Bengaluru, 30 May

Gone are the days of wielding ‘Long’ (a knife) in gang fights among rowdies in the underworld in Bengaluru; the latest entrant being a new shorter variant of Long called ‘Half Bat’.

Long has a length of 22.8cm and Half Bat is 17cm long; both weigh around 2kg. Half Bat has a shorter grip than Long and it is easier for attackers to carry them on their waist. Half Bat was allegedly used in the recent six murders that happened in the City where rowdies were hacked to death by delivering blows on the head.

Speaking to Salar News, a young rowdy from the City who did not wish to be named said: “The latest trend is to use Half Bat and rain a lethal blow on the head, stunning the opponent and finishing him off within seconds. Earlier, the Long was used by boys in the ‘field’ (rowdyism). There was every possibility of the opponent grabbing Long due to its length and regaining lost ground, but in Half Bat, the grip is firmer for the ‘batsman’ and the blow is a sure shot ‘wicket’.

Those who use Half Bat and tools (weapons) in a fight to kill someone are called ‘batsmen’ and those who keep an eye on the surroundings and survey the surroundings and the place where the potential victim is present are called ‘fielders’ or ‘fielding’. The method in which the boys or foot soldiers go around in cars and two-wheelers to look for their victim at his house and his other usual hangouts is called ‘Rounds’. Once the killing of the rowdy is successful it is termed as a ‘wicket’. 

These weapons are manufactured in Hoskote, around 25km from Bengaluru. Rowdy elements get the weapons from there according to their specifications, sources said. None in the Capital City would manufacture these weapons as they fear a police backlash. Earlier billhooks used to be sourced from Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu but after a police crackdown there, it is in short supply in Bengaluru.

Long made its foray into the Bengaluru underworld on 25 January 1977, when notorious rowdy Thigalarpete Gopi was attacked on the premises of a court by former don MP Jayaraj and his henchmen; however, Gopi survived the attack. After this incident, Long served as the most favoured weapon of rowdies and underworld elements to finish off each other till around a year ago when a large number of rowdies met their gory end in bars, hotels and on the streets and roads of Bengaluru. 

How Long came under Arms Act

Long came under Arms Act after a woman brandished the weapon at a construction site in Bengaluru.

Former assistant commissioner of police and member of the anti-rowdy squad of Bengaluru Police Lava Kumar was working as a consultant in that construction company after his retirement when the incident happened. “The woman was trying to threaten us openly brandishing a Long and I filed a complaint with police. The charge sheet was filed and the case went up to Karnataka High Court, however, the court quashed the case as Long did not come under the provisions of Arms Act,” Kumar told Salar News.

Kumar then met former City police commissioner and present CBI Director Praveen Sood. He submitted a report to him about how dangerous the weapon was and how youngsters were roaming around the City wreaking havoc with Long. Later, Sood took up the matter with State government and a notification was issued on 28 August 2017 banning the Long and other similar weapons and bringing them under the Arms Act. —Salar News