The INC was declared as an unlawful organisation and public demonstrations were banned across the country with Bombay, in particular, being subjected to curfew restrictions. Gandhi himself was arrested from his home in Mani Bhavan. However, in the early hours of that morning, seminal leaders of the Independence movement had been arrested and jailed. On August 9, the INC had planned a flag salutation at August Kranti Marg which was to be attended by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Proclaiming that “we shall either free India or die in the attempt we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery,” Gandhi launched a massive civil disobedience movement, known as the Quit India Movement, from the grounds that day. On August 8, spurred by the hypocrisy of the allied fight against fascism, Gandhi uttered his famous slogan “do or die”, warning the British that they must leave India immediately or mass agitations would take place. The meeting started early in the morning and continued until past midnight the following day. On August 7, 1942, the All India Congress Committee organised a meeting under the presidency of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who would go on to become India’s first Minister of Education. A memorial to the Quit India Movement erected at the park. People would often go there to bathe their cows, hence the name Gowalia – gaie meaning cow in Marathi and Gujarati and walia meaning person. The other accused named in the FIR are Sumit Singh alias Chintu, Alpesh Patel, Vinay Singh alias Babloo and gangster Chhota Shakeel’s henchman Riyaz Bhati.Situated a stone’s throw away from Gandhi’s official residence Mani Bhavan and close to the headquarters of the Indian National Congress, this ground was built over a tank which exists there to this day.
The complainant had also submitted several call recordings where Waze used code words allegedly to extort money. According to the complaint, the incident occurred between January 2020 and March 2021. They had also forced him to buy two smartphones worth around R2.92 lakh for them, Agarwal alleged. The builder had alleged that Waze demanded R9 lakh from him to not conduct a raid on two bars and restaurants, in which he was a partner. The extortion case against Singh and Waze was registered at Goregaon police station on the complaint of builder-cum-hotelier Bimal Agarwal. The court remanded Waze to the crime branch’s custody till November 6.
The commission was constituted by the state government to probe allegations against Singh. The special public prosecutor, appearing for the crime branch, told the court that Waze is fit to appear before the Chandiwal commission, but he uses health as an excuse to avoid investigation whenever he is called. Waze was not only extorting money from bars and restaurants, but also threatening road contractors, it added.
In the court, the crime branch said it suspects that Waze was reinstated in the service after 17 years of suspension by Singh only with the intention of extortion. Waze, along with the co-accused, extorted money and a share in it was given to former commissioner of police (CP) Singh who is currently absconding. The crime branch told the court that Singh and Waze tarnished the image of Mumbai police. The 37th Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday granted custody of dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Waze to the Mumbai crime branch investigating an extortion case against him and Param Bir Singh.