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Why is the D-gang targeting Varun's lawyer?

July 08, 2009 14:21 IST

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have been embroiled in a war of words over the security given to BJP leader Varun Gandhi. The BJP has demanded more security for the young Member of Parliament, after six members of the Chota Shakeel gang, who had planned to assassinate Varun's lawyer, were recently arrested in New Delhi.

Varun, who is known for his fiery anti-Muslim speeches, has been on the hit list of Dawood Ibrahim's gang. Now his lawyers have become the target of the dreaded underworld don in an apparent case of an eye for an eye.

Members of Chota Shakeel gang had originally planned on eliminating Varun. However, the plan was stalled after Rashid Malabari, the man assigned for the job, was arrested.

Members of the Shakeel gang then decided to wait and watch for some time. But the murder of Malabari's advocate Naushad Kasim changed their plans. The angry gang members decided to avenge the lawyer's death by targeting Varun's lawyer. The Shakeel gang also wanted to send out a message that the arrest of Malabari and the murder of his lawyer had not hampered their plans.

Six sharpshooters were assigned to carry out the job. They planned to camp outside the residence of Varun's lawyer and kill him the moment he stepped out.

Senior police officials believe that the trend of targeting the lawyers of high-profile criminals or politicians is a new one. The murder of Malabari's advocate Naushad Kasim had shocked the legal community across India.

Though security agencies have remained tight lipped about the gravity of the threats against Varun, they admit that these threats need to be taken seriously, as Malabari had confessed to plotting the Gandhi scion's murder. Malabari had told the Mangalore police that as per the instructions of Chota Shakeel, he had hired two men in Uttar Pradesh to eliminate Varun.

Vicky Nanjappa