Can the soul of justice beat within a framework of iron and wires?
“Can a human heart beat in the chest of a steel robot? And if that same machine stands tall for humanity against corruption in the system, can the people sitting in positions of power take away its uniform, identity and self-respect?”
This is not a simple question, but the foundation of the battle of ideologies fought in Raj Comics’ issue ‘Barood’ (No. 685), published in 1996. In the 90s, when superheroes like Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva and Doga were fighting enormous and imaginary threats in the world of Indian comics with their amazing powers and martial arts, during the same period, writer Hanif Azhar and artist Naresh Kumar created a very serious, realistic and emotional cyborg world in the form of ‘Inspector Steel’.
‘Barood’ is not just a simple story about the sound of bullets and the beating of villains. It is a story about the corruption spread within the police system, rising terrorism under the protection of political power, and the self-respect of Inspector Amar, who is imprisoned inside a body of steel. It not only thrills readers but also shakes them to the core.
Specialty of ‘Inspector Steel’ in the 90s
Inspector Steel’s debut in the Raj Comics universe is said to have been inspired by RoboCop, but in the Indian setting, he had an entirely different emotional foundation. After Inspector Amar’s attempted murder, scientist Dr. Anees created ‘Inspector Steel’ by transplanting his brain into a powerful steel body.
The specialty of ‘Barood’ is that Steel is not portrayed as an invincible god here. He is an employee bound by the law, whom corrupt officials suddenly declare ‘unfit’ and throw out onto the streets. This realism makes this comic a cult classic.
The full story of ‘Barood’: from the check post to the warehouse of death
The honesty and courage of Sub-Inspector Salma being sold at the check post
The story begins at a police check post built on the outskirts of Rajnagar. Havildar Khanna, posted at this check post to prevent illegal weapons from entering the metropolis, accepts a bribe of a few rupees and allows trucks full of weapons to enter the city with his eyes closed. Two trucks pass through easily, but then the fearless Sub-Inspector Salma, who is on a special patrol, arrives there.
Salma lowers the barrier to stop the third truck. When the havildar makes excuses, this dialogue from Salma delivers a sharp slap to the system: “The world sifts wheat, Havildar, but Salma sifts even the flour!” Seeing the truth being exposed, the truck driver tries to crush Salma, breaks through the barrier and escapes.
Steel’s action and the fidayeen blast on a 1000cc superbike
Salma chases the truck on her bike despite being shot. The terrorists hiding in the truck rain bullets on her with AK-47s. When Salma asks for backup from police headquarters, corrupt DCP Agadekar tries to go there himself to save his handlers’ truck. But the honest Commissioner Gupta, understanding Agadekar’s intentions, immediately sends a message to ‘Inspector Steel’ over the wireless.
Steel arrives on his roaring 1000cc superbike and lands directly in front of the truck’s cabin after making an astonishing leap through the air. The truck collides with a tree and stops. Steel knocks out the terrorists, but then a loyal terrorist yells: “Swami said to die rather than fall into the hands of the police… I’ll blow up this tin can too, along with the thousands of kilos of gunpowder loaded in this truck!”
Without caring for her own life, Salma pushes Steel into a distant ditch just before the explosion occurs. The truck is blown to pieces with a terrifying bang, and the two narrowly escape.
Power trap: The excuse of an ‘emotional robot’ and the conspiracy to suspend him
The main leader of this gang is ‘Swami’, a powerful mafia leader dressed in saffron clothes. Angered by the truck being caught, Swami threatens Home Ministry Principal Secretary Tripathi over the phone: “You are the Principal Secretary to the Home Minister! Make some arrangements for that Inspector Steel; otherwise, you know that ‘Swami’s’ hands are longer than God’s hands!”
Tripathi immediately reaches Commissioner Gupta’s office and puts pressure on him. Commissioner Gupta explains that Steel is not a machine, but that Amar’s mind is inside him and he is completely fit, both mentally and physically. Tripathi falsely argues: “If the emotions in his mind increase to the point of madness, this powerful robot created by Dr. Anees will become a disaster for the city!”
An arbitrary order is issued to suspend Steel immediately on the pretext of a major scientific investigation.
The pain of losing the uniform and Amar’s incomplete search
Commissioner Gupta delivers the suspension order to Steel with a heavy heart: “Give me your service pistol and erase the word ‘Inspector’ from your hand monitor for now… From today, you are just Steel.”
Steel quietly hands over his belt and revolver without making any protest. After this insult, when Dr. Anees asks him to return home, Steel says something emotional: “After being suspended from the job, I have to find a motive to keep myself alive… And that motive is my wife and my child!”
On the other hand, Salma, who is on patrol, wonders: “Amar’s wife could not live with him when he was a human being; will she be able to accept this robot? Will a child accept a machine as his father?”
A live encounter with a time bomb and Salma’s lone fight in the warehouse
While patrolling the road, Salma notices a lame man whom she once saved from being run over by a train. The lame man is running away after placing a suspicious briefcase near a tall building. Salma catches him, and he confesses that the briefcase contains a time bomb that is going to explode within a few moments.
To save hundreds of innocent people, Salma runs through the crowd, risking her life and holding the ticking bomb in her hands. She opens a roadside gutter lid with lightning speed and leaps away after throwing the bomb inside. The gutter is blown to pieces, but the city is saved from a major catastrophe.
After interrogating the lame man, Salma enters the terrorists’ hidden warehouse alone, where RDX, rocket launchers and foreign-made guns are piled up. She fights the terrorists alone, but unfortunately runs out of all six bullets in her service revolver.
Bloody battle: “Not Inspector, just Steel!”
Swami, who is keeping an eye on the warehouse through CCTV cameras, orders his two most dreaded and demon-like wrestlers—‘Powerful’ and ‘All-Powerful’—to eliminate Salma. These huge WWF-style goons beat Salma mercilessly and throw her into the air.
When both wrestlers are about to launch their final fatal attack on Salma, two steely hands suddenly catch their fists in mid-air. Salma calls out in shock: “Inspector Steel!”
Steel replies in a steely voice:
“Not Inspector Steel, Salma… Steel! Just Steel!”
After this, a terrifying side of Steel is revealed. With heavy blows to their chests and powerful steely punches, he breaks the bones of both wrestlers and knocks them to the ground.
The emotional ending that made history in Indian comics
After knocking the goons unconscious, Steel unknowingly blurts out: “Now I would arrest all of them… Oh, sorry! I can’t even arrest them! I no longer have that authority… You arrest them, Salma!”
Salma’s eyes fill with tears. She says: “Steel, I understand very well the emotion and pain hidden in these words of yours. The fact that you are no longer an inspector is tormenting your mind… But Inshallah, you will be reinstated soon.”
The final page of the comic is counted among the most emotional scenes in the history of Raj Comics:
“Inspector Steel kept looking at her with those mechanical eyes of his. If they had been real eyes, they would undoubtedly have been filled with tears…”
Analysis of the thoughts and emotions of the main characters
Inspector Steel/Amar (The crisis of his identity and self-esteem)
Steel rises from being a machine to becoming a ‘tragic hero’ (Tragic Hero) in this issue. His steel body may withstand bullets and bombs, but when his ‘duty’ and ‘uniform’ are taken away from him, the person within him, Amar, is devastated. Reaching Salma’s rescue without a weapon despite his suspension proves that khaki is not just a piece of cloth, but a passion.
Sub-Inspector Salma (The true backbone of the story)
Salma is not just the co-heroine of this comic, but the main character (Main Catalyst) who drives the story forward. She stops the truck alone. She saves the city by throwing the bomb into the gutter. She single-handedly raids the weapons warehouse.
At the same time, her old, unspoken attachment to Amar and her sympathy for Steel add emotional depth to the story.
Commissioner Gupta vs Secretary Tripathi (Honesty vs political corruption)
While Commissioner Gupta is a symbol of law and honesty, Tripathi represents a corrupt administrative system that has surrendered to politicians and the mafia. The dialogue between these two is the strongest part of the comic’s ideological conflict.
Review of the artwork, illustrations and writing style
Naresh Kumar’s pencils and Jaswant Singh Nar’s inking
The classic 90s artwork is extremely raw and realistic. The bike leaping through the air, the dark atmosphere of the warehouse, the textures of the guns and Steel’s facial expressions—especially the helplessness visible in his helmet-like eyes—are beautifully illustrated.
Hanif Azhar’s script and dialogues
Hanif Azhar’s writing is fast-paced and effective. Nowhere in the comic is the story stretched unnecessarily. The realistic portrayal of the check post and the pain-filled dialogue in the climax leave a deep impression on the reader’s heart.
Main question: Is ‘Barood’ found only in explosives?
The title ‘Barood’ is not merely a reference to the RDX loaded in the trucks. It is the gunpowder within those burning questions that this comic places before us:
Can a society accept a protector who looks different from its people and is a machine?
Does a corrupt system always make its most honest officer a scapegoat?
Does humanity reside in bones and flesh, or in thoughts and actions?
Raj Comics’ ‘Barood’ (Issue No. 685) is a precious gem in the world of Indian comics. If you want to read a serious, dark, political and heart-touching crime thriller that is different from stories based only on superpowers and fantasy, ‘Barood’ should be at the top of your wish list. This issue proves that even though a uniform can be taken away, the soul of a true soldier can never be suspended.
