Women against the Police State

Shows how women faced, used and resisted police power, from fake encounters to MCOCA indictments and Red Corner Notices.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Mehmood's Fake Encounter

Mehmood's Fake Encounter What Happens Mehmood Khan is shot dead at Santa Cruz airport and labelled an encounter victim. Ashraf later learns he was unarmed and likely betrayed to the police by Dawood, so she files a petition against Inspector Emanuel Amolik. Why It Matters The fake encounter is the foundational injustice of Sapna's story. It pits a single woman against a corrupt system that manufactures official lies.

Sapna's Court Defeat

Sapna's Court Defeat What Happens A farcical inquiry gives Inspector Amolik a clean chit, and Sapna's case is dismissed for lack of evidence. She files petition after petition but never wins legal redress. Why It Matters The failure of courts pushes Sapna deeper into vigilantism. It also shows how police power can outrun judicial accountability.

Asha's Police Dodge

Asha's Police Dodge What Happens Asha Gawli hides her husband Arun in pits near the kitchen and surrounds him with women's-wing activists to stop police encounters. Her political machinery keeps him alive while other dons are shot. Why It Matters Asha treats police power as an obstacle to be managed through spectacle and politics. Her tactics preserve Arun Gawli for a long political career.

MCOCA Toughens on Women

MCOCA Toughens on Women What Happens The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act is used against Sujata Nikhalje, Shameem Mirza Beg and Rubina Siraj Sayyed. Wives and girlfriends who ran finances and logistics are treated as organised-crime operators. Why It Matters The law tries to catch up with the new female layer of the underworld. It criminalises the housewife-banker role that had given dons a crucial shield.

Padma on the Run

Padma on the Run What Happens After the police discover her forged passport, Padma Poojary jumps bail and flees India through Nepal. An Interpol Red Corner Notice is issued, but she remains free, believed to be with Ravi Poojary in South Africa. Why It Matters The chase shows how the state struggles to catch a woman who never lets the police see her as a gangster. Padma's escape is female criminality at its most elusive.

the day he lands from Dubai

months after filing her petition

the 1990s at Dagdi Chawl

2004 to 2006

2005 and after