1991 Kherwadi attack on Ashwin Naik

The 1991 Kherwadi attack on Ashwin Naik was a pivotal assassination attempt by the Chhota Rajan gang that transformed a reluctant brother of a don into one of Mumbai's most organized gangsters, reshaping his marriage, his criminal career, and the balance of power in the city's underworld. The attack, which occurred on the Kherwadi highway as Ashwin returned from the Santa Cruz airport, was a direct consequence of his brother's criminal notoriety and became the catalyst that pushed him into the very world he had tried to escape. It was an incident that would change his life completely, as the evidence states, and it set in motion a chain of events that would see him become the first educationally-qualified gangster in Mumbai's mafia circuit.

Background and the Naik Family's Criminal Shadow

Ashwin Naik was the brother of Amar Naik, a prominent figure in the Mumbai underworld, and this familial connection cast a long and dangerous shadow over his life. Despite his brother's criminal career, Ashwin had charted a different course, moving to London to study for a degree in electrical engineering. During this time, his relationship with Neeta Naik, who was completing her Bachelor of Arts from Sophia College, continued despite the distance. Upon his return from London, the couple eloped and married, despite severe opposition from Neeta's orthodox Gujarati family. The first few years of their marriage were happy, but Ashwin, upset with the stigma of being the brother of a don, decided to move his family to Chennai. He and Neeta made a couple of trips to Chennai to find a house, and it was on their return from one of these trips, in 1991, that they encountered death.

The attack was not an isolated act of random violence but a calculated move by the Chhota Rajan gang, a rival faction in the city's criminal landscape. The gang's targeting of Ashwin was a direct consequence of his brother Amar's position and the violent rivalries that defined the Mumbai underworld. The city itself was a volatile environment, where specific Muslim locations like Bhendi Bazaar, Dongri, Nagpada, Dharavi and Mumbra had become epicentres of bloodshed and destruction, labelled as 'sensitive zones'. While the attack on Ashwin was not communal, it was part of the same fabric of gang violence that thrived in this atmosphere of instability and fear.

The Attack on the Kherwadi Highway

On his way back home from the Santa Cruz airport in Mumbai, Ashwin's car was attacked by members of the Chhota Rajan gang. Neeta and her father-in-law were in another car behind his, and panic and chaos hit the Kherwadi highway as around twenty men opened fire at Ashwin's car. Knowing that her husband was unarmed, Neeta stopped her own car, got out, and began screaming, hoping that someone would call the police. By then, Ashwin had dodged the bullets and managed to make an unlikely escape. The attack was a harrowing experience that revealed the fragility of their lives and the constant threat posed by his brother's enemies. Neeta's reaction was immediate and decisive; she revealed in her 1997 interview, "It was then that I knew my husband was unsafe. I told Ashwin that I wanted him alive and not dead. For this, I didn't mind if he had to join hands with his own brother and become part of the crime syndicate."

Neeta's Ultimatum and Ashwin's Transformation

The attack served as a brutal awakening for both Ashwin and Neeta. For Neeta, the fear of losing her husband outweighed any moral objection to his joining the underworld. Her plea was not for him to remain law-abiding but for him to be alive, even if that meant aligning with his brother and becoming part of the crime syndicate. This ultimatum was a turning point in their marriage, transforming Neeta from a supportive wife into a driving force behind Ashwin's criminal career. After much persuasion from his wife, Ashwin finally gave in and joined the underworld. He went on to become the first educationally-qualified gangster in Mumbai's mafia circuit, a distinction that set him apart from his peers and allowed him to approach crime with a level of sophistication and planning that was unprecedented.

Ashwin's Rise and Neeta's Role as Pillar of Support

Over time, Ashwin became known for his meticulous planning and organisational abilities. People still remember him for the killing of Tanya Koli in a Kalyan local train and the murder of textile tycoon Sunit Khatau in Mahalaxmi. These acts cemented his reputation as a formidable figure in the underworld. Ashwin was later arrested under TADA, but this did not deter him. After Chhota Rajan's split from Dawood, Ashwin became an ally of the latter and was thus able to build a strong criminal base for himself. All along Neeta remained his pillar of support; she was his close confidante and personal advisor. Her role was not passive; she was an active participant in his criminal life, providing counsel and support that were essential to his success. The attack that had nearly killed them had forged a partnership that would make Ashwin one of the most powerful and organized gangsters in Mumbai.

Narrative Significance and the Cost of Survival

The 1991 Kherwadi attack is a stark illustration of how violence and the threat of death can reshape lives and moral boundaries. It shows how a man who sought to escape his brother's criminal shadow was ultimately drawn into it by the very forces that threatened him. The attack also highlights the complex role of women in the underworld, not as passive victims but as active agents who make difficult choices to protect their families. Neeta's decision to push her husband into crime was a survival strategy, a calculated trade of his safety for his morality. This event, like the stories of other women in the book, challenges the simplistic cause-effect way of looking at their lives, showing that for these women, crime was not only a way of transcending their poverty and limitations but also a life-saving concept. The attack on Ashwin Naik was not just an assassination attempt; it was the moment that defined the rest of his life and the nature of his marriage, a testament to the brutal logic of the Mumbai underworld where survival often came at the cost of one's principles.