The Myth Of Jagga Tax : Jagga Gujjar Of Lahore
The Beginings
Muhammad Sharif alias famous Jagga Gujjar of Lahore was born in Pakistan in 1940 in a Gujjar Family. He did something in his life that many big gangsters who became famous in Pakistan could not do. He merely lived freely for 8 months, but that was enough for the state machinery of that time to decide his faith. Not only Jagga tax but Badmashi culture, Lahori gang-war and first Pakistani encounter all began with Jagga Gujjar. This Jagga Gujjar had a family background of influential dons of the city. His father was famously known as Buddha Gujjar, he was also a Don. Makhan Gujjar was his elder brother who was also a strong influential Don of his time. This was the family where Jagga Gujjar of Lahore was born and bought up.
This was the era of physically strong people, where Pehalwans dominated the society. Dere Dari of strong men prevailed in the society. The family resided in the area of Chaburji and Gujjars owned milk-shops around that area, till now the dairy business in Punjab is dominated by the Gujjars. These people did business in Lahore’s Bakkar Mandi. Bakkar Mandi was the hub of Livestock trading in Lahore. Here Buddha Gujjar came and settled in this area. He used to collect toll tax from people leaving Bakkar Mandi after the purchase of an animal. Everyone used to stop by a bamboo barrier and paid toll to the Gujjars. If you want to go out of the Bakar Mandi, then Buddha Gujjar used to take 50 paise. Buddha Gujjar had the contract of this area, the slip of the contract is not illegal. Strong influential people used to get contract of important places and collected taxes on their own in that area. It was the business of Dons at that time like the family of Quma Qasai collected toll from Shadara entrance and there are other examples but only strong and influential people used to do that. A common person cannot collect toll from Lahoris in that era even with the contract and contract was given on the basis of influence and control in the first place. After that Makhan Gujjar, the elder brother of Jagga Gujjar, kept running the business, till that time the toll was 100 paise or one rupee, later Jagya Gujjar took control.
From Sharif Gujjar to Jagga Gujjar
When Makhan Gujjar, Jagga Gujjar’s brother, was killed, he was just 14 years old. In 1954, Makhan Gujjar, his elder brother, is murdered and Jagga Gujjar, a 14-year-old boy, decides at that young age that he will take revenge for his brother’s murder and within just one week, he kills two people. A 14-year-old boy kills two people in eight days and claims that he took revenge for his brother’s murder. Those two people who were shooters were named in the murder of Makhan Gujjar, a case was registered against them. He kills both of them and goes to jail. It was the beginning of hooliganism, which was called Lahori Gang War, but with whom Jagga was just a kid and didn’t understand the motive of his brother’s murder.
There was a famous and powerful gangster in Lahore that made Jagga his enemy unknowingly and laid the foundation of the first ever gang war in the history of Lahore. It happened in the era of Nawab of Kala Bagh Amir Mohammad Khan, Acha Shukar Wala was an interesting character in the history of Lahore, and he was the gangster behind the murder of Makhan Gujjar, Jagga Gujjar’s brother. He was extremely well-connected and influential. The motive behind Makhan Gujjar’s murder was also his show of power and authority on the city, surely he never considered 14-year-old Jagga Gujjar as a threat and why would he was also called the Deputy Governor and Shukar Wala actually had the status in the government protocol, such was his relation with the Governor General, the Nawab of Kala Bagh.
During this time Jagga Gujjar was in jail who was sentenced to 14 years. At the age of 14, very few people of such character have come to jail. One can imagine the atmosphere of jail in the 50s and 60s, crime flourished and was nurtured there, and a 14-year-old lived among hardcore criminals and everyone got to know of a boy who just murdered two people. Here Jagga Gujjar hears about the truth of his brother’s murder and his brother’s rivalry with Shukar Wala gang. Shukar Wala sitting in the Governor House, using the title of Governor, by legal or illegal means, got Jagga Gujjar’s brother Makhan Gujjar killed. When Mohammad Sharif aka Jagga Gujjar got to know that he said that I do not care whether he sits in the Governor House or is called Governor 2 or Deputy Governor, if he is involved then I will take revenge. Sitting in the jail, he confirms that behind the murder of Makhan Gujjar was Acha Shukar Wala, and then he forms a gang in jail. He makes a plan to kill Shukar Wala and you should not think that Shukar Wala was a gangster of today’s times, Shukar Wala was the most powerful gangster of that time with the support of government on his back. No one dared challenged him, he would come out of his house with protocol and roamed around in protocol.
What did Jagga Gujjar do, he sat there and hired four wage killers, it is told that in that era the rate was 200 to 400, Jagga hires them drafts the plan and from jail plans an attack on Shukar Wala who didn’t think of it in his wildest dream? He was attacked with his protocol, in which he got injured but survived. It was the first attack of its kind in the city that shook everyone, two of Shukar Wala’s companions die along with police officers and others got injured. This announces the arrival of Jagga Gujjar on the throne of Lahore.
The name of this Mohammad Sharif comes forward as the leader of Gujjar community. His father is an old man now. His brother is killed. Out of them, the youngest one, Jagga Gujjar, got famous for his daring. Front pages of the newspaper are covered with headlines featuring his name. The young man from the Gujjar family has shot Shukar Wala from the jail.
Lahore Of Jagga Gujjar
People believed that this is a sign of bravery and daring, Jagga Gujjar’s name is heard in every corner of the city. Everyone praises Jagga Gujjar and his story circulates around, It is actually the public that made him so famous and elevated his status at that time. The rule of Nawab of Kala Bagh ends and General Musa Khan is appointed as the Governor of West Pakistan, the court issued an order for the release of Jagga Gujjar and when he comes out without any notice two to two and a half thousand people stood outside the jail to welcome him such was his popularity.
The control of Bakkar Mandi, came in the hands of Jagga Gujjar who at this time was the undisputed king of the city. After his release, Jagga Gujjar raised the toll to one rupee per goat and five rupees per cow or buffalo. It was not something normal, but no one could question his decision. This rate was fixed and it was named Jagga Tax. People paid the toll earlier to his father and brother as well, but his rate could not be justified as a toll, so Jagga tax was the only explanation of the amount he charged and everyone accepted the tax imposed by him.
Jagga Gujjar was also called Jagga Badshah at that time. Jagga itself is derived from Jagg meaning “of the world” so he was addressed as King of Lahore generally. Public already made him popular and no one in the city questioned his decision and Jagga tax extended to different markets and even others collected money from traders on his name and no one questioned because no one wanted to take that risk. It looked like Jagga was above the law and state in Lahore. Public itself made him famous and that led to the spread of his fear now. In such scenario Jagga Gujjar became an understandable force, he considered himself above everything.
Lahore seemed to be under the control of Jagga Gujjar and not the state. Jagga tax growing popularity shook the administration and state had to intervene. It was not only the tax but fear of Jagga Gujjar in the city. Jagga openly did what he wanted, from imposing his tax to killing someone in front of government officers openly in an open court. He made the state look like a clown. People addressing him as Badshah of Lahore in front of the DC of the city, and stories like this triggered the state so much that Jagga only managed 8 months outside the prison.Fateh Khan Bandiyal was the Deputy Commissioner at the time one-day on a fruit shop where DC went to buy some fruits, a big car stopped by and Jagga Gujjar seven and a half feet wearing gold rings stepped outside with his gunmen. The shopkeeper got down at once and saluted him, addressing him as Badshah sahib. The shopkeeper filled his car with cartons of fruit and juice bottles and Jagga left, neither the shopkeeper asked for the money nor did Jagga Gujjar.
DC Bandiyal witnessed all this in front of his eyes, he was the DC and meant to be the king of the city, but Jagga made him look like a nobody. This triggered Fateh Khan Bandiyal and state decided to get rid of Jagga Gujjar and all such elements. The Goonda Act was imposed, and they said Lahore has to be made a place of peace, and if it is to be reinstated, state will have to get rid of his mischief and a list of miscreants was prepared in which over 80 names were there of those people who committed murder, theft, allowance theft and the fourth word written in it was Jagga Tax. Jagga Tax made it into history books and official records of government with its own criminal identity, such was the Jagga affect.
State vs Jagga Gujjar
The operation started, and it also came to light that the order to shoot sight was given. In two months Lahore police was given one lac rupees fund for the implementation of Goonda Act, people say that this one lac rupees was given to the police because of the fake police encounters. This was the beginning of the planned police encounters.
The SSP of Lahore Habib ur Rehman was the chief police officer of the city at the time. He himself lured Jagga into the trap under the supervision of DC Lahore and the Governor. Jagga was made to visit Lahore from occupied Kashmir using a police informer. The practice of blackout famous in those times was carried out for two consecutive days to make Jagga Gujjar believe that administration is busy in exercise, and it would be safe to visit Lahore where he wished to meet his lover and sick mother.
The plan worked and on the second day of blackout Jagga Gujjar entered Lahore where the chief police officer and entire force of Lahore was waiting for him. Now police accounts mention the traditional story of killing him in self-defense, they mention his nephew opened fire on the police and police opened fire under self-defense. In self-defense, police retaliated by firing, which killed both of them. It was the beginning of the story of police encounters. The same kind that are happening today, planned police encounters, have happened in the same way in the past 70 years, especially in Karachi, the same story, the same tradition of police encounters.
He was killed in police custody, and then they also say that his body was kept outside Bakar Mandi for people to come and end the terror. His body was kept outside Shera Kot, and it was duly announced that people should come and see why this was done. The disgrace that his dead body had faced, people also protested and made fun of it, but in the newspaper, a lot of articles were published on its negative effects, and it was said that the insult you have done to Jagga Gujjar after his death is an insult to humanity. The chapter of Jagga Gujjar was closed with such show of power by the state, and it had long-lasting effect on city’s peace but Jagga Gujjar and Jagga tax made it into history books because of the Aura he had in that era and his stories of terror echoes till date.