Gazi Fakir, father of Congress MLA Saleh Mohammad
Gazi Fakir, the father of Congress MLA Saleh Mohammad from Pokhran in Jaisalmer district is no small time criminal. His chargesheet, which has kicked off a political storm in Rajasthan with the transfer of Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Pankaj Chaudhary, has some grave charges.
Gazi's chargesheet, in existence since 1965, lists him for various activities, including offering protection to those involved in espionage on the western border. Gazi is also believed to be involved in smuggling and other anti-national activities. Little wonder that intelligence agencies have had Gazi on their radar for some time now.
And their fears were confirmed when in February this year, intelligence agencies picked up one Sumar Khan for spying. Sumar was passing on information about the army's military exercise, Operation Iron Fist, held in Pokhran, to his Pakistani handlers.
Though it was never made public, the transferred Jaisalmer SP has confirmed that Sumar Khan was picked up from the petrol pump, owned by Gazi's son, where he had been working for many months. According to sources, the police department then issued an order to reopen all chargesheets in this sensitive border district, including Gazi Fakir's.
While Gazi is suspected to have links with those involved in spying for Pakistan, his son - Congress MLA from Pokhran Saleh Mohammad - was also recently involved in a controversy when he beat up a constable in May this year during the police's anti-liquor mafia operations called Operation Welcome.
On May 17 this year, a police team put together by Mr Chaudhary chased the touts who were harassing and extorting money from tourists. They hid themselves in Saleh Mohammad's petrol pump. When the police team tried to catch them, Mr Mohammad, who was reportedly present at the pump, called police constable Pappu into his room and beat him up.
The constable managed to file an FIR against the MLA after the SP's intervention. With the SP being moved out, Pappu is a worried man now.
But Congress MLA Saleh Mohammad dismisses the charges as a "political conspiracy", saying he will go to the court against his father's history sheet being opened.
Mr Chaudhry's transfer within 48 hours of reopening Gazi's history sheet has added another dimension to the debate on politics and ethics: why do politicians bow down before criminals? Is it just vote-bank politics or something else?
With the state government justifying the SP's transfer as a routine event involving 49 other IPS officers, it looks like Gazi Fakir and Saleh Mohammad's hold on a politically important vote-bank for the Congress in western Rajasthan has been a political compulsion the Gehlot government has not been able to ignore in an election year.