office, Nagar Chowk, Boribunder 9.00 AM TO 2.00 PM 22060760 Mumbai - 400 001. Nr. Police Commissioner's Office, L. Crawford Market 8.00 AM TO 6.00 PM 22632483 Tilak Marg, Mumbai - 400 002. 8.00 AM TO 6.00 PM Vijay Vallabh Chowk, Bapu Khote Sat. Pydhonie 23434263 Marg, Mumbai - 400 003. 8.00 AM TO 12.30 PM Mahapalika Market Complex, Mumbai 8.00 AM TO 12.30 Dongri Market 23750365 - 400 009. PM 8.00 AM TO 6.00 PM Nr. Alankar Cinema, S.V.P. Road, Sat. Khetwadi 23825159 Mumbai - 400 004. 8.00 AM TO 12.30 PM 8.00 AM TO 12.30 Opp. Panchsheel Bldg., Manaji Raju PM Sat. Kamathipura 23054247 Marg, Mumbai - 400 008. 8.00 AM TO 12.30 PM Tardeo Marg, Tardeo Bus Stand Tardeo 8.00 AM TO 6.00 PM 23534631 (Pandey Compd.) Mumbai - 400 034.
    [Show full text]