I am not Mahatma by Harshavardhan C (i am reading a book TXT) 📕

suspected by the Professor.

“I am, but I am totally unaware of the police ambush” The commander tried to defend himself.

“Are you sure that the area is not pre surveyed by the grey hounds?”

“I think so Professor, but it is quite unfortunate that we are ambushed”

“I am not asking your comments, but I have observed your feelings, and I could understand who is responsible for passing first hand information to the grey hounds”

“Trust me Professor”

“If anybody says that you are not a covert and an informer to cops, I will definitely trust you. Does anybody?” He asked the other Comrades.

Nobody dared to respond, or even tried to support him.

“I appeal to you Professor; you may once again verify my antecedents”

“Yes of course, I have verified many a times and finally I have concluded that you are the source to the cops and joined hands with them in killing our comrades.”

“Please, show me mercy Professor”

“Why should I show mercy on you? Is it for helping cops, or for betraying the party and its ideology?”

He couldn’t answer.

“I know you have no words. Anyway, come on tell me, for how much you are winning over?”

“I am sorry Professor, I have not taken anything from the cops, nor do I have links with them”

“I am again asking you straight for how many lakhs you are purchased by the cops?”

“I am sorry Professor. I am not a traitor. Please give me a chance. I will prove myself as a true comrade”

“Shut up you bastard, how shameful it is to call you a comrade? You have already proved yourself a source to the cops, but still you are quite naturally acting”

“I promise you Professor, I have not taken anything from anyone, nor have the cops given me any commitment? Please, trust me Professor”

“Then tell me to whom you are a covert?”

“I am not covert to anybody. It is sheer my bad luck that you have misunderstood me Professor”

“I will give you a chance; do you at least speak out truth now?”

“Thank you Professor” With found hope that he would be left free, he tried to replay.

“How many of our brothers died here? “The Professor questioned him straight.

“Twenty Professor” He gave the exact figure.

“No, it is twenty one…..”

The Professors shot him at point blank with his 9mm pistol and the bullet went through his left temple region. He fell on the ground and died instantaneously in a pool of blood.

“Will you please answer my next question gentlemen?” He waited for other’s reply.

None dared to reply him.

“Of course, I know none of you come forward voluntarily to answer me. Anyway I cannot keep myself silent without probing the matter. I openly ask you, why have you failed to shoot Mrs. Rebecca Solomon?” The Professor put another question to the rest of them.

“As there is cross firing, bomb blasts and Ariel bombing nothing is visible to us Professor”

“I see, and then what have you done when firing is going on in between cops and our comrades, including you?” There was change in the pitch of voice of the Professor.

He seriously looked into the eyes of one of the Commanders of the armed squads.

Time and again, the Professor asked the same question.

“Yes Professor I have been assigned the task of shooting Mrs. Rebecca Solomon, but I couldn’t” The same Commander of the armed squad in low voice.

“Are you present nearby Mrs. Rebecca Solomon with a 9mm pistol and hand grenades?”

“Yes Professor”

“Then why have you not fired at her point blank?” so saying the Professor looked at him straight into his eyes.

“Yes Professor”

“I am asking you again; is there Ariel attack by Police?”

“Yes Professor”

“Then, are you the only the comrade unhurt, when there is Ariel attack by cops?”

He could not reply the Professor immediately.

“Come on comrade, speak out the truth”

He became stale. His head automatically gown down. The race of death fear was visible in his eyes. He understood that he could not escape death in the hands of the Professor.

When once he felt that death was inevitable, he immediately took out his 9mm pistol and cocked it and aimed at the Professor. Even before he sets his aim, the Professor fired at him and the bullet went through the commander, pierceing into his left side of the chest, and the latter crooked down on the ground in a pool of blood and died instaneusly.

“My dear comrades the dead person is one of the most trustworthy Commander of one of our Armed Squads. But he was won over by Mrs. Rebecca Solomon, for which he paid heavy penalty, of course, his life. Now I doubt who will guard the guards? I don’t understand, what happened to our ideology? What is taught in the orientation classes?” The Professor alias R.K burst out.

The other comrades were silent. They fear to see R.K with such anger.

“All that taught is only to inculcate our ideology. But it has gone to dogs. What is the outcome of plenary? And how come there are betrayer cropping up like weeds? What is the great divide? Who else is responsible?” R.K continued.

R.K alias Ravikiran alias Professor was one of the Central Committee Members. He observed the area and had been obvering it minutely, where a serious debacle took place, where his most trustworthy comrades laid down their lives. He thought he could finish off the betrayers. Now, he was thinking how to improve confidence among his Comrades.

The gun down culture of the Professor, which was applied against the betrayers, was right or wrong? Could it improve the organization? It may be true for the time being. But it was equally true that their actions might keep all of them under fear of death. But could it improve at least a decimal in their ideology? It was only the time that can Judge better.

 

34

 

The O.S.D just entered the chamber of the D.G of A.P State.

“Mr.Rau,who admitted Mrs.Rebecca Solomon in surgical ward?”

The O.S.D was not offered a chair, instead he was put an embarrassed question by the chief of the cops.

“Sir, may I take seat?”

The Chief looked at him with little irritation.

The O.S.D seriously pulled the chair and sat in it.

“I repeat who has admitted her?”The Chief again asked him in little harsh.

His blood boiled .There were two reasons for the Chief to lose his temper, one was that the O.S.D didn’t answer his question, and the second one was, the way the O.S.D behaved with the chief.

In paramilitary forces, discipline was the prerequisite qualification for an officer. At the same time politeness was an additional star for cops. Those who were having both these qualities would be called as gentlemen Police. In western countries, such a cop was called affectionately as London Bobby.

There were certain specialized branches in Police, which require trust, confidence, sacrifice, sincerity and hard work, besides the above two qualities of head and heart. Trust was an abstract word. It meant belief, with varying degrees.

Confidence meant the ability and capability of the individual. Sacrifice might mean bountiful and offering one’s ownself for the leader, for the subordinates, and ultimately for the State. Sincerity meant commitment to do the duty or to attend to the task.

Those who were having all these qualities naturally would neither care any acquisitions nor show any extra loyalties to their boss. Mr. Rau was perhaps with the same temper, behaved as he used to be.

“Mr.Rau”

“Sir, let me answer” Even before the chief could complete, the O.S.D interrupted him.

“Okay, tell me”

“I only admitted Madam Rebecca Solomon in surgical ward, immediately after the crossfire, what is wrong in it Sir?”

“Are you questioning me? Or answering my queries? First of all you must learn discipline Mr.Rau”

“Sorry sir, I couldn’t understand what do you mean by discipline? I feel discipline may mean manners also”

“I see, thanks for enlighten me on manners Mr.Rau. Anyway when you are questioned, you are supposed to answer your boss, and that of course is manners. And are you not taught that much in your training gentleman?”

“Yes sir I have learnt and that is what I have done”

“What?”

“Yes Sir, I am not in a probationer to be taught Sir”

“I see! Then why have you instructed the head nurse to administer tranquilizer to an operated patient? Are you a Police officer? Or doctor?”

“Sir you have heard one side only. But you have not given me a chance to give my explanation”

“Don’t try to narrate stories to me Mr.Rau”

“No sir, I am not and I need not also”

“It’s alright you better give your explanation for this”

“What is it sir?”

“Take the order and acknowledge”

“Is it regarding my transfer order?”

“I know transfer is nothing for you Mr.Rau”

“Is it surrendering my services to the parent department?”

“No….No…. You will be a dead wait there also”

“Then what else can I expect from my officer sir?”

“Mr. Rau you are kept under suspension, take this order and acknowledge it”

The O.S.D took the orders and acknowledged it.

“Mr. Rau, I pity you”

“What for Sir? And its okay Sir, I thank you for suspending me after I have put in twenty five years of unblamish service in the department”

“I am sorry; prima facie there are serious allegations against you Mr.Rau”

“Sorry Sir, is it your inference? Or anybody’s?”

“Dr.Arjun and Honey both have complained against you Mr. Rau”

“Has Mrs. Rebecca Solomon complained against me sir?”

“No, she is still on bed, taking rest”

“Sir, but before initiating a disciplinary action against me, I expected my kind officer might have examined Mrs. Rebecca Solomon, but it was not done in my case, which is against principles of natural justice, isn’t sir?” The O.S.D point blank questioned the D.G.

The D.G was looking at the walls; where there were meaningful quotations displayed in frames and fixed on the walls here and there. The officer was seriously thinking about the last comment made by the O.S.D.

Yes, it was true that he made a mistake for not examining Mrs. Rebecca Solomon. But, the O.S.D’s carrier was already guillotined. Now the D.G was feeling sorry for what he did hastily. He found the OSD saluted him and turned back and there was no any feeling either positive or negative in his face that was the steburn condut and character of the OSD, a unique quality of the uniformed officer.

Individuals may have apathies, and sympathies. Some human beings may be humane. But people by and large are selfish. Police are neither humane nor divine, but their only concern is discipline. It is a well-known fact that in uniformed services by and large in the name of discipline slavery is going on.

35

“Good morning aunty” Honey, while entering the room greeted Mrs. Rebecca Solomon.

“Very bad morning for me Honey”

“What happened aunty?” She was surprised by her response.

“Where is Arjun?” She asked her seriously.

“He is busy in arranging Ambulance to take you home aunty”

“Why have you complained against the O.S.D?”

She never expected that she would ask her about reporting, because Arjun assured her that he himself complained and that she was only cited as witness.

“I am asking you again, please answer me Honey”

“The O.S.D is very selfish and his crookedness knows no bounds aunty”

“Who told you? Has Arjun?”

“No, aunty”

“Then how do you know? Please don’t try to bluff me”

Honey couldn’t have any answer.

In the meantime, Arjun rushed in.

“Honey, will you please packup mum’s luggage and ambulance is ready?” He requested her.

“I am not coming Arjun” Mrs.Rebecca Solomon denied.

“You are already discharged mum. You can take further treatment at home”

“Please leave me alone here Arjun. I don’t want to step into the bungalow”

“What happened to you, mum?”

“Arjun, aunty is serious about complaining against the O.S.D”

“I am sorry mum you are too generous.You may have absolute faith in your hierarchy. You may even suspect us, but I know you never distrust your professional colleagues”

On hearing Arjun’s complements rather comments about her; Mrs. Rebecca Solomon looked at him seriously.

“I know, you will never agree with me, but it is not only my opinion, but public by and large is feeling the same about you mum”

“Bloody stupidity, I will not flatter for your superlative complements Arjun”

Colors changed in the