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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

Speculations of ‘Operation Tiger’

Mumbai: Recent disqualification of former Mumbai Mayor Vishakha Raut and senior corporator Deepak Sawant has sent shockwaves through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), sparking speculation of a targeted municipal sequel to the Shiv Sena split. With a surge of election petitions now threatening dozens of elected representatives, whispers of a new form of calculated “Operation Tiger” are growing louder. Many suspect this is a strategic move to dismantle the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray...

Speculations of ‘Operation Tiger’

Mumbai: Recent disqualification of former Mumbai Mayor Vishakha Raut and senior corporator Deepak Sawant has sent shockwaves through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), sparking speculation of a targeted municipal sequel to the Shiv Sena split. With a surge of election petitions now threatening dozens of elected representatives, whispers of a new form of calculated “Operation Tiger” are growing louder. Many suspect this is a strategic move to dismantle the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction’s remaining stronghold in the civic body. Recent action against Raut and Sawant, whose Other Backward Classes (OBC) caste certificates were invalidated, reveals a broader vulnerability. According to BMC data, a staggering 79 election petitions are currently active against corporators across various parties. The charges primarily challenge the authenticity of caste verification certificates, but also include discrepancies in election affidavits concerning declared properties and income. While the sheer volume of petitions against the UBT camp is alarming, civic authorities note that filing a petition does not automatically result in disqualification. The process requires exhausting several legal and administrative steps. Even after a ruling by a caste scrutiny committee or judicial authority, the urban development department must formally issue a gazette notification before a seat is declared vacant. The timing of these petitions has fueled intense speculation. Against the backdrop of the ongoing Supreme Court hearings regarding the original Shiv Sena’s party name and election symbol, analysts suggest rival factions are leveraging these petitions. This municipal “Operation Tiger” appears designed to either legally disqualify embattled UBT members or pressure them into defection to avoid a public unseating. If these petitions lead to widespread disqualifications, the UBT faction risks losing its position as the largest opposition bloc, fundamentally altering the balance of power in Asia’s richest civic body. Election petitions against BMC corporators Political Party: Active Petitions Shiv Sena (UBT): 24 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 18 Congress: 10 Shiv Sena (Shinde): 7 AIMIM: 7

‘Rambo of Gadchiroli’ honoured with medal

Mumbai: Gadchiroli’s Assistant Police Inspector Wasudeo Rajam Madavi - who has 58 encounters with 101 kills during daring anti-Maoist operations - has been awarded the First Bar to his Gallantry Medal, in the President’s Independence Day honours list this year.


The 2026 I-Day honours list of 82 awardees from Maharashtra has 21 brave-hearts from Gadchiroli.


This is the second coveted distinction in a single year for Madawi , months after he was decorated with the Gallantry Medal during the Republic Day 2026 celebrations, Madavi has now been awarded the First Bar to the Gallantry Medal.


Madavi, a Police Assistant Sub-Inspector, is attached to the elite C-60 commando unit of the Gadchiroli Police, a specialised force raised to combat Naxal insurgency in the district.


Highly respected for his dare-devilry, operational experience and familiarity of the difficult terrains in which the anti-Moist battles were carried out, he is often fondly referred to as the ‘Rambo’ or ‘Schwarzenegar’ of the state police.


Hailing from a tribal community in the region he would protect in future, Madavi was born on November 10, 1976, Madavi joined the Gadchiroli police on April 4, 1998, at the age of 22.


Starting as a constable, he quickly climbed the ranks to sub-inspector with three accelerated promotions, serving 29 years in the ‘red danger zone’ of central India, which many labelled as a ‘punishment posting’.


Starting as a constable, he quickly climbed the ranks to sub-inspector with three accelerated promotions, serving 28 years in the ‘red danger zone’ of central India, oft regarded as 'punishment posting'.


Today, at 48, Madavi enjoys the love and admiration not only among the officers and jawans, but also the commoners, leading from the front as a tactician with deep knowledge of the terrain where he operates.


Not a brawny-battler ‘Maoist Encounter Specialist’, Madavi is seen as a quiet but upfront and shrewd executioner who has eliminated a staggering 101 red rebels in 58 skirmishes.


Among his ruthless real-life confrontations were Oct. 2024’s Abujmarh siege, virtually a mini-war that saw more than 35 rebels gunned down in the booby-trapped forests of Dandakaranya in Chhattisgarh. It catapulted his tally from 97 to 101 – an awe-inspiring feat.


Madavi, whose career is synonymous with C-60, was part of milestone operations like Boria Kasanasur (40 killed), Mardintola (27), Govindgaon (6), Koparshi-Kotur (5) and Katrangatta (3), over the years.  


The former Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Neelotpal once described Madavi as “a relentless warrior-cum-master strategist, who innovates at ground zero, and adapts instantly when conditions change abruptly”.


Madavi is at home during anti-Maoist assault – whether rough hills, dark jungles, dangerous riverine belts, and deadly wild creatures - which served as hideouts for the Maoists, plus “he speaks to the soil, and understands its mood,” Neelotpal said.


Till date, he has bagged two Gallantry Medals, the DGP’s Commendation Medal and an Exceptional Intelligence Efficiency Medal, and his future appears bright on the security front.


Despite a glorious career with 101 scalps under his belt, Madavi’s remains a low-profile performer but his stories of valour - despite all-night gun-toting vigils on empty stomachs in godforsaken locales - has not resulted in biopics or biographies.


A fellow C-60 officer who worked with Madavi dubbed him ‘a true icon who thinks fast, acts faster, and inspires by example’.

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