‘Safety in Bandra is only a mirage, there is no fear of the law’

MUMBAI: From Queen of the Suburbs to an unsafe address where the lawless have their way might be a bit of a stretch, but three recent high-profile crimes – a shooting, a stabbing and a murder – involving actors and a politician have left Bandra residents rattled.

The latest incident is the stabbing of actor Saif Ali Khan in his home early on Thursday. This follows the murder of former minister Baba Siddique in Bandra East in October last year, and the shooting at actor Salman Khan’s apartment in Bandra West in April.

Residents of Bandra – the rich and famous and common folk alike – are now raising alarm bells about safety in the suburb. Some want better law enforcement, others aren’t waiting for the police to act. “There was a time when the police would diligently patrol every bylane of Mumbai and especially Bandra,” said actor Pooja Bhatt on Instagram. “This has become a rarity in recent times.”

“Shocking and deeply unsettling! This marks the third such incident in the Bandra-Juhu area that I’ve heard of recently,” Raj Nayak, who has headed several media and entertainment companies, wrote on X. “Just yesterday, my niece’s boutique in Bandra was burgled. What’s truly alarming is the audacity of these robbers to break into homes while residents are inside, fast asleep. It’s both scary and a wake-up call for heightened security measures in our neighbourhoods.”

Also mourning the loss of the safe space that Bandra once was is Raveena Tandon, actor and Bandra resident. “Targeting celebrities and soft targets in what used to be a safe residential area has become rampant,” wrote Tandon on X. “Bandra is losing out to unruly elements, accident scams, hawker mafia, encroachers, land grabbers and criminal elements racing on bikes phone and chain grabbing.”

Placing the onus squarely on the police, Bhatt posted on Instagram, “It is the duty of the govt and law enforcement agencies to create an environment in which people with a criminal bent hesitate to operate. Time for the authorities to please step up security across the city and give us answers and solutions to the countless lapses that have occurred in the recent past. No point in indulging in this frenzy of construction activity by building towers, luxury apartments, etc, if our streets and homes are not safe.”

Referencing the recent attacks on Siddiqui, Khan and now Saif, former MLA Priya Dutt told HT, “It’s like we’ve gone back to the ’90s.” Dutt added, “Mumbai used to be considered one of the safest cities, and Bandra was like a little community. We have lost that feeling with the extent of an unchecked influx of people, and I suppose it is the price we pay for development. But people need to feel safe to have their peace of mind, and we should not wait for such incidents to occur for it.”

There are those who believe the security apparatus has collapsed. “Criminals watch out for any weakness in law enforcement and act on it. And with the proliferation of night life, crime has increased all over Mumbai, particularly in the suburbs,” said Anandini Thakoor of the Khar Residents’ Association.

Others are not waiting for law enforcement to improve; they are stepping up security in their housing societies. “There is one beat police officer with two marshals for each area, which is simply not sufficient,” said Madhu Poplai, head of the Pali Hill Road Association. “Housing societies have to take measures to ensure better security for themselves. I will be ensuring this within the buildings at Pali Hill: sufficient CCTV cameras, a thorough check on guests and delivery personnel entering the building, alert security guards at night, details and copies of Aadhaar cards taken of domestic workers. We need to be self-sufficient if we want our lives safe.”

When the who’s who is attacked, what hope do regular folk have, ask some Bandra residents. Advocate Mathew Antony, a resident of 15th Road near Saif’s home, remarked, “Bandra being a safe locality is only a mirage and there is no fear of the law.”