Public enemies.
Hidden in the crowds of common Bengalis,
lay monsters in human disguise.
This tale... is about Satta King, Rashid Khan.
-Kolkata's Bowbazar region...
BB Ganguly street, 2025...
A very densely populated residential area...
On seeing the well-lit streets and homes today, you can't imagine
how dreadful a mishap this place witnessed 32 years ago!
-Now there are new buildings there.
Whenever I see that building I stop in my tracks.
All of it comes rushing back.
There were torsos strewn about.
Just the upper part is there, the rest had been blown up.
We found someone's leg, right or left leg.
We found someone's hand.
That kind of thing scars you for life.
I saw so many people die, get buried alive.
And I couldn't do a thing.
There's nothing sadder than that.
-The person behind this horrific bomb blast,
was a man named Rashid Khan.
The empire that Rashid Khan had built through his life,
who knew that a mere matchstick was enough to herald its doom?
-Move it.
Newsreader: After the 12th March Bombay blast,
strict security measures have been taken all over the country.
The police are increasing vigilance in Calcutta and border regions."
They suspect,
terrorists are hiding with explosives somewhere in the state.
The blood of revolution is way too hot.
So I usually like to stay away.
But what can I do?
In order to keep the Sultanate safe,
blood must flow!
-What about the dead body, Uncle?
-Go and leave it at his neighbourhood.
Let people see...
What happens when you go up against Rashid Khan.
Rashid Khan!
People call me Satta King!
Come.
-Rich or poor...
-Greetings, brother.
-Everyone bets lakhs on this game daily!
From the start to the finish of this game,
this Rashid Khan fixes it all!
I have four trump cards in this game.
The games are played by the bookies.
They inform the agents about the results over landline.
Then that information reaches the runners.
The runners inform the pencilers.
The pencilers write down the results on the blackboard.
And if your numbers match...
then you can show the slip...
and get back multiples of your bid!
Some people get lucky.
And the rest...
are doomed.
People from lower strata of Kolkata & parts of West Bengal
used to play this card game back then.
And this game was run by Rashid Khan.
You get back the money the very day you place your bets.
So, people were really into this.
Back then, from this game,
Rashid Khan earned over a crore!
Even though I was born in Agra,
Satta King Rashid Khan was born in Calcutta.
At the end of the 60s,
I & my sister moved to this house in North Calcutta from Agra.
As soon as I entered, I thought that this was Hell!
I didn't know if we could ever escape this place.
But what happened one day...
It made me realise
that in order to live with your head held high,
no matter how, you must earn money.
But the journey from there to becoming Satta King wasn't easy.
How much I'll charge in my own area,
will that who**'s brother decide that?
Hey!
Mind your words, Usman.
If you cross your limits, it won't take long to put you in your place.
Now that Rashid has made you his daddy in this Satta business,
don't forget who your real daddy is!
Hey! I remember who my father is, Usman!
I'm not a ba****d like you! -Hey!
-You've gone too far! Don't forget...
If I can make you...
I can also be the death of you!
Damn you!
Penciler Paresh does everything on his own might.
And we'll see who becomes the death of whom!
-Hey! -Usman...
He only intended to hurt my confidence.
But he ended up hurting a brother's pride.
I trembled with anger!
A voice within kept telling me that it was time to show
what Rashid Khan is made of.
No one owns this territory!
If anyone does at all, then that man is...
Rashid Khan!
Rashid Khan... that man... in our Kolkata's underworld...
he was a prominent emperor.
Rashid was a don.
He thought, "With the work I do, the powerful people who back me,
the police won't catch me."
You mean all the murders in Khidirpur and Bowbazar,
are all done by Rashid?
According to our intel, Rashid doesn't kill people himself.
His men do it on his behalf.
So, we don't have any FIR, GD, complaints, against Rashid.
Sir, Rashid's influence is increasing each day.
Stopping him has become almost impossible.
The local political leaders extend their patronage over Rashid.
-The Party will protect your Satta business.
In return you must protect the Party too.
During the votes, you and all your men,
must stand with the Party.
Then you must occupy the booths.
Fix the vote-countings...
So?
Can you do that, Rashid Khan?
-Spanning from the political sphere of Kolkata,
Rashid's network & contacts reached all the way to Mumbai & Dubai.
-Hello?
-Greetings, brother.
Greetings.
How is the weather in Calcutta?
Absolutely clear, brother.
And if anything goes wrong,
we are prepared for it.
Be prepared, we have something big planned for Calcutta this time.
But...
What's wrong, Rashid?
Nothing, brother.
I worked very hard to build my business here in Calcutta.
My daughter got married recently.
I need to make sure she's well settled.
That's why I'm a bit worried.
Don't worry, your daughter is like family.
If God wants, everything will be alright. Bye.
Bye, brother.
Dad?
Come, come...
Greetings, father.
Greetings, son.
Welcome!
From today, the shop is your responsibility.
But, Dad...
One more thing.
In order to keep your nose clean,
you must leave the Satta business.
Now that it's your own shop, look after it properly.
Ruksana dear...
I was thinking...
I will leave the old house.
I'll buy this new bungalow I saw. We will all stay there together.
But, Dad, why so fast?
Child...
Before he dies, your father will make sure
that you never have to face any hardships.
Uncle?
Brother, don't keep mum, is it done?
Yes, Uncle, it's done.
Good job!
Y'all won't have to dirty your hands in Calcutta for long.
If all goes as planned, first, Bombay...
and then Dubai!
What are you saying, Uncle? Will it really happen?
God willing!
Stay blessed.
I never thought my father will happily agree to marry me
to the man I chose.
My daughter's choice can never be wrong.
Your happiness is all I want.
May God keep you both safe.
At that time, bombings were common in Kolkata.
Lots of times, even the cops were targeted.
But those bombs were simple powder bombs.
Meaning, the explosion was smaller.
And at that time, Rashid Khan was planning something big.
Greetings, Rashid.
Greetings.
Everyone is on edge after the Bombay blasts.
Brother...
Fear is for the weak.
And Rashid Khan is a symbol of power!
It's my responsibility.
-God willing!
All over India,
various kinds of bombs have been seen in various instances.
We know that there have been car explosions...
Sometimes it's a book-bomb.
But this innovation was very surprising for that era.
And the explosive that was used,
it had never been used before.
And that there was a connection between Rashid & this explosive,
the police got wind of it.
Rashid Khan had sent this car to Asif's gunpowder factory.
My men saw them loading bombs in that car.
That night, I saw the car parked at 267/60 Bowbazar Street myself!
Please go now, you'll be able to catch him red handed!
Rashid Khan can be caught.
But can't be kept inside.
A few years ago,
I followed a similar tip and went to arrest Rashid.
You two, come with me. Get them, arrest everyone.
Take them!
Greetings, Mr Rashid.
You have a warrant?
With the things we'll find here, we won't need one.
How was your trip with the politicians last month?
Sir, we found these.
Should've stuck to the hotel and real estate business.
All this Satta business got your money confiscated by the police.
-Take a bucket of water from the ocean that is Rashid Khan,
he doesn't care.
There's money underneath that bed.
If you have space in your bag, fill up.
Don't measure everyone on your own scales, Rashid Khan.
Your money isn't enough to buy me.
Even your integrity will fall short.
That day I arrested Rashid with my own two hands.
Next day, a fake Rashid came to the court.
Call them in.
Rashid Khan, come in.
-So, can't we do anything, sir?
-We must do something.
We must. Explaining it to those higher up will take time.
We don't have much time, sir.
-Why? -It's a congested area.
Besides, there are about 70 people in that house.
And, about a thousand people living in that locality.
With all that explosive they have stored, in case of an accident,
it'll be all over in a flash!
Go there immediately. Keep watch.
Anything wrong happens, call the police station. Go.
Rashid Khan's diary was found during this Bowbazar bombing.
It contained many notable names who Rashid interacted with.
Including senior police officers, influential politicians of that era,
who were all in regular contact with Rashid Khan.
Their numbers were in it.
Rashid Khan's restaurant supplied food to many political events.
The proof was in there.
Since these incidents weren't directly related to this crime,
the police didn't think it necessary to bring it out in public.
But obviously, in order to run such an empire,
he needed his own solid network and powerful patrons.
I will tell you in simple Bengali,
understand this.
Make sure the police don't interfere in Rashid's area.
If you go after my men,
I will make sure everyone's career is ruined!
Arindam, you're right.
There's no way to arrest Rashid.
There is a way, sir.
Sir, I called them.
But they had already left for the raid.
So get them back!
It's not possible anymore, sir.
What!
Bye, sir.
-That day, I had left the Bowbazar home sometime back.
But for some reason, my instincts told me,
something was amiss.
Let's leave now.
You go on, I'll finish this & come.
What are you doing? Drive fast!
-Smoke some! -Are you mad?
-16th March, 1993...
That night I was on duty at the Bowbazar police station.
We heard a huge explosion.
It even shattered the windowpanes of the police station.
After hearing the blast, I rushed out to see what happened.
Downstairs, I saw a black cloud of smoke billowing out
at the back of the station.
The building from which this black smoke originated,
was 267 Bepin Behari Ganguly street.
Since the explosion happened in the middle,
what happened was, on both sides,
the buildings collapsed against each other from two corners.
And there were a lot of people living in these two houses.
The people living inside cried out for help,
as they slowly became entombed within the debris.
It was dark, I couldn't see properly, I suddenly fell down.
I got up and tried to understand why I fell.
I looked down & saw something. I picked it up.
Then I saw that it was the crown part of a human skull.
It had come under my feet and I slipped on it.
A lot of people say it was an accident. It's not that.
His intention was to do something very, very wrong.
And notorious.
And it happened, by accident or whatsoever.
Around 70 people died, almost 50 were injured.
There were bodies strewn all over.
The tramlines were bent out of shape due to the explosion's impact.
Someone leg was lying there.
Someone's right or left leg was found.
Someone's hand was recovered.
We found a lot of body parts like that.
I saw so many people buried under the debris in front of me.
I couldn't help them, couldn't save them.
It pained me a lot.
That blast took Rashid's son-in-law's life too.
Dad... Dad... He's...
How did it happen?
Why? Why?
Why! Why!
Why, tell me!
Power created him.
These powerful people backed him.
That's how they create a criminal,
extend their patronage to him.
That's how such criminals become dangerous.
-Rashid Khan can't be jailed for killing a mere 70 or so people.
I always knew it, a river of money could wash away the bloodstains.
But this time, it all changed.
I never imagined that.
Rashid Khan?
Whose help will you seek in these trying times?
Cuff me.
It'll make a good photo.
Handcuffs are for small time crooks.
What you've done... will haunt you for life.
Come, get in the car.
Get in.
-Don't worry, dear...
We'll have today's lunch together.
-Come on!
And you two, get inside too.
Sir?
Make sure the guilty is punished.
Rashid Khan became who he was
because he was backed by those that had power.
But after this incident happened,
obviously it could land those backing him in trouble.
So, they denied any involvement, denounced him.
The same happened with Rashid Khan. They distanced themselves from him.
No, no...
Our Party never had anything to do with a terrorist like Rashid Khan.
And we never will.
-The very politicians that made Rashid into a don,
marked him as a terrorist.
Today, even after all these years, that explosion,
has left a undying wound in people's memories.
-It's been 28 years.
I've been confined within these four walls.
I know, that...
until my last breath,
I'll have to stay here.
That's why I draw on these walls, to tell the story of my life.
I am that Rashid Khan.
Who people called,
Satta King.
-The same hunger for power had become an addiction
for another don in Hooghly.
A man thirsty for the warm blood splashing out of a fresh cut...
-No other addiction comes close...
Shut up!
-Shyamal Das.
aka, Hubba Shyamal.
Watch in the next episode.