Three Decades Later: Shadows of Mumbai Underworld on JJ Hospital Shootout Trial
A special court recently denied bail and discharge to a man accused in the 1992 JJ Hospital shootout case. On November 1, the court rejected the plea of a suspect who had been absconding for 32 years before his arrest last year in a Mirzapur jail, Uttar Pradesh.
The accused, Tribhuvan Singh, 63, disputed his identity, stating he was not the individual the Mumbai police identified and that he was never known as Shrikant Rai alias Pradhan. The court noted that since he refused a DNA test, the question of his identity must be resolved during trial.
The 1992 JJ Hospital Shootout
The shootout at Sir JJ Hospital, Mumbai’s largest public hospital, remains among the boldest underworld attacks in the city’s history. At around 3:20 am on September 12, 1992, armed assailants entered the hospital, equipped with AK-47 rifles, pistols, revolvers, hand grenades, and dynamite.
They opened fire inside Ward Number 18, where prisoner Shailesh Haldankar was receiving treatment. Haldankar was handcuffed to his bed when the attack unfolded.
- Victims killed included:
- Shailesh Haldankar
- Head Constable Gajanan Javsen
- Constable Kawalsingh Bhanawat
- Six others were injured, including:
- One patient
- A patient’s relative
- A staff nurse
- A watchman
- Two police guards
"Since he has refused to undergo a DNA test, the issue of his identity will be decided at trial."
The incident highlights the violent lengths the Mumbai underworld went to, marking a dark chapter in the city's gang war history.
Author’s summary: The trial of a man linked to the 1992 JJ Hospital shootout revives memories of a daring underworld attack, underscoring ongoing legal battles three decades later.