THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUG 20: Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta today expressed concern over the recent spate of killings in Mumbai and doubted whether the present administration was ``up to the challenge thrown up by the mafia gangs''.

``I gave them (the Shiv Sena Government) an open warning when I was in Mumbai, that if this kind of thing happens again, the Centre will be forced to take drastic action'', Gupta told a press conference here.

``At that time, the guilty people were in the Shiv Sena. They were very much on the defensive then. When you create a whole body of hoodlums and criminals, they do not always abide by your wishes or instructions'', the Home Minister said.

Gupta also expressed uncertainty over whether the Government would be able to control the menace of gang killings as vast sums of money were involved. The Home Minister said the mafia gangs which now dominated Mumbai not only killed film personalities but also each other.

They were operating with vast funds of money at their disposal and generally used supari (hired) killers, he said, adding that their main targets were people with ``a lot of money and property''. The ordinary citizen was not threatened so much as far as his life was concerned, he said.

The situation was different in the North-East where ordinary people were also being killed, he said. Asked if the Centre would dismiss the Assam and Maharashtra Governments, the Union Minister said, ``Regarding Article 356, we have to be cautious''.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.