SUDHAR GHAR (THE REFORMATORY)

FROM THE AUTHOR

I have been busy in giving a fictional form to the Criminal Justice System for the last about eighteen years. After Tafteesh (Investigation) and Katehra (The Dock), I am feeling some mental satisfaction by presenting the last novel in the trilogy, Sudhar Ghar (The Reformatory).
I have a personal experience of the working and methodology of our police culture and the judiciary. As such, I faced no difficulty whatsoever in writing my first two novels; neither did I feel the need of any assistance in the matter. However, my pen came to a halt at the third novel of this trilogy. A good deal of literature has already been produced on prison life in almost all languages of the world. What new could I write? With this thought in mind, I was rather afraid of going to the swayamber ,(bride winning competition), like Ravana of the yore. Dr. Harbhajan Singh Bhatia constantly encouraged me to go ahead with the writing. Kaurav Sabha (Kaurav’s Court) was a result of his motivation. He suggested time and again that I should complete the trilogy but I did not have the courage to take up the pen.
My faltering mind picked up determination at the inspiration of Mr. Varinder Walia, a Senior Journalist. I happened to meet him at the residence of Dr. Bhatia on 25 January, 2004. During the conversation, he asked me about my next plan. I told him about Sudhar Ghar. He published some parts of this conversation in The Daily Tribune on 26 January, 2004. As this article got published, I started receiving frequent phone calls from many people. ‘Where shall I get this novel?’ `When will it be published?’ Like Hanuman, I realized the creative energy hidden inside me. All of a sudden, I decided to cross the ocean with a single leap as Hanuman had done.
I have an intimate knowledge of the economic, social, and psychological background of the prisoners but I had no experience of the inner life of our jails. Neither did I know the vocabulary connected with the prison life. This problem was solved to an extent by my friend and co-villager, Mr.Jagdish Kumar, IPS. He took me around many jails and introduced me to the jail structure and the jail life to a considerable extent. Another friend, Master Jhajh (he has not permitted me to give his full name), who had experienced the hard life of jails for many years, helped me in the matter. I had long interviews with him and he filled many a gap about my information about jails.
I prepared the notes and started writing. Due to cervical problem, my neck started giving me great trouble. The columnist, Ramesh Bagga Chauhla, offered his services. He wrote the first script of the novel.
I write literature with a particular objective in mind. It was the last novel of a big project; even a small error could reduce it to nothing. I handed over the manuscript to Dr. T.R.Vinod for his comments and suggestions. He offered many valuable suggestions to me and I followed them. He is responsible for the present profile of the main character of this novel, Hakim.
While writing these words, I am reminded of Dr. Kesar Singh Kesar. Before he left for his heavenly abode, he had advised me: “Don’t do it in a hurry. However, don’t become quiet for another ten years. You must complete the trilogy. I want to read the complete novel before I die.” In order to abide by his command, I did work with some haste. It is however a pity that he could not keep his promise!
I am a great admirer of Mr. Gursharan Singh. The character actor of this novel, Baba Gurdit Singh, is in fact his own image. He is spending the evening of his life. May he live long! I strongly feel that ‘nothing in me is mine; everything in me is Thine.’ According to this holy hymn, I strongly wish whatever I have received from him should be returned in doubled or tripled measure to pay my debt of gratitude to him. I am very happy that this desire of mine has been fulfilled.
Three literary workers, Dr. Bhim Inder Singh, poet Tarsem, and Balvinder Gagan deserve my special thanks. They have corrected the manuscript and removed the errors of spellings diligently.

20.10.2005 Mittar Sain Meet


EPISODE 1

Pala and Meeta were sentenced to life imprisonment for the serious crime of kidnapping an innocent child, asking for ransom, and then murdering him for not getting the demanded money. In order to disturb peace in the state, unscrupulous terrorists kept on committing such crimes frequently. Pala and Meeta had also committed this crime with this objective.
The advocates on both sides offered their long arguments in favour and against the case. Keeping in view the sensitive nature of the case, the court was required to take a rational decision. It was late in the evening when the proceedings came to a close and the judgement was pronounced.
The city jail was quite small. Only the undertrials or prisoners with minor offences were kept there. The dangerous terrorist imprisoned for life were often sent to the Central Jail.
The Central Jail was situated in Maya Nagar which was about a hundred kilometers from the place.
It was perhaps the first case of its kind in the state when the militants were awarded a sentence, otherwise they were often acquitted in most of the cases.
It was quite likely that the militants would try to get their companions freed when the police van took them on the long route of about a hundred kilometers. The alert police had made elaborate security arrangements on the route leading to Maya Nagar.

A bullet-proof van was used to take the dangerous prisoners from one place to another. Pala and Meeta were shut inside the van and could not see what was happening outside.
Visit to jail was nothing new for both the convicts. They had been arrested by the police many times earlier for small crimes but in most of the cases, they were acquitted. Sometimes, they had to undergo a sentence term for two, three, or at the most six months. Even half of this term was spent during the period of trial. The remaining term of one or two months was completed by them quite easily. The award of life sentence this time had stunned them both.
Earlier, when they went to attend the court, they used to keep talking to each other. When they came to the prison, they had a lot of fun with the undertrials in the jail. All of them kept on laughing and enjoying themselves. They knew that the case filed against them was false, whatever the police, their witnesses, and other people might say. What was the truth? It was not hidden from them. Whatever punishment they got earlier was the result of their actual crimes. They got the sentence for the crimes committed by them and they were acquitted if they were innocent. They were quite sure of acquittal in this case. Moreover, the entire city supported them. There were strikes in the city, sit-in protests, and processions to get them released. The top advocates of the city were there to fight their cases. They always hoped to be acquitted and never thought of an adverse judgment.
It was a bolt from the blue for them and they had forgotten to talk to each other. The prospects of a bleak future disturbed them and they were lost to themselves. Pala was a married man. He had to take care of his family problems. His parents had become old. His young sisters had to get married. It was with great difficulty that he himself was able to get married. After his arrest, a baby girl was born to him at his house. Whenever he remained imprisoned for two or four months, his family used to face a lot of inconvenience. After the pronouncement of life sentence in this case, his wife was bound to be taken away to her parental home and remarried elsewhere for money.
Banto was already not happy at Pala’s home. Why should she suffer for life for the life sentence awarded to her husband? She had got an excellent excuse to shed the veil of family honour. He was likely to get the news that his wife had deserted his home and gone to her parents’ house. He could not say what would become of his newly-born daughter whom he had not yet seen properly. He was quite obsessed with such worries.
Meeta was a confirmed bachelor. Pick-pocketing was his favourite profession. Sometimes, he would follow his victim upto Delhi. He had learned to

live at different places in his criminal pursuits. Living at a fixed place was like a beast of burden toiling on an oil mill.
The suffocating atmosphere of the jail was not new to Meeta, but he was terribly afraid this time about the atmosphere in the jail to which he was being taken.
The Central Jail had been built on a levelled hillock in the city. Although the government had selected this spot due to the low cost of the land, yet the prisoners took it the other way. The land had still the elements of sand below. The entire Jail compound was full of about a foot deep sand. The Jail officials had no need of putting chains in the feet of the prisoners. The sand did the job of the chains. The Jail officials did not let it be removed; it was easy for them to keep the prisoners under control due to the sand. There was not even a single shady tree in the Jail. The government had its own logic for not planting trees there. Since the soil was sandy, they could not water them as they could hardly get enough drinking water. Where could the water to irrigate the trees come from? However the prisoners were not so simple-minded. They understood the reason behind the policy of the government. It was easy for the security guards to keep a vigil over the prisoners moving in the open ground. The officials were more worried about their own convenience than the facilities for the prisoners. Due to the wide-spread sand and the lack of greenry, the prisoners were quite tired of looking at the high and dry walls of the prison. They could not find any dog or cat there; even a sparrow or a crow was not visible anywhere near the prison.
Meeta was aware of each inch of the route where their van was moving for taking them to the Central Jail. There was pitch darkness inside the van for security reasons; the two little openings in the van were completely covered. However, Meeta was able to imagine the scene outside in his mind. The branches of the trees on both sides of the road were moving gently in the small breeze. The birds sitting over them were chirping. The working women in the green fields were making sounds trying to make fun of one another. Labourers and farmers going to their homes on their bikes and carts were singing aloud while moving.
Meeta was very fond of touring and enjoying the greenlands. He wanted to preserve the scenes outsides into his mind so that he could spend his life sentence in a desert area thinking of the beautiful scenes of nature kept in his memory. However, he was sitting in the pitch dark of the van and his sentence had started even before reaching the Jail.
Pala and Meeta were involved in their worries to such an extent that they could not know when their van had started and when it had come to a halt.
As the van stopped, their police escort came into action. There was a sound of whistles and movement of heavy boots, which made them guess that their destination had arrived.
The head-constable of the guard took out a key from his pocket, opened the lock of the van, and examined the handcuffs of the prisoners to satisfy himself that every thing was all right. Then he ordered them to come out of the van.
The police officer sitting in the jeep moving ahead of the van had already alerted the watchman. The companions of these dangerous prisoners had the courage to get them freed even at the gate of the jail. The police could not take the risk of the prisoners being freed in this manner. As such, he had taken permission to take the van near the main gate of the Jail beforehand.
As the van reached the gate of the Jail, the watchman immediately opened the small window in the big gate.
After getting out of the van, Pala and Meeta were ordered to run towards the gate. Before entering the gate, Meeta tried to look back to have a glimpse of the people moving there and enjoy a view of the green fields. He was soon hit with a blow on his back and he felt giddy with the powerful stroke.
“Whom are you waiting for? Nobody has come to set you free.” The head-constable pulled the chain of their handcuffs and dragged them towards the small window taking them inside the entrance lobby of the Jail.

EPISODE 2

Both of them lost their balance due to the sudden strokes. Because of a weak leg, Pala fell down on the floor with a thud. His ankles and knees were bruised. Blood began to ooze out of the bruises. Afraid of further violence, Pala moved towards a corner trying to overcome the pain he was feeling due to the injuries.
Meeta was more agile. He controlled himself despite the wild push and saved himself from any injury. In order to avoid the crowd, he moved near Pala and began to take stock of the entrance lobby of the Jail. ‘As a village is known by the piles of dung-cakes outside the village, a jail is known by its entrance lobby which suggests the environment inside.’ Meeta began to try this lesson of his teacher. With its demon-like long and wide gates, the entrance lobby of the Jail seemed to be like any other jail to Meeta. Likewise, there were offices of the jail officials on the left side and those of the jail officers on the right side. A black notice board was hung on a wall of the lobby, which showed the names of the officials on duty in the Jail. Near the notice board, there was a man-size looking glass which reflected the images of the prisoners and officials coming and going there. On the opposite side of the notice board, there were two big hooks on the wall. A bugle was hanging on one of the hooks; it was blown during an emergency. A strong bell was hanging on the other hook; it was struck after every hour. Near the bell, there was a box on the wall with several bunches of keys on hangers. The watchman of the inner door was standing on guard with his gun on his shoulder. A big table was lying near him with a daily diary register lying on it. The Prisoner Munshi, a prisoner working as a clerk, was busy making entries in the register.
The only difference that Meeta could discern was that the length and breath of the lobby was slightly bigger and the floor was made of bricks. Due to a larger number of officers, the number of jail inmates on duty was also higher. Wearing white shirt and trousers, some jail inmate was carrying trays of tea cups while some other was carrying registers outside the offices. Having a long experience of

jail life, the faces of these inmates did not express any tension or worries. It appeared that these inmates had adapted themselves according to their situation.
Meeta felt somewhat relieved at seeing these peaceful prisoners serving the officers in the lobby.
With the entry of Pala and Meeta in the lobby the lazy police officials and officers became active.
According to the Jail Manual, only those prisoners who reached the lobby of the Jail by 5 p.m. were allowed to enter the jail. The prisoners coming late had to spend the night in some police station. Due to disturbed conditions, the police officials in different police stations were reluctant to let such prisoners spend the night in their police stations. In order to escape inconvenience, the police personnel, who came to escort these prisoners to the jail, always tried that they should reach there before 5 p.m.
Two other prisoners were also sentenced by other courts. The police personnel had reached the Jail with these prisoners at four p.m. Those police personnel were trying to get relieved at the earliest. They had also brought their prisoners from a distance of about fifty miles. Due to the disturbed days, the buses stopped plying at the sunset. The uniformed police personnel were at greater risk than the common people. If they were not relieved well in time, they had to spend the night in some nearby police station. They were also likely to be reprimanded by their officers the next day. They were likely to be blamed for getting late deliberately in order to spend a night at home.
The Jail officials understood their compulsion, but the police personnel did not appreciate their problem. It was for the first time that two militants were awarded a prison sentence. Surprisingly, half of the city considered these militants quite innocent. A procession was taken out to support them and a function was being held in this connection. There was sloganeering against the judge in the court. The police was afraid of both sides. The militants could attack the van on the way and get the militants freed. Keeping the dangerous militants after the sentence in the police station was not without risk. The militants could attack the police station and try to free them. Keeping in view the sensitive nature of the case, the district administration had already informed the Jail authorities about it. The daily diary register and other relevant registers of the Jail were to be kept open. There could be some delay in bringing the militants to the Jail. Slight delay turned into a long delay. The Jail officers were not at fault in this case.
The police officials were blaming the Jail officials that they were delaying things deliberately. The Jail officials could get the warrants of the prisoners and issue the arrival reports to them; they could complete other formalities later.
The Jail officers were saying that it was not a police station where the daily diary register could be kept open as long as desired and necessary entries could be made later. The incoming prisoners were very dangerous. They could be freed on the way or could die in encounter. Before those prisoners arrived in the Jail in proper condition, the Jail officers could not enter the arrival of earlier prisoners in the diary. The arrival receipts to be issued to the police officials were to bear the report number and the time of their arrival, which could not be done before all the prisoners reached the Jail.
As soon as Pala and Meeta arrived at the Jail, this discussion was over. Forgetting all shortcomings, everyone was trying to help one another.
The first prisoners to arrive was wearing a white kurta (loose shirt) and pyjama; he was rather an obese rich man. He was wearing a heavy golden chain in his pig-like fat neck. He was wearing an equally heavy golden bangle on his right wrist and golden rings in three fingers of his each hand. Meeta's eyes were fixed upon him. A heavy wallet was swinging under the handkerchief in the right side pocket of his kurta. It was full of bank notes. Meeta's piercing eyes had easily come to this conclusion.
"He seems to be some innocent person. He has come to the jail loaded with golden jewellery as if a newly-wed bride was going to her in-law's house. The fool does not know that he will be robbed as soon as he enters the Circle, the Control Room."
Being conversant with the rules and regulations of the jail, Meeta shared his apprehension with Pala.
" He will reach a superior barrack with the help of his wealth."
Pala concluded on the basis of his experience.
"What use is his wealth to us?" Saying so, Meeta took his sight away from the rich man and began to look at the other prisoners.
The second prisoner seemed to be highly depressed and it was not possible to judge his age. Sometimes, he looked to be a young man and sometimes, a middle-aged person. From the changing expressions of his face, he seemed to be a brave person sometimes and a cowardly fellow at the other time. From his worn out shirt and trousers, he appeared to be from an ordinary family. He was conscious of the rules and regulations of the Jail. He had neither a purse in his pocket and nor a ring on his finger. There were some pieces of paper in his pocket which might contain some odd bank notes. A long slang bag was hanging from his shoulder; it contained some books. From his bag, it could be guessed that he was a political worker and was sentenced to prison in some political case. However his yellow face seemed to contradict such a guess.
“Who is he? We will come to know quite soon. Let the warrants be opened."
Thinking so, Meeta began to wait for further proceedings. The rich man had come earlier. The head-constable accompanying him was to be relieved earlier after getting a green signal from the Munshi. The head-constable took the rich man quickly to the office. The alert Munshi had already completed the formalility of writing. He completed the remaining work in a couple of minutes and handed over a slip of arrival to the head-constable. The delighted head- constable handed over the arm of the rich man to the old warder sitting in the lobby and left in haste.
Having spent many hours with the head-constable, the rich man had developed intimacy with the him. As soon as he left him, the rich man was feeling lonely and looking all over in a frightened manner as if a cow had been lost in a cattle fair.
Making the rich man sit beside him, the old warder began to perform his official duty. He advised:

"Spend your time here with courage. If you lose heart, you wo’nt be able to pass a single long day easily. If you accept the situation, you will be able to spend years at this place in no time."
Pala and Meeta had not come to the jail for the first time. They were used to such advice on every occasion. It appeared as if the government had appointed the old warder only to boost the morale of the prisoners. Diverting their attention from the words of the old warder, they became curious about the young man.
The old warder had to perform his official duty. Like the priest from holy Hardwar, he had to recite the usual hyms before the new prisoners. "Try to accept the punishment willingly. If you have committed the crime, try to consider this punishment as an opportunity to repent cheerfully. The burden of this crime would not leave you till your next birth. If you have not committed the crime and got the sentence despite your innocence, you should take it as a consequence of your bad deeds in the past birth. You will get happiness in the next birth."
Meeta was laughing inwardly at the preaching of the old man. After the preaching was over, the old warder would start converting these days of comfort into the days of sufferings. Meeta knew it from his experience.
The next prisoner was called to the office for completing the formalities. Pala and Meeta were already indifferent to the pieces of advice by the old warder. The mind of the rich man was also staggering elsewhere.
The white hair of the old warder was the outcome of his long experience. He was appointed to acquaint the new prisoners with official instructions and rules and regulations of the Jail. Being the oldest in age and the most experienced in service, the old warder had been selected for this task by the Jail Superintendent. With his preachings, he had done his duty; the remaining lessons could be learnt by the prisoner from his own experience.
After performing his official duty, the old warder began to perform his personal duty.
"What is your name Seth Ji?"
The old warder had guessed that Pala and Meeta had nothing to offer. On the other hand, the rich man was full of wealth. The old warder had better befriend the rich fat man.
“I am Seth Subhash Jain and am a famous contractor from Bathinda," Jain had started introducing himself when the old warder interrupted him in between.
"You should forget now that you are a Seth. For us, you are only a convict. The court has sentenced you to rigorous imprisonment. All your jewellery and clothes will be taken off. You will go to the factory for labour in the morning and you will be required to wear Khadi (coarse cloth) kurta-payjama. You will have to put on the uniform of labourers. I am explaining all this to you so that you may reconcile yourself to the situation and forget your state of wealth. You will be able to pass your days only by facing the truth."
The old warder hit the nail on the head. The Seth began to perspire. His hands and feet began to shake and his heartbeat became fast. "Listen to me, please," Jain put his hand on the shoulder of the warder and led to him to the vacant room of the Jail Superintendent in the office. He took out his wallet and pulled out some currency notes which he rolled like a candle and put it in the warder’s pocket.
"I have to talk to somebody on the phone. Please allow me to use the phone."
"It is the official phone. Even I am not permitted to use this phone. How can I allow you to use it?"
" I am not going to misuse the phone. I have only to give a message to my family. I had talked to the judge. I was to be acquitted but the worse happened. I wonder why I was sentenced by the judge. I touch your feet. Let me have a phone call. My sugar level is increasing. My heart is going to fail. I might die."
" Dont worry, I can help you to talk to the head-constable of the Circle. He will himself take you to a proper place."
"My worker had come with me. He must have rung up my friends. I have only to ask my friend whether he had talked to the Jail officers or not."
Jain was finding it difficult to stand. He fell upon the chair lying in the office of the Jail Superintendent; his heart was throbbing fast. With trembling hands, he took out his purse and handed over a bundle of hundred-rupee notes to the warder.
“Now he has come on the line," mused the warder.
He became less strict towards him thereafter.
"I can allow you to use the phone once, at a great personal risk to my official position. Don’t ask me for another." Saying so, the warder took up the phone and put it before Jain.
Due to nervousness, Jain was not able to remember the telephone numbers. He was pressing buttons unwittingly. After a good deal of effort, he was able to get the right connection.
"We are trying our best. The doctor has gone to the club. The Jail Superintendent has also left for a friend’s house. However, you should not worry. Everything will be all right within an hour."
After the phone call, the tension of Seth Jain increased instead of becoming less. The written formalities were going to be completed. After a few minutes, he was going to be sent among the thieves and pickpockets. Nobody was going to inquire about him till the morning. Jain was used to living in well-furnished. He was afraid that only his dead body would come out of stinking barrack.
"I will have to use the phone after half an hour."
"But there is no phone inside."
" What should we do then?"
"Nothing can be done."
Jain again took out the wallet and put it into the pocket of the warder.
"There is one solution. After one hour, you should ring at this telephone number. Let me know inside the message you get on the phone. I will oblige you still further.”
" It is all right. I always keep my promise. You can trust me. We have to deal with each other for many years. Rest assured that you will not find me wanting."
After promising to bring him the message, the warder brought Jain to the lobby. By this time, the written formalities of Pala and Meeta had also been completed. They were waiting for the old warder.

As soon as the old warder entered the lobby, the watchman opened the small inner gate of the Jail.
Keeping the purse safe in his pocket, the warder took all the four prisoners to the Circle. While crossing the inner door, Pala was thinking that it would take them twenty years to cover the distance between the inner door and the outer gate of the Jail.

EPISODE 3

At a distance of about fifty yards from the inner door of the Jail, there were two rooms adjacent to each other: these were known as Chakkar, the Circle. One of the two rooms was smaller and used as an office. The other room was bigger and was used as a store. There was a door in between the common wall for going from one room to the other. There was a four-feet verandah before the small room. Two small stools were lying there.
There were two chairs across the table in the office. Labh Singh was sitting on one of them; he was wearing the white clothes meant for the prisoners. He had been sentenced to the life imprisonment in a murder case. Since he was educated and clever, he was made the Circle Munshi to help the Chief Warder.
Before the sentence, he was a head-constable in the police. Being honest, faithful, and expert in writing, he was known all over the district. Every officer wanted him to be put on duty with him. However, he was deputed only with such a police officer as was closest to the Police Superintendent. At the same time, Labh Singh worked as a reader of the officer, as a gunman, and as a middleman.
These qualities of Labh Singh had brought him to this Jail. Before the registration of the murder case against him, he was the gunman of a stern police officer, Mehnga Singh. This police officer was famous for tackling the terrorists in the state. As a result, he had to pay for it with the sacrifice of his entire family. Since he had not given up courage despite the loss of his entire family, he commanded a greater respect in the department. Mehnga Singh always used to get the desired police station and if any untoward action took place in his police station, it was hushed up by the superior police officers.
Labh Singh had risked his life many times while working with Mehnga Singh. No wonder, Mehnga Singh always gave him due consideration. Whenever Mehnga Singh got a promotion for eliminating any dreaded terrorist, he made Labh Singh his companion. Progressing in this manner, Labh Singh rose to the position of a head-constable from a mere home-guard.

After spending seven years in prison, Labh Singh was not able to understand whether Jeeta, who was picked by the gunmen under the orders of Mehnga Singh, was actually a terrorist or an innocent person who had been framed by Mehnga Singh after accepting a bribe of five lac rupees from his opponents and got him eliminated.
Like other orders of Mehnga Singh, Labh Singh had also obeyed this order. They had taken Jeeta to the bank of a canal, shot him dead, and thrown his dead body into the flowing water.
Like all other terrorists killed in false encounters with the police, the news of killing of Jeeta in a police encounter was also published in the newspapers. Like Mehnga Singh, Labh Singh had also not given any importance to this propaganda. A high-level probe was to be held about this encounter and like other similar police encounters, the officers were supposed to be declared ‘not guilty’.
The smouldering fire turned into high flames when Mehnga Singh was killed in an encounter. Jealous of Mehnga Singh's promotion and courage, his rival police officers began to dig old graves. The filed investigations were reopened. Many officers had an eye on the vast property of Mehaga Singh. He had killed many militants. As many as fifty lac rupees were recovered sometimes from a single militant. The huge amout of money collected from the militants would have been with Mehnga Singh who had died without an heir. Labh Singh would have known his secrets vaults of money or unregistered property. By dealing with Labh Singh tactfully or by threatening him, this wealth could easily be grabbed.
In order to achieve this purpose, a murder case was filed against Labh Singh and the other gunmen accompanying him. After his arrest, a good deal of pressure was put on him to disclose the property of Mehnga Singh. He was even promised acquittal from the case by making him an approver. In fact, Labh Singh did not know at all whether Mehnga Singh had acquired property anywhere. How could he tell the officers the way to his treasure? He had certainly shot at Jeeta but he did not do so under any greed.
The irritated officers put all the blame of murder of Jeeta on Labh Singh. They made other gunmen approvers and sent him to Jail. Labh Singh pleaded on the basis of his creditable record and his innocence in the matter. However, no officer was moved at his plea. Even the courts did not pay attention to his appeals. His arguments were rejected with the single logic: 'If the protectors of law themselves flout the law, who will provide security to the common people?’
Labh Singh had to reconcile to the situation with a heavy heart. He had already completed half the sentence. The other half would also be completed in the due course.
For the last one year, he had been somewhat comfortable. Earlier, his co-prisoners spurned him for being a policeman and Jail officials did not trust him. In order to get him counted among the good prisoners, he had to work very hard for five years. For a trial, he was made the Munshi of the factory. Then he was promoted and sent to the godown. Labh Singh had performed his duty on both these posts very efficiently. He had led to a two-fold rise in the income of the officers and kept all the records very well giving no occasion of complaint to the prisoners.
The police department had rewarded him for his good work by implicating him in a false murder case! The Jail officers however acknowledged the value of his work and he was posted on the coveted post of Circle Munshi.
Having been in the police, he knew quite well how to collect money from the prisoners. Contrary to the expectations of the officers, he would collect much more money than expected. He was given a tenth part of this income. The remaining income was handed over to the Chief Warder. He did not care about the ratio at which this money was shared by the officers. Like an earning son in the family, he had a considerable influence in the Jail. Since he collected maximum amount of money, nobody objected to what he did in his office.
In the last batch, four prisoners had come to the Jail. Labh Singh was planning how he was to deal with them.
The Chief Warder, the Incharge of the Circle, was wearing his uniform and sitting on the other chair beside the chair of Labh Singh. He had all the qualities that were there in Labh Singh. He was one of the closest warders to the Jail Superintendent. That is why he was put on an important post. For his help, he had called another prisoner to the Circle and who was standing on the right side of Labh Singh.
Eyes of the Chief Warder were also fixed on the inner door of the Jail from where the old warder had to escort new prisoners to the Circle.
Labh Singh and Nihal Singh, the Chief Warder, were more concerned about the information from the old warder than about the new prisoners themselves. The old warder was to inform how much each of the new prisoners carried with him and on the basis of that information, Labh Singh was to fleece him. The old warder brought the four new prisoners and made them stand in the verandah. He pointed to the stools and asked them to sit while he himself went inside with the relevant papers.
The heavy physical frame of Jain occupied the entire space on a stool. Hakim Singh sat on the other.
Instead of sitting compressed with another person, Pala and Meeta preferred to sit on the ground a little away. They were to spend the rest of their days behind these four walls. Now they could not have their own way. With a rule in hand, some warder was going to make them run like cattle. It was better to sit in the open air than to go to a suffocating barrack. They knew that filling of history sheet and the allotment of prisoner number would take some time. Therefore, they decided to sit aside and plan how could they make themselves comfortable in the coming hard days.
"Let us try to get the same barrack by requesting them politely. Both of us will be able to share our sorrow like brothers."
Pala was more worried about the future suffering. They were poor and had nothing to give to the Jail staff. They had no hope from relatives at home. They knew that orphans like them were always put on duty in the kitchen or sent to the saw-mill for hard labour. Pala had become weak after being thrashed by the policemen. One of his legs was so weak that he could not carry a heavy load. His shoulders and knees gave him constant pain. He could not easily climb a staircase. How would he carry heavy loads on his head? He could not even walk fast enough and soon became breathless. He was not able to do any rigorous work.
Since Meeta had been to many different places, he was cleverer than Pala. He knew how to talk with the officers. Pala was a simpleton. He would start talking in a begging tone whenever he appeared before an officer. Knowing his weakness, he had requested Meeta to help him.
"Don’t worry; I will try my level best. However, they are not likely to agree to our request."
Meeta wanted to live with Pala. He knew the perverted minds of the Jail officials. Whatever was said to them, they would do exactly the opposite. Even then, Meeta was in a mood to talk.
"If we are appointed as a helper prisoners of a man like Seth Jain, we would have a wonderful time."
Meeta's eyes were fixed on the rich Seth. Although Seth Jain was not much educated, he was certainly wealthy. He must be paying income tax. He was likely to get B-Class on this count. The prisoners in the B-Class ward got better rations and they were even allowed to cook themselves. They would also get a helper from the prisoners. They wanted that one of them should be made a helper of Seth Jain so that his present term could become a little easy.
"We cannot get this luxury free of cost. They are going to ask for money to make us helpers. Where shall we bring the money from? We will have to do hard labour."
"What is the harm in requesting? May be someone takes pity on us."
Meeta laughed at Pala's observation.
"When we used to pick pockets or commit thefts, had we ever thought how they had earned that money? Our own brethren are sitting in the Circle. They want to fill their pockets. They are not concerned about our limitations."
"Well, we may get something else or not, let us try to get the same barrack, otherwise I will die in a couple of days."
Pala was time and again repeating the same thing like a mad man.
Both of them had many times been to the jail together. Pala was never so nervous before. This time, he had rather lost his courage. It was perhaps due to the fact that he had come to the jail after many years and was going to spend a long sentence here. Perhaps he was disturbed because he had become a family man. Although Meeta was trying to exhibit a strong exterior, he was also depressed inwardly.

EPISODE 4

Pala and Meeta were engaged in conversation while sitting outside. The Chief Warder and the Munshi were checking the papers of new prisoners in the office. Hakim Singh was an advocate. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for torturing his wife for bringing less dowry and abetting her to commit suicide. On the basis of a secret report, Sucha Singh, the old warder had told them that he had come to the Jail with full preparation. He was not only conversant with the law but also knew the rules and regulations of the prison quite well. He had to be dealt with cleverly.
Labh Singh was rather prejudiced against the advocates. Therefore, he had agreed to deal with Hakim Singh in his own way. He was of the view that half of the prisoners in jail got the punishment due to the greed or carelessness of the advocates. When Labh Singh was a head-constable in the police station, the advocates were always after him. If he went to the court, he was treated with great respect and care. The advocates were in need of his assistance. Labh Singh used to send them clients who were made to pay heavy amounts as legal fee. When a murder case was framed against him, almost every advocate offered to defend him at first. They offered to take up his case without any fee from him and even agreed to bear the cost of typing and official stamps themselves.
As Labh Singh got deeply involved in the case, all the advocates began to avoid him. By the time of his suspension, Gill alone was left to defend him. Due to one excuse or the other, he also began to take some money from him. He would ask for money to get certain copies and sometimes for buying official stamps. When the recording of the statements of witnesses began, even Gill deserted him and returned the case file to him. He said he was a junior advocate and it was not possible for him to handle a murder case. Labh Singh handed over the case file to Sikander Singh who frankly demanded the fees. He had no regrets paying the fees but he was quite sour at him, for he had fleeced Labh Singh shamefully through the junior advocates.

Labh Singh had to go to the female ward of the Jail a couple of times. He saw women prisoners cursing the advocates and abusing them for their evil behaviour. Someone had robbed them of their jewellery and some other had laid hand on their honour.
By chance, an advocate had fallen into the trap of Labh Singh now. He wanted to take revenge on him for his ownself and for the co-prisoners like him. Labh Singh began to make plans for humiliating Hakim Singh.
Subhash Jain was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment for stealing cement and iron meant for public buildings in collusion with the officials of Public Works Department. According to Suchha Singh’s secret information, the judge had deceived him. The engineers involved in the case along with him were acquitted. He had himself delivered the first instalment of cash at the house of the judge. The second instalment had been delivered to the middleman. He was fully hopeful that he would be acquitted and had not brought anybody with him. He was accompanied only by his driver. In utter confusion, he had forgotten to take off his jewellery and hand over it to the driver with the cash in his pocket. Due to mental tension, he was afflicted with several diseases. His blood pressure and sugar level had gone up considerably. His heart beat had become very fast. Labh Singh and others could take advantage of his illness and nervousness. He had paid Sucha Singh generously. He had still enough money to satisfy the Jail officials in the Circle. However, they were to decide how much they wanted from him.
Labh Singh himself knew quite well about the other two prisoners. The proceedings of their case were published daily in the newspapers. Labh Singh was keeping a close watch on the news about them. Nothing could be expected from these prisoners and neither were they interested in getting anything from them.
First of all, the papers of the advocate were to be completed.
Hakim Singh was therefore called first. The history ticket in respect of Hakim Singh bore the number 808; it was also his prisoner number. Thereafter, Hakim Singh was less likely to be called an advocate and was to be addressed more often by the number allotted to him.

"Vakil Sahib, your record says that you have been an undertrial for two years. As such, you will be conversant with the rules and regulations of the Jail. Here is your warrant of sentence. I have to fill the history sheet. Tell me correctly what I ask you."
The Chief Warder asked the prisoner his name, father's name, crimes committed, education, height and health, weight, diseases, and hobbies. Hakim Singh kept on giving him the answers and Labh Singh continued entering the information in the history ticket according to the warrant.
The prisoners had been searched once in the entrance lobby. At that time, only such items were taken away from them as were objectionable and which were not allowed to be taken inside the prison.
The second search was to take place in the Circle. Here the prisoners could deposit their ordinary clothes, jewellary, cash, and other personal belongings in the store of the Jail. The prisoner was to get the receipt of the deposited articles. At the time of release, he could take these articles back.
Every prisoner would get a prison uniform, bedding, some utensils, and other items of daily use from the store.
After the completion of history ticket, the process of search began.
"Show this bag. What is in it?"
"There are some books, a note book, and a pen."
Hakim Singh knew that according to the Jail Manual, the prisoner had the freedom of reading and writing. As such, he had brought some books and writing material. He therefore did not feel the necessity of handing over the bag to Munshi.
"Let me see; what are these books?"
Labh Singh was irritated at the non-compliance of the instruction. He kept his anger under control but brought a change in his tone. He held out his hand for the bag.
"It is Jail Manual. These are law books. These are copies of some Supreme Court judgments."
Hakim Singh took out the books from the bag and put them on the table.

"Jail Manual! Where did you get it? I have been in service for the last thirty years but I have not seen it."
Holding the Jail Manual in his hand, Nihal Singh, the Chief Warder, expressed surprise.
“The advocates get it for fighting cases”.
"You should say you have brought the Jail Manual inside to incite the prisoners. It is not permitted to be taken inside the Jail."
This situation led to the rising of the flames of revenge burning inside Labh Singh.
"No, it is the duty of the Jail administration to acquaint the prisoners with it. It is not what I say, but what the Supreme Court says."
"The Supreme Court may be telling the advocates; we do not follow these instructions. We want peace in Jail and no incitement to prisoners."
The Chief Warder felt as if Hakim Singh had brought a cobra which would sting all the Jail officials.
Hakim kept silent.
"These books are in English which we don’t know. The warden would come tomorrow and we would show these books to him. If he permits, we will return them."
Saying so, Labh Singh put the books in the bag and wrote the name of Hakim Singh and his prisoner number on it. Then he put the bag in the rack lying before him.
Hakim Singh did not raise any objection. They were justified to some extent. He would get the books the next day.
Labh Singh’s notion was wrong. Hakim Singh had studied the Jail Manual not to incite the prisoners or to prepare the case of a client but for saving himself from the inconvenience likely to be faced by him.
After reading the First Information Report (FIR) of the case filed against him, Hakim Singh had come to know of the possible sentence in the case. The complainant of Hakim's case was not an ordinary person but a well-known

advocate of Maya Nagar. While filing the FIR, he had twisted the facts keeping in view the requirements of Law.
As a matter of fact, the reason for Ravinder's death was not the insufficient dowry brought by her leading to her alleged torture but the low income of her husband, the advocate. Before his marriage, Hakim Singh had explained his position to his father-in-law. He had completed his studies under many hardships. He had academic degrees with high positions and a big collection of awards, honours and certificates but he had no landed property whatsoever. Hakim Singh's father-in-law was an advocate. His background was similar to that of Hakim Singh. In fact, Hakim Singh possessed the quality essential for having a flourishing legal practice. Major Singh, his father-in-law, was certain that Hakim would climb the ladder of success within days. He was at an advantage because he had the blessings of an able and seasoned advocate like Major Singh. He knew that Hakim Singh would understand the complications of law within days instead of years. Thinking of all these pros and cons, Major Singh had selected him as life-partner for his daughter.
The daughter had slightly complained against her marriage in a small town instead of a big city like Maya Nagar. Major Singh had advised his daughter to be far-sighted and over-ruled her objection. Major Singh had made a prediction to her daughter that Hakim Singh was going to change the cities with upward movement in his practice and position.
He said that Hakim Singh would reach the High Court within five or seven years. One has to make some sacrifices for a bright future. Had Ravinder stuck to her objection, Major Singh would have changed his mind without much thought. However, it was not possible to reverse the decision after the marriage.
Ravinder used to drive on wide roads and go to parties in hotels and clubs. She began to feel suffocated in the small town within six months. When Ravinder came to visit her parents after three months, Major Singh felt concerned by seeing the sad face of his daughter. There was something wrong at the bottom. He tried to read the mind of Ravinder through her mother and came to know that the matter was not very serious. Her parents-in-law objected to her fashionable clothes. They did not like Hakim Singh to take her to the cinema hall to see a film every third day. There was no scope of getting South Indian delicacies, idli and dosa, in a small town. There was no point in going to the city fifty kilometres away only to satisfy the taste buds.
Major Singh advised his daughter affectionately for quite some time. He told her the stories of many families shifting from the villages to the cities by making progress. Ravinder was not going to live in the small town all her life. The good days were about to come. The daughter was satisfied to some extent.
However, the girl seemed to be all the more worried on her next visit. Ravinder, who held a master’s degree, wanted to take up a job in a school or an office in order to spend her free time.
Her parents-in-law were not ready to send their daughter-in-law for a petty job of one thousand or fifteen hundred rupees per month. Major Singh put forward arguments in favour of her in-laws. Perhaps Ravinder did not like the arguments of her father this time. Thereafter, she did not ring up her father or expressed any regrets. Hakim Singh also did not reveal her mind to him. Major Singh felt that his wise daughter had overcome her primary difficulties and everything was all right thereafter. He came to know of the gravity of the situation only when the news of Ravinder's suicide by hanging from the ceiling fan reached him.
So long as the Ravinder was alive, Major Singh took the side of his son-in-law. After the death of his daughter, his parental instinct had the better of him. He began to repent for his carelessness. He should have advised Hakim Singh's parents besides his own daughter. He could have agreed with the daughter if she was so unhappy; she could have divorced her husband and got rid of him. Due to his irritation, Major Singh expressed his anger against the silence of Hakim Singh in the matter. He should have controlled the situation. He should have at least brought it to the notice of Major Singh.
Keeping in view the legal complications, Major Singh vent all his ire on Hakim Singh. Contrary to the truth, it was written in the report that Hakim Singh was angry with the girl from the very first day as she had brought less dowry. He tortured her every day for bringing a car from her parents. Major Singh tried to satisfy their greed by giving them ten or twenty thousand rupees off and on but their greed knew no bounds. Before Ravinder committed suicide, there was a dispute in the house over this demand. The girl had informed the parents on phone about this dispute and hanged herself with her long scarf by tying it to the ceiling fan.
With the hard work of day and night by expert advocates, the clever witnesses easily succeeded in nailing Hakim Singh in the case.
At the time of hearing, another excess was also committed against Hakim Singh. The case was heard in the same court where he had been practising as a lawyer. Major Singh used to come from Maya Nagar for the proceedings. Being a junior advocate, nobody from the legal brotherhood expressed any sympathy for Hakim Singh. On the other hand, Major Singh was accompanied by many senior and junior advocates on every hearing. 'It is the personal case of an advocate', 'An advocate's daughter has been sacrificed at the altar of dowry’. Such remarks by the visiting advocates did not let the judge think objectively. Nobody considered the fact that the accused person was an advocate himself. Keeping in view the impending sentence, Hakim Singh had read the Jail Manual. However, his study of law seemed to be a disadvantage for him.
"Empty your pocket. What are these papers?"
"These are the addresses and telephone numbers of some people. These are some rupees."
The Chief Warder handed over the small diary to Labh Singh and put the currency notes in his pocket.
"Give me coupons against these currency notes."
Without getting him anything in writing, Hakim Singh was rather suspicious when the Chief Warder put the notes in his pocket. On the basis of his previous experience, he knew that if he did not raise an objection, the Chief Warder would pocket the money.
"Where are the coupons here? I will deposit the notes with the cashier and get the coupons from him."
Nihal Singh, the Chief Warder, was rather irritated at the rudeness of Hakim Singh. This irritation was reflected in his tone. He was surprised that Hakim Singh was still considering him to be an officer. It was the duty of the Chief Warder to make every prisoner realize that he was like a bird in a cage. In order to achieve this objective, he changed his attitude.
"Give me then the receipt of this money."
"We are government officers, not criminals like you. We are not going to pocket your money."
"According to the Jail Manual, I have the right to get a receipt."
"You are forgetting that you are a prisoner now. All your rights are left out of the gate of the Jail. You should be grateful to the government that despite being a criminal, you are being provided with food and shelter."
"It is your misunderstanding. Some of our rights have been taken away while we still have many other rights. I am talking of those rights."
"Don't teach us law here. You should have displayed your knowledge before the judge. Had you done that, you would have been acquitted instead of being sent to the Jail."
The Chief Warder wanted to snub Hakim Singh, but the advocate was going out of his control.
"Here are your actual rights," saying so Labh Singh took out a bundle from the rack of clothes and threw it at Hakim Singh.
The bundle scattered in the air and two old sets of kurta-pajama fell down on the ground.
"I have been sentenced to life imprisonment. I am entitled to the new clothes." Hakim Singh was reluctant to get old clothes.
"Then you will ask for new utensils, white sheet, and a soft pillow. You will ask for B-Class."
"I am a double graduate. I am entitled to B-Class. You have not to do me any favour by giving B-Class."
"It appears that your mind is still intoxicated with law. You will teach Jail Manual to other prisoners and lead to a revolt. We will have to set your mind right by putting you in a solitary cell."
Nihal Singh wanted that he should take Hakim Singh inside the store and strike him ten or twenty times with a belt for his rudeness. However, he could not muster courage to strike an advocate on his very first day in the prison.
Controlling his anger, he tried to put him off by saying, " Gone is the position but not the feeling!"
Labh Singh was also burning inside. However, he was unable to do anything when even the Chief Warder was unable to subdue him. He was not in favour of stretching the matter.
"He is an advocate and there is no point in discussing the matter with him. There is much more work to do. The time of entry to the jail is already over. The Munshis in the barracks will be waiting. Let us send him to the 'Kings’ Barracks' for tonight. We will present him before the Warden tomorrow.”
“He will himself give him a bed and bedding."
The Chief Warder was also thinking like that. The barracks reserved for beggars was called 'Kings’ Barracks'. Any new prisoner who behaved rudely was sent to this barrack to spend his first night in hell. By the morning, the prisoner himself realized his fault and started requesting for being taken out of this barracks.
It was important to remove the intoxication of law from the mind of Hakim Singh. Labh Singh immediately entered the words 'Kings’ Barracks' on his history ticket and led him to that ward.


EPISODE 5

Having seen the ill treatment meted out to Hakim Singh, the paleness on the face of Seth Jain became deeper. If an advocate was treated in such a manner, he was worried about the treatment he would be subjected to as being less educated. He was perspiring to think of the worse treatment towards him.
The completion of formalities in the case of Hakim Singh took about one hour. It was now Jain's turn. If no telephone call recommending his case was received within five minutes, he was also going to be thrown into this hell. Jain was rather irritated at the behaviour of the old warder. He should have rung up the person at the number given by him. He should have brought the information about the response to him by now. For this task, he had given a lot of money. Then a change of thought took place in his mind. Perhaps Sucha Singh had not received any favourable reply. If some arrangement had been made, the concerned Jail officer would have got the message by now. He did not know who was to bring the message to the Circle where there was no phone connection. No other man had come to the Circle after their arrival. Evidently, his supporters had not been able to exercise their influence so far.
Jain began to think of his favourite deity. He began to pray for relief under this critical situation.
"Why are you looking at the inner door of the prison again and again? Are you waiting for Sucha Singh?”
"He has gone away after completing of his duty since long."
Nihal Singh had guessed the state of mind of Jain. Giving his papers to Labh Singh, he teased Seth Jain.
"I was waiting for a phone call."
"Never mind, Sucha Singh has already recommended your case. We will take care of you."
Before filling the history ticket, Labh Singh thought it proper to tell Seth Jain that he knew everything about the deal that had taken place at the entrance lobby of the Jail.
Taking the hint, Jain heaved a sigh of relief. A rich man like Seth Subhash Jain with golden jewellery and so many currency notes used to come to the Jail once a while. Although Labh Singh was acting as Munshi, he was a prisoner after all. He had no right to have his own way. Money could be taken from Seth only with the consent of the Chief Warder.
"Shall we rob him?" Munshi asked the Chief Warder by winking his eyes at him.
"Do it," the Chief Warder gave him the permission with the wink of his eyes.
"You seem to be a rich man. Your papers tell us that you have been selling black gold (bitumen) and changing it into real gold all your life. Why did you not spend the money to get acquitted?"
“It is a long story which I will tell you some other time. I have been cheated. I have spent money like water to get acquitted. I have greased the palms of the witnesses, the public prosecutor, and even the judge with my own hands..."
"What is your intention now?"
Instead of making any long introduction, Labh Singh hit the nail on the head.
"I am ready in every possible way. I will please you all. Only let me spend this night well. By tomorrow, my supporters will manage things for me."
Saying so, Jain took out a purse from the small secret pocket of his trousers and put several one thousand rupee notes on the table. “These are ten thousand; you can keep all. I don’t need any coupon or receipt for this money”.
Nihal Singh put the notes in the drawer of the table. He did not want Seth Jain to know that the notes were to go in his pocket or to the government treasury. Without making any mention of the receipt, he continued with the formalities.
"Seth Jain, before going to the barracks, you will have to take off all the jewellery. This is Jail and inmates here are thieves or robbers who are beyond our control. As soon as you leave the Circle, they will rob you. In the barracks, they will not only rob your jewellery but also bark at you like dogs."

The Chief Warder also wanted to take possession of the jewellery. It was possible only if the fear of the horrible place was kept alive in his mind. The Chief Warder had said all this to achieve this objective.
Seth Jain was a quick-witted person. He immediately understood the meaning of each word uttered by the Chief Warder. It clearly meant that he was being sent to the barracks of thieves and cheats. The other meaning of his words was that they were not satisfied with ten thousand rupees and they had an eye on his jewellery. Jain’s mother used to say, 'Gold is worn not for decoration but for help at the time of need.'
This proverb seemed to be coming true today. Jain took off the gold chain, rings and the bangles and put them on the table.
"How much will be the weight of these ornaments? Shall we get a weighing balance?"
"Three plus three plus six...It would be twelve tolas. There is no need for weighing them. There are many chains and rings lying at home. You can keep them. Give them to officers as gifts. I will give you still more. Please arrange a room and a bed for me tonight. That is all."
"What do you say, Chief Sahib?"
Labh Singh looked greedily at Nihal Singh.
"We are not going to displease 'Seth Ji'. I can keep the gold bangle and you can wear the chain. We will give the rings to the Warden".
Saying so, the Chief Warder took out a handkerchief from his pocket and put all the ornaments in it and kept them in his secret pocket.
As the Chief Warder said the words 'Seth Ji', Jain felt somewhat relieved. When his ornaments went into the secret pocket of the Chief Warder, Jain’s face became cheerful. In his mind, he thanked his mother who had given him such an advice. Heeding the words of his mother, Jain did not develop the habit of being possessive about money. He used to spend money at the same speed as it came to him.
With the power of money, he had started weakening the case from the very first day. The investigating officer put such documents in his file as proved him innocent rather than guilty. He had not even let the officers accused in the case spend anything. Even the fees of the advocate was paid by Jain. He spent fifty rupees instead of five on any item in the court. The case which was to take ten years in courts was decided in two years.
Jain’s advocate was boasting that there was not even a single proof against him in the case file. There was no need of giving money to anybody. The judge had to acquit Jain. Even then, Jain had not taken any risk and had met the judge himself in the company of a clever middleman and settled the matter with him. He had agreed to pay ten lac rupees as per the agreement. He had handed over five lac as the first instalment with his own hand. According to the agreement, the second instalment was to be handed over to the middleman on the second day of the decision. The judge had acquitted all the accused persons in the case except Jain. It was surprising how he had vent all his ire on Jain alone.
He was caught unawares. If he had any fear of getting sentence, he could have managed the Jail officers beforehand. Jain was feeling relieved that he had somehow managed the situation.
According to the rules, Seth Jain was to get the prisoner number 810 for his identity in the prison. However, Labh Singh allotted him the number 811.
"It is a lucky number; the prisoner with this number does not live to eat in the Jail for long".
"Thank you very much."
Jain expressed his gratitude as if he had received the order of his release.
The helper who had led Hakim Singh to his ward came back. Noticing him standing idle, Labh Singh put him on duty.
"Bring a bundle of clothes from Rack No 2."
In Rack No. 2, there were new clothes for the prisoners. It was the second favour to Jain by Labh Singh.
"Even your own kurta and pyjama are white. If you like, you can wear your prisoner badge number on it.”
Nihal Singh did not want to remain behind in giving him concession.
After getting the prisoner’s clothes, Jain’s face again saddened.
"Chief Sahib, please look at the condition of Seth Sahib. His kurta and pyjama have become wet due to perspiration. It appears that Seth Sahib has a mild heart attack. We may not be accused of his murder. If you agree with me, get him admitted to the hospital." Labh Singh had completed the formalities of writing. Only the column of the allotted ward had to be filled.
"All right, send him to the hospital," the Chief Warder smiled at the cleverness of Labh Singh and endorsed his opinion.”
The hospital was the only place where a prisoner could get the maximum possible comfort. Even Jain’s friends had advised him, “God forbidding, if you happen to go to jail , try to get admitted in the hospital straight away.”
"He has been recommended for admission to the hospital”.
Seth Jain was impatient to listen to this news. A task which could not be accomplished by the richest men and the highest officers was done by a common prisoner. Jain wanted to bow his head in gratefulness towards Labh Singh but he controlled himself. After all, this task was accomplished by 'the great Mother Lakshmi, the Godess of Wealth’!

EPISODE 6

There were guests in the house. Nihal Singh thought that they would be waiting. He therefore stood up to go home.
The time of evening duty was over. He had already received compensation for the overtime spent by him.
He knew that it was not possible to get anything from Pala and Meeta. On the other hand, he might have to give something to them from his own pocket.
Labh Singh was to stay in the Jail. It did not matter to him whether the task was completed later or sooner.
"He will manage somehow," thought Nihal Singh. Entrusting Labh Singh with all the given responsibility, he started homewards.
"We have nothing to offer, Sires! We are poor people. We have got only one kurta and pyjama each which was given to us by the police at the time of our arrest. Even this is worn out now.”
Meeta showed his empty pocket to Munshi.
" I know. I also know that you have been sentenced like me in a false case."
"Sentenced in a false case," as Labh Singh said so, the tension on his face seemed to vanish. A kind of innocence prevailed upon his face as was visible from the faces of Pala and Meeta.
The viewpoint of the Samiti proving the innocence of Pala and Meeta appeared in the columns of various newspapers frequently. Since he was once a police official, he very well knew the ways and means of investigation by the police. On the basis of his experience, he had already arrived at the conclusion that they were innocent. He also knew that they would certainly be punished because the government was strictly pursuing the case against them.
Labh Singh was right in his guess. Keeping aside all the rules and regulations of the law, they were held guilty of murder. It was a matter of relief that they were not awarded death sentence but life imprisonment instead.
Now they were standing before him to take the uniform meant for the prisoners.
Labh Singh could neither acquit them nor let them escape from the prison. Whatever he could do, he started doing.
He took out new sets of clothes from a packet in the rack and gave these uniforms to them saying: " Here is a token of sympathy from one innocent prisoner to the other."
None other than Labh Singh could feel the pain of undergoing the punishment without committing a crime.
Although the heirs of Jeeta, the witnesses, and the court had held Labh Singh guilty of murder, he considered himself to the innocent.
The heirs of every terrorist think that their relative is quite innocent. They never hand over list of their actions to their kith and kin. Only the police knows the consequences of their actions. The members of Jeeta's family might be in a misunderstanding about his innocence. Mehnga Singh had told them that Jeeta Singh was an A-Class terrorist. He carried a reward of one lac rupees on his head. They had got this reward money and Labh Singh had also got his due share. How could he come to believe that Mehnga Singh had misused his power for the reward? Had Labh Singh known that Jeeta was innocent, he would have never shot him. If a senior officer had made him shoot an innocent person in his ignorance, how was he to blame? The policeman had only performed his duty.
It was said that Mehnga Singh had collected a vast amount of money by killing people. Labh Singh did not agree to this allegation of the police officers against Mehnga Singh. Labh Singh did not remember even a single instance when any cash amount was recovered from a terrorist. Mehnga Singh had almost become half mad after getting his sons and daughters killed at the hands of militants. His love for money had virtually disappeared. Like other officers, he did not put all the money into his pocket. Every official working with him always got his due share. Labh Singh was therefore certain that he had not killed Jeeta without any guilty action on his part.
The prisoners sentenced to imprisonment in false cases seemed to be the members of his own brotherhood. Labh Singh was always kind to them. He was displaying same kindness now.
Holding the new clothes in their hand, Pala and Meeta felt as if they were seeing a dream. How could a person snubbing an advocate was being kind to them? It was really beyond their understanding.
"Dear friend, do another favour to us. I am all alone. There is nobody coming to look after me. If you can give me an old blanket, I would be obliged," encouraged by his attitude, Meeta wanted to take advantage of Labh Singh’s generosity.
"Why one, take two each. It is your legal right. Go inside and bring four blankets," Labh Singh pointed to the room with the closed door.
Pala was rather nervous. Meeta was crossing all limits. He was afraid that he might not get the snubbing.
Expert in stealing, Meeta played a kind of magic. He found new blankets from the room despite the darkness.
“If you want anything else, you may ask now. Don’t say later that you did not get your legal right."
"Well dear, give us some utensils. Nobody would give us even a bowl. We might not die of hunger.”
Labh Singh understood Meeta's hint. Since they belonged to scheduled castes considered to be untouchables, the other prisoners would not share utensils with them.
"We did not give utensils to other prisoners. They manage to get them from their home. In this way, the officers save money for themselves. However, you can take the utensils. There are many lying in the tub. You can take one bowl, one plate, and a mug each."
Meeta immediately took out two sets of utensils, one for himself and one for Pala.
Pala got prisoner number 809 and Meeta 810, which were their identity marks as well.
They took off their clothes and put them in packets in the rack, and put on the new uniforms.

The most important formality was to take place now. They were to be told which part of hell they were supposed to go. The announcement to this effect was to be made by Labh Singh.
Both of them had a poor background. However, Meeta was unmarried and had no worry of a daughter or a son to be married off. On the other hand, Pala did have a family but it was like having nothing. It was difficult for his family to make both ends meet and they could not come to the help of their imprisoned relative. In order to keep his family running, he had to earn in the jail and send some money back home. It was possible only if he got a good job. Pala was quietly looking at the face of Meeta. It was very difficult for Pala to guess which goddess Meeta was praying to. All his wishes were being granted.
"Which barracks should I send them to?"
Lost in his thoughts, Labh Singh uttered these words, unwittingly.
Pala had the solution for Labh Singh's problem. He wanted him to put them as helper prisoners with Seth Jain. However, he had not the courage to make the suggestion. With wishful eyes, he looked at Meeta. He hoped that he would be able to get even this boon as he had managed to get the blankets.
" Put us as helper prisoners for the Seth standing outside. We would bless you when we would go to bed with satisfied bellies at night."
Meeta had become quite frank now. He began to ask for one favour after the other quite openly.
"He is a bird of feather. He is going to the hospital now. After two or four days, he would manage to fly away from Jail. Make right choice at the outset.”
In order to find a good place for them, Labh Singh began to turn the pages of the register lying before him.
"Well Meeta, your place is decided. You should go to the ‘Singhs’ Barracks’. One helper there has been released on the bail today itself."
"What shall I do there? They would put me to a lot of trouble."
"As per record, Pala and you are militants; understand?"
"That is all right but I will not be able to live with them."

"No, that is not the case. When you go there, you will always remember me."
"All right then,” Meeta agreed with a heavy heart.
"Send me along with Meeta," Pala spoke out for fear of being left alone.
"Your beard and hair are shorn; you cannot go there."
"Then don’t send Meeta there. Put both of us in the same barracks."
"Why are you feeling bad? You have to undergo life imprisonment here. You will have to come together and go away from each other a number of times. Learn to face the conditions. I am going to give you a better place."
Labh Singh advised Pala like an elder brother. " You should go to the rich men's bungalow. It is meant for educated and idle prisoners. You will have plenty to eat there and learn many good things."
Without waiting for the reaction of Pala, Labh Singh completed the formalities and led them to their respective barracks.

EPISODE 7
Hakim Singh was in a bad shape due to hunger and thirst. The lack of food seemed to make his intestines rather insensitive but his feeling for thirst seemed to increase further. Hakim Singh was in a hurry to reach the assigned barracks so that he could get water to drink.
He had already spent two years as an undertrial in a sub-jail. However, he had never heard about 'king-like' prisoners earlier.
After his argument with Munshi in the Circle, it was clear that although the name of this barrack was ‘Kings’ Barracks’ it would be a kind of hell in reality.
Hakim Singh wanted to ask the escorting helper what the background of this barrack was. However, he was unable to utter a word due to his dry throat. After all, he was not going to beg anything of anybody. Even earlier, he had hardly got justice. Whatever was being given to him was accepted by him only as the divine will.
He therefore thought it better to keep moving towards his destination quietly.
"Brother! Are you an advocate? Do the advocates who get others acquitted are also punished?"
Hakim Singh could not understand whether Jagtar had put this question in sheer innocence or made a satire on the entire legal fraternity.
After hearing the question, Hakim Singh at first felt angry. Then he tried to understand the deeper meaning behind the question and began to think differently. The helper was raising a big question. It was therefore proper for him to make the reply.
"First of all, tell me what crime have you been punished for? We are not standing in the court now; so don't tell even the slightest lie. Only then I will be able to answer your question."
Although Hakim Singh was feeling quite uncomfortable due to dry throat, he was keen to satisfy the curiosity of the helper.
I was a beldar (field man) in Public Works Department. I was also the watchman of the store. The officer used to sell the left-over material. On the instructions of the officer, I went to deliver a container of bitumen at Maya Nagar..."
"Be quiet now; I will tell you what would have happened next. You were raided by the police on the way. They slapped you twice and made you speak the truth. On the basis of your statement, the police called the officer on the spot. Then there was a bargain between them. The officer was let off but a case of theft was registered against you. The officers became angry with you for betraying them. You were dismissed from service and left alone to meet your fate. Being poor, you could not engage a top lawyer and could not bribe the witnesses. You could not grease the palm of the Public Prosecutor and could not approach the judge. As a result, you were sentenced to imprisonment for theft. The same difficulties stood in the way of your appeal! Is it right ?"
Jagtar was looking at Hakim Singh's face with utter surprise. He thought that he was some holy saint who could tell about the previous birth of anybody.
"The same has happened to me. The truth is never brought out during the investigation or the hearing of the case. There is a trial of cleverness and intelligence of the witnesses and the advocates in the court. The smarter side wins the case. There is nothing like justice at all. The complainant in my case was an advocate far senior to me in age and experience. On the basis of his knowledge of legal tricks, he got me sentenced. My plea based on absolute truth was futile. My practice as an advocate could be of no avail."
Jagtar was in the habit of talking. He had put this question only to pass time. However, the reply of advocate solved a puzzle which had been troubling his mind for the last many years. Now he was able to understand why the court had held him guilty despite his being innocent.
He bowed his head before the advocate out of respect. The barrack was still far away and Jagtar wanted to talk more. However, it appeared as if all questions in his mind had been answered. He therefore decided to remain quiet until a new question arose in his mind.
Hakim Singh also wanted to talk but his throat did not permit him to do so.

Hakim Singh and Jagtar were moving against the direction of wind. The good or bad smell coming out of a barracks disclosed its identity.
As they approached a barrack from where the foul smell of toilets was coming instead of the pleasant smell of cooking, Hakim Singh was able to understand that the Kings’ Barracks is not far away.
"Who are the kings living in the barrack?”
Hakim Singh could no longer suppress his curiosity. He wanted to know his new companions.
"Poor beggars are mockingly called ‘kings’ here."
Jagtar tried to give the background of this barrack according to his information.
When it becomes difficult to spend nights under the sky during the months of intense cold, the poor beggars roaming around temples, bus stands, and railway station reach the Jail to pass time. The police arrests them for petty crimes like theft, gambling, betting, and keeping illegal liquor. These people get a roof over them in Jail.
This time, an unusual happening had taken place. The Superintendent of Police had gone to Europe and conducted a research on beggars. On the basis of his research, he had come to the conclusion that most of the beggars were oriented towards crime. In order to make Maya Nagar a crime free city and to make people safe from untoward happenings, he had started a campaign to arrest the beggars. The barrack was meant for sixty beggars but there were more than a hundred of them in it.
There was no room for more prisoners in any barracks. The inmates of other barracks were not ready to accept them. Hardly had any well-off beggar managed to go out of the prison on bail. All others had confessed to their crime and were undergoing the awarded imprisonment.
“Have I been punished for asking the receipt for my money?" Hakim Singh was naturally upset to hear the plight of beggars.


"Never mind, I will face it somehow. After all, these are also the children of someone." Hakim Singh ironed his will as he moved towards the gate of the barracks.
The watchman standing at the gate of the King's Barracks saw the history ticket in the hands of Jagtar and understood that the man accompanying him must have displayed some rudeness at the Circle, for which Munshi or Chief Warder had punished him by sending him there. This new bird will have to spend the night standing or remaining awake.
"Well! Are you a comrade or penniless fellow?" Relieving Jagtar and letting the prisoner enter the gate, the watchman asked Hakim Singh to clear his doubts.
After looking at the new prisoner from head to feet, the watchman could make out that he was a well-educated person. This smart youngman seemed to be a hard working man. He was not from a poor family like all other inmates of the barracks. It was clear why he had been sent to this place but he wanted to hear it from the mouth of Hakim Singh himself.
"You may assume whatever you like. Although I am not a comrade, yet I am a comrade now. Although I have enough money, yet I am a penniless person at present.”
Irritated at the injustice meted out to him at every step, Hakim Singh introduced himself rather angrily.
Whatever Hakim Singh said was beyond the comprehension of the watchman. He took him quietly to the prisoner Munshi.
There was no question of any hurry for a prisoner who was sentenced to life imprisonment. He could not have his way in anything now. He had to obey every order that was given to him. As such, Hakim Singh was complying with all the instructions.
However, he was certainly in a hurry to quench his thirst.
There was a small kitchen near the front wall of the main gate of the barracks; the prisoners were given the facility of frying their cooked lentil there.

There was also a big sink for washing utensils. There was a water tap over this sink. There might be water in the tap or in the storage bin.
After seeking permission, Hakim Singh went towards the tap in search of water.
There was not a drop of water anywhere. Water was released for one hour each for twice a day.
Even water in the tap used to come out in a thin flow like the urine passed by a child. The prisoners often used to quarrel over filling water bottles or washing clothes. There was no water at other hours.
The sink was filled with left-over food and a strange smell was coming out of it. Hakim Singh became sick and had a feeling of vomitting. He gave up his search of water and came back.
"Do you need water?" Understanding Hakim Singh's problem, the Munshi asked. After getting a positive response from Hakim Singh, Munshi offered his bottle of water to Hakim Singh so that he could drink as much as he liked.
Hakim Singh's thirst could not be quenched even if he drank the whole bottle but he did not want to take too much advantage of the generosity of a good man who had really shown a favour. Thinking so, Hakim Singh had some draughts of water from his bottle.
The meals were over. The counting had been made. The inner barracks had to be locked. It could be locked even half an hour later. Munshi could lock the new prisoner inside, put a lock on the gate, and be free from his duty. However, he did not feel like pushing an educated man into hell an hour earlier.
Munshi had some sympathy for Hakim Singh on another count. Like Hakim Singh, Kulwant Singh had also been tortured by Labh Singh. It was after a very hard labour and constant pleading that he had reached the position of Munshi. Only three months were left in his release. He thought that he could take some money back home. But Labh Singh had dashed all his hopes to the ground.
Kulwant Singh was a matriculate and he had been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing fish from the fish-pond of a rich farmer. He had actually stolen the fish but not for selling it. He only wanted to satisfy his taste buds. Once he had eaten fried fish during a fair along with some other boys. Since then, he wanted to enjoy fried fish to his heart’s content. A moving stall of the snacks of fried fish was there near the bus stand. The vendor used to sell fried fish at ten rupees a quarter kilo. However, he could hardly save ten rupees a month but the taste of fish never left his mouth. He had caught a fish of about one kilogram. The contractor said that there was a theft of fish everyday. He might have been right but the theft could have been committed by someone else. Kulwant Singh was caught red-handed and was sentenced to imprisonment for his very first crime.
Kulwant worked on the Jail farm during the first two months. The Jail Superintendent took note of his hard labour. He got a report from the probation officer. On his endorsement, the Jail Superintendent sent him to the farm in his village. Jagtar was also with him. The Jail Superintendent promised that if he worked hard, he would count two days of his work for one day and help him to get half the sentence waived. With the desire to return home early, he worked hard day and night. The Superintendent also fulfilled his promise. Allowing pardon, his two years imprisonment was reduced to one and a quarter year.
He also gave him another concession. During the remaining three months of his prison term , he made him Munshi.
Jagtar was smart. He managed things in such a way that Labh Singh got him as a helper in the Circle.
Kulwant Singh had nothing to offer. At the farm of the Superintendent, he had plenty to eat but got no cash. There was no money in his account. His mother was a widow and could hardly make both ends meet. He did not want to burden his mother in any way for his own comfort. In order to become Munshi of a good barrack, it was necessary to pay something to Labh Singh.
He could not gain much by becoming Munshi. On the orders of the officers, Labh Singh allotted him the duty of Munshi but put him in such a barrack where there was less comfort and more inconvenience.
Even then, Kulwant was happy because only a few days of his sentence were left. He was going to be released quite soon.

Due to similarity of their sufferings, Kulwant was bent upon giving every possibe facility to Hakim Singh.
"Is there anything to eat?"
Hakim Singh wanted to take advantage of this closeness.
Some food might have been left in the kitchen otherwise he had to remain hungry till morning.
“The bellies of these beggars are like wells which are never filled. They eat whatever they get.”
Kulwant was sad to know that Hakim Singh was hungry, but he had no solution for it.
"Never mind. Give me some more water."
While Hakim Singh was drinking water, a sound of marching feet could be heard on the road outside.
The Assistant Warden was coming on routine checking. He would be angry to see Hakim Singh sitting outside the barracks. In order to avoid the rebuke, Kulwant locked Hakim Singh inside the barrack, put a lock on the gate, and moved towards the outer gate with the key.
"Is everything all right ?" asked the Assistant Warden after taking over the key from Kulwant which was his formal duty.
"Yes Sir!" Munshi gave the usual answer and did his duty as well.

EPISODE 8

By the time Jain left the Circle, it was rather dark. The darkness of the night was about to spread everywhere over the campus. All the prisoners had gone back to their respective barracks before the sunset. Meals were being distributed. After the head count, they were all to be locked inside the barrack.
There was not a single tree in the Jail compound to resist the blowing air. The slow wind became faster as it entered the Jail compound. This fast wind made the sand on the ground rise up and touch one’s face.
Jain looked on all sides in distance. There was nobody moving in the Jail compound except the helper accompanying him. The sounds of howling jackals made the atmosphere all the more frightful. The helper was faster. It was his own time of lock up. He was in a hurry to go to his own barrack. If he went later than the scheduled time, meals would be distributed and he would have to go without food. Although Jain was trying his best, yet he was not able to keep pace with the helper. Being accustomed to moving in cars, Jain was not in the habit of walking on foot. If he took three or four steps at a fast speed, his heart beat increased and he felt like falling down.
Now he was a prisoner. He was bound by the rules and regulations of the Jail. He had to walk up to the hospital. Caring not for his uneasiness, he was trying to keep pace with the helper.
Since the pronouncement of the sentence, Jain had been trying that he should get admitted to the hospital instead of going to a dirty barracks. Even otherwise, he was feeling like an ailing person. He was suffering from blood pressure, diabetes, tension, and the serious problems of the heart. He used to take many tablets three times a day and that is how he was able to spend the day in some comfort.
Now when he had been successful in getting admission to the hospital without any external help, he was feeling somewhat relieved and was thinking of his profits and gains.

Ever since the filing of case against him, he had spent about fifteen lac rupees. When the houses of the officers were raided, Jain was not at home. He was away to Delhi. Had he tried, he could have flown abroad and stayed there till the matter was hushed up. He had a multiple visa of several countries where he had a number of friends. However, listening to his advisers, he appeared before the police. Without caring for the possible torture in the case during the four days of police remand, he had to suffer humiliation in many ways. In order to keep the officers in good humour and to keep his business running, he had swallowed the bitter pill of financial loss. His plan was quite successful. The officers had appreciated the courage of Seth Jain. They had not cancelled even a single of his contracts. During the case, Jain did not let the involved officers spend even a penny. Jain had paid the fees of their advocates, managed to make the witnesses turn hostile, and given a heavy bribe even to the judge.
Perhaps the officers had let him down at the last moment. It appeared that the officers had planned only their own acquittal and had made no efforts to secure Jain’s release. Each officer enjoyed an influential position. The Executive Engineer was the son-in-law of the Inspector General of Police. The maternal uncle of the Sub Divisional Officer was a Sessions Judge who was a himself a man of strong influence. The Junior Engineer was perhaps the most influential person of all. His father-in-law was a transporter and the ministers used to frequent his house as if they were simply drivers and conductors. The money was spent by Jain but they got acquitted leaving him in the lurch.
Jain was not worried about the expense. The judge must have had some compulsion for sentencing him to imprisonment. As soon as Jain came out of the prison, he would go to his bungalow and make him reveal the secret.
Now, Jain was regretting the expense which he had incurred in the entrance lobby and at the Circle. In sheer nervousness, he was spending money like water. He did not remember all the money that he had with him in his wallet. He only remembered that there were about seven to eight thousand rupees in it. Besides, he had ten thousand in the inner pocket and the jewellary was worth fifteen to twenty thousand rupees In all, he had wasted about thirty to thirty-five thousand rupees. If this much money was required to spend a night in a hospital, how he would pass five years in prison. Jain was greatly worried about it.
He did not like to think like misers.
In order to divert his attention, he began to observe the dimensions of the long and wide Jail premises.
The Jail spread in an area of eighty acres and was not new to Seth Jain. Although he came in it as a prisoner now, he had visited it like the owners one day. About twelve or thirteen years ago, the Jail was under construction. In order to complete the construction in time, the work was divided into several parts. The maternal uncle of Jain had got the contract for the construction of the high outer walls of the Jail. Jain was an apprentice in construction business under his maternal uncle who had many other construction sites. Jain was looking after the construction of the high wall at the Jail. The outer wall of the Jail was thirty feet high. The surface of the wall had been plastered with cement. The finished surface was made so soft with the wooden rollers that one’s hand slipped on it. No dog or cat could climb this wall. It was impossible for a man to climb it. If any prisoner gathered courage enough to climb the wall, he would be trapped in the three feet high barbed wire put at the top of the wall. Electric current was transmitted in the wire. Even the birds trying to sit on the wall were trapped by the electric current. It was not possible for any man to escape from this strong prison.
Along the inner wall of the Jail, there was a big agricultural farm of the Jail Department. This farm had a two-fold purpose. The prisoners were made to work rigorously on this farm; it was meant for their labour. It also provided foodgrains and vegetables for the prisoners’ kitchen.
The inner wall of the Jail started at the end of the farm. It was lower than the outer wall but it was not so low that any prisoner could jump over it easily. There was a fifteen feet wide metalled road on this space. There was patrolling on this road round the clock and, if necessary, jeeps and vans could also be driven on it.
On the other side of the road, there were barracks for the prisoners. The backside of these barracks faced this road. Strong iron frames were fitted on ventilators on the backside of the residential barracks. Light and air came from these iron frames to the prisoners. The patrolling warders also got to know of the activities of the prisoners from these framed holes. A fine iron gauge put on these frames saved the prisoners from the flies and mosquitoes and prevented the prisoners from throwing unwanted things through these holes on the patrolling guards.
The gates of all the barracks opened only inwards. There was a road before these gates as well and patrolling was held on it by the prison guards. There was a common compound by this road. In the centre of the compound, there was a central tower over which searchlights were fixed. A watchman stood on the tower round the clock. There was a Gurdwara (Sikh temple) on the right side of the tower. There was a Hindu temple beside the Gurdwara. On the left side, there was a canteen and a small office.
In front of the prisoners’ barracks, there was a factory and a school. There was a library beside the school. On the right side, there was a playground. And opposite the playground, there was a hospital.
One had to cross many barracks to reach the hospital.
Jain was trying to peep into the barracks. Different kinds of voices were coming from the barracks. There was the sound of a TV programme from a certain barrack and the prisoners seemed to be busy in watching the programme. There were sounds of laughing, singing, and playing of musical instruments from some other barracks. Jain was surprised to note how the prisoners undergoing their sentence were laughing and enjoying themselves.
The helper accompanying slow-moving Jain felt that he would have to sleep hungry that day. He could not get anything from the barrack after the meal times. He therefore thought of arranging food for him in the hospital itself.. Thinking so, the helper also slowed down his speed. While moving step by step beside Jain, he began trying to befriend him.
“You have not recognized me Seth Sahib!”
Jain had not recognized the helper but he had recognized him at his very entry to the Circle. However, he had kept quiet because there could be no comparison between a king and a commoner. Here was Jain who virtually owned half the state by way of contracts whereas he was only a sentenced field worker.
However, he wanted to break the ice.
“No!” Jain replied briefly paying no attention of the helper.
“I am Beldar Jagtar Singh. I was a watchman in the city store. Your bitumen was brought to our store. I would get half of the bitumen unloaded and issue receipt for the whole consignment. In order to settle the account of the remaining half of the bitumen, the officer used to send me to you.”
“Yes, I remember now,” Jain said feigning some knowledge about him.
During the day, scores of such beldars used to come to him to collect money for the officers. The account was kept by Jain’s Munshi. Jain would look at the chit issued by the Munshi and make the payment.
If the times were conducive, he would have silenced the beldar by giving him a twenty-rupee note as gratification. Now he had neither the money nor any purpose to make him quiet. Instead, he needed the friendship of the beldar. Sometimes, even a base coin is useful. Thinking so, Jain started attending to the talk of the beldar.
Then he was reminded of an incident when the police had caught an SDO red-handed while selling a truck-load of bitumen. Perhaps this beldar had been sentenced in that case.
Jain’s guess was right.
The same SDO had recruited Jagatar in his department.
Before coming to the department, he was a daily paid labourer. Jagtar was fond of flattering the officers. As a result, this SDO had got him a permanent job.
On the fateful day, he could ask for money for his share of bitumen drum from the owner of that factory. However, the bitumen was sold there at half the price. Jagtar had learnt this from a labourer who used to spread bitumen on the roof tops. He had therefore planned with him to get a higher price for the bitumen.
As Jagtar unloaded the drum in the huts of bitumen labourer, the police caught hold of him. After getting a little thrashing, he narrated whole story to the

police. Even the driver could not bear the torture by the police. He gave them the address of the factory in Maya Nagar.
By the evening, Jagtar, the driver and the SDO were at the police station. The officer was released at night and the driver was freed the next day.
Jagtar came to know only in the court that a case had been filed against him for stealing the bitumen belonging to the government. The case was filed by the SDO and the driver had become the eyewitness. The police got eighty drums of bitumen unloaded in the courtyard of the police station. They had, however, shown forty drums in record which had been captured from Jagtar. He did not understand till this day where the other forty drums had gone.
The officer and the driver had shamelessly told lies not only at the police station but also in the court. The court relied upon their false statements and Jagtar was sentenced to three years imprisonment which he was undergoing.
“Do you know the doctor?” After listening to the Jagtar’s personal narrative, Jain asked him a meaningful question.
“Yes, he has a buffalo at his bungalow. I give fodder to it and even milk it!”
“You should introduce me to him. You know that I have no shortage of money. However, my pocket is empty now because I have spent the money elsewhere. I will get more in the morning. You should stand surety for me for the night. He should only admit me to the hospital and give me a good bed.”
Jain started begging of Jagtar.
“Don’t worry, I will speak to him. He will certainly agree to my request.”
Before the assurance given by Jagtar could be effected, they saw the Jail doctor, Shakti Kumar, coming from the hospital.
“ There is the doctor!”
Jagtar pointed to the doctor and informed him of his arrival.
“Is he Seth Jain?” the doctor swiftly approached them and asked Jagtar.
Jain heaved a sigh of relief when the doctor uttered his name. It was clear that Jain’s men had approached him.
“ Yes Sir!” Jagtar handed over the papers to the doctor.
After relieving Jagtar, the doctor took Jain with him and moved towards the hospital. While returning towards the Circle, Jagtar was quite disappointed. He was afraid that he could not sleep at night with empty stomach.

EPISODE 9

More then half of the beggars were victims of contagious diseases. Somebody was suffering from tuberculosis, somebody from asthma, and still some other from scabies. In order to avoid the spreading of diseases in the Jail, the windows and doors were covered with jute sheets under the advice of the doctor. The jute sheets would not allow the bacteria of these diseases to spread out. Even the fowl smell could escape from the barrack only by passing through these jute sheets.
Since the windows and the doors of the barrack were covered, Amru, who was locked inside could not know what was happening outside. From the whispering outside, he could only understand that some other prisoner like him was ready to be pushed inside this hell. In the Circle, Amru was told that there was a party at the house of the Deputy Superintendent on the birthday of his son. A crate of whisky bottles was required at the officer’s house and Amru was to make arrangements for this.
Amru was a poor man living near the river bank. Making and selling illicit liquor was their family profession. He could manage to get country liquor from his home but he could not manage to spend two thousand rupees for the crate of whisky bottles.
Had Amru got this money, why would he have come to the Jail? He was sentenced to two years in jail and had to pay five thousand rupees as fine for distilling illicit liquor. He was hardly able to make five thousand rupees during a year in this business. Due to his inability to pay the fine, he had to come to the prison. His family members would file an appeal within two or three days and the judge would suspend his sentence. Thus Amru would be released on bail. The advocate would take three thousand rupees for the appeal. He had not been able to arrange so much money for this purpose so far.
Due to his refusal to oblige the police officer, Amru had been given this extra punishment. He was sent to this barrack an evening before. Labh Singh had warned him that he would remain in this barrack till he arranged the crate.
Twenty-four hours had passed. Only one prisoner had left the barrack and he had sent a message through him to his family to make arrangements for two thousand rupees.
The released prisoner was a farm labourer of a big landlord. For the sake of the landlord, he had ploughed the field belonging to his opponents. He was sentenced to one year imprisonment for trying to trespass someone’s land. The farm labourer had been faithful to the landlord who had also supported him. He had engaged a top advocate and appealed in the High Court. Labh Singh had asked for two thousand rupees from the farm labourer keeping in view the good condition of the landlord. He had managed to get him out of this barrack by paying two thousand rupees to Labh Singh.
Amru did not know whether the farm labourer had forgotten to convey the message or his family had not been able to make arrangements for the money. It was however certain that he had not been called out of this barrack.
“He is an advocate. Take care of him.” Before locking the door from outside, Munshi Kulwant recommended him to Amru.
Amru felt that Kulwant had made fun of both of them. A guest is welcome at a good place. Amru himself had been standing there almost on one leg since yesterday. What to speak of lying down or sitting anywhere, there was no space for setting a foot on the floor. Many more prisoners than the actual capacity of the barracks had been pushed into it. Prisoners were lying there shoulder to shoulder and nobody could even turn his side. The passage in between the rows was also occupied by the prisoners. The beggars seemed to be sleeping by taking drugs and nobody would think of getting up. If some prisoner got up to go to the toilet, the other one stretched himself in the vacated space in order to relax a bit. Before he came back to his place, another beggar would have occupied it by spreading his legs. Sometimes they would swear at each other over drugs. However, they were all united about each other’s seat and did not allow anyone else to occupy it. They talked to one another in an unknown language. Amru requested them that he would sit on the vacant seat only for a little while till he returned from the toilet but

nobody took pity on him. They were deaf to any such request and were lost in themselves.
How could he offer a seat to another person while his own blood had flowed down his legs while standing constantly? How could he look after him?
On the basis of his experience, Amru knew that the Hakim would be hungry. The courtesy demanded that Amru should offer something to his guest to eat but he was not in a position to do this formality.
Yesterday, when Amru had been locked in this barrack, the other prisoners had taken their meals.
Some prisoners had saved some loaves and lentil in their bowls. They knew that Amru was hungry but nobody offered him anything. Even if they had made the offer, Amru would have preferred to remain hungry than to eat their food.
Amru had reared pigs at his farm. The pigs liked to live in dirt and eat rotten things. These beggars had even worse habits. It appeared that they had not taken a bath ever since their birth. More than half of them had curved moustaches and beards. They did not know about the tooth brush. They were not conscious about the yellow grime over their teeth. As they opened their mouths, a foul smell came out. Their hands and feet had dirt stuck on their skin. Their feet were torn and carried wounds where flies would sit. They had no meal timings. Whenever they got anything to eat, they put it inside their bellies. They did not like walking and could not digest their food. Their bellies were swollen like drums. When they were outside the Jail, they would digest the food by drinking but they could not get liquor in Jail. Due to indigestion, they used to release gases all the day long. The smell of the gases was so foul that Amru felt like vomitting. Those who did not release gases would exhale foul air. They also made Amru sick. The Jail authorities had committed a great atrocity by keeping the foul smell inside the barrack by covering all the passages. All the prisoners had to breathe the same foul air. Perhaps the beggars were used to this way of life and did not show any reaction. However, Amru was unable to put up with it. He felt as if he had been thrown in a gas chamber.
For Amru, the beggars seemed to belong to a place whose staple food was rice and pulses. They did not relish loaves of bread and lentil. They used to convert the loaves into crumbs of bread and put them into watery pulse and eat it with their fingers. The lentil flowed from their fingers to their elbows and they used to lick not only their fingers but also the entire arm upto the elbows. Sometimes, the lentil would go into their beards but they would never try to clean them. Amru felt sick to watch them eat and turned his face away from them.
Amru felt a kind of foul smell from the utensils of the beggars. Since there was no water in the taps most of the time, they had a good excuse for not washing their utensils. The lentil stuck to the utensil inside and outside the surface. The loaves were kept uncovered in big baskets. Flies often sat on them. Since there was no water to wash their hands, they would clean their fingers against their shirts or dhotis (loose clothes around their waists).
If there was no water for the prisoners to wash their utensils, how could they wash their clothes? It appeared that they had never washed their kurtas since they started wearing them. They looked very dirty. Most of them were without dhotis and would move about in their underwears which were also very dirty. There were holes in their blankets and cloth patches over their quilts as signs of repair. Even these items seemed to have been covered with oil all over.
Amru was sick of all these people. He could never think of accepting food from their hands.
Urine like tea was served in the morning.
Amru could not go to the toilet without taking tea and smoking beedi, a kind of country-made cigarette. Morning tea was essential for him.
Amru was facing another problem. Labh Singh had not given him utensils the day before. He did not feel like using the utensils of the other prisoners. He had to do without taking tea.
There was no ban on smoking in the Jail. Luckily, a bundle of beedis with Amru was not confiscated. He had the luxury of smoking two beedis inside the Jail. He smoked another to make up for the lack of tea.
As he went to the toilet to release himself, his bowels refused to function. The Indian seats on the floor of the toilet were so dirty with urine and stool that nobody could approach the seat without spoiling his shoes with filth. Nobody could sit on the seat without making his clothes dirty. There was no water in the tap. How could he clean himself? Even the tap outside the toilet was dry. Many prisoners had damaged the taps trying to get water out of them. The filth sticking to hands would also stick to the taps. Same was the condition of the bathroom. Many prisoners had made them dirty by defecating there.
He covered his nose and mouth with the loose cloth over his head and tried to release himself in the toilet but all in vain.
Due to heavy stomach, he did not feel hungry. However, he grabbed at the two loaves of bread at the distribution of the breakfast in the morning. He rolled a loaf in such a way that he could get some lentil into it. Water like lentil leaked out of the loaf on the ground before he could dip a morse of bread into it. The smell of insecticide was coming out of the loaf. He could not eat beyond two morses. He put one and a half loaf into the bowl of another prisoner and stood up. Since then, he had not dared to look at the loaves of bread. At seeing the loaf, his hunger vanished and he felt like vomitting. Moreover, he had not able to release himself in the morning. There was formation of gas in his stomach, which began to bother him because there was no movement on his part. He started feeling stomach ache which could increase further.
There was no arrangement of medicine in this place. Amru was worried what he would do if his pain became severe.
The death of prisoners in this barrack was a common event.
Munshi had told them that a beggar had died last week and another was going to die in a day or two.
The prisoner at the first seat had been suffering from fever for many days. His companions had hardly cared to look after him although they were fellow beggars. They had all come from different places and there was no love lost among them.
Munshi used to mention the illness of that prisoner everyday in his report but the doctor had no time to visit the barracks. Yesterday, a low rank official had come there and inquired about the health of the prisoner. It was concluded that the prisoner was on his last breaths and there was no use of shifting him to the hospital. It was better for him to have his last breath in this barrack itself.
The prisoner had been rather quiet since noon. None other than Amru was worried about him. He wished many times to uncover his face and know his condition. However, he could not gather enough courage to do so due to the fear of other prisoners.
He knew that the Jail carriage could be brought there and take the dead body away like that of a dog or a cat. The useful articles were to be confiscated by the Jail personnel and the remaining things would be shared by the co-prisoners. There would be struggle to occupy the place vacated by the dead person. Some strong person would occupy that place and Amru was not a strong person like many others.
Trying to divert his attention from the impending death of the beggar, Amru began to think of Hakim Singh.
Amru could not give anything to Hakim Singh. However, he could solve one of his problems. In fact, Amru had been obsessed with these problems for the last twenty-four hours.
None of the beggars knew Punjabi. If anyone knew it, he was not willing to talk to Amru. During the twenty-four hours, the barrack was opened only for three hours for the distribution of tea and food. During these three hours, he had a talk with Munshi and the watchman. He felt relieved a bit by talking to them otherwise he had become half mad due to his constant thoughts. He was feeling restless. Time and again, he felt like breaking the Jail and escaping from it. He felt like hitting Labh Singh in the belly or releasing himself somewhere. Amru had never considered himself so weak earlier. During these twenty-four hours, he had become desperate. He could even do anything unlawful.
He did not want to bore Hakim Singh by narrating his tale of woe. He felt that he would have some entertainment by listening to the advocate.
Having felt that they could do at least something for the newcomer, he had welcomed him with open arms. Hakim Singh was listening to Amru and observing the Kings’ Barracks at the same time.
The Jail officials had given an open facility to the kings: they could bring all their bedding inside the Jail. The beggars were always afraid of the theft of their possessions. They kept their handbags, bags, and bundles close to their heart. Those who had left their luggage on the shelves in the almirahs kept a close watch over their belongings.
“Labh Singh has done us a great wrong. He has deliberately pushed us into the barrack of these animals worse than dogs and cats,” Amru expressed his hatred for Labh Singh as well as for the beggars in the barracks.
“The law has held you as well as these poor people guilty. I think neither you nor these helpless people are criminals. The government sells liquor at the liquor vends. If you have made four bottles of liquor for a living, heavens have not fallen. If they are leading the life of insects in a hell and if they have to beg for their food, they are not to blame for it. The real criminal is someone else and who is he? I will explain it to you.”
Hakim Singh wanted to relieve Amru of his mental tension. However, it was essential to relieve him of his physical pain first. As such, Hakim Singh was looking for a spot where he could sit for a while and relax.
Hakim Singh had not to work very hard to find such a place.
There were some cupboards in the thick walls of the Jail. There were open shelves in them. These shelves were full of the luggage of the beggars. By shifting the luggage of one shelf to the other shelf, some space for sitting and lying could be created.
Hakim Singh shifted the luggage of one shelf to the other and made himself sit in a folded manner on the empty shelf.
Amru now realized his own folly. He had kept standing all the night tiring himself badly. Why did he not think of it himself?
Admiring the advocates for their wisdom, he also jumped over the space and sat beside Hakim Singh.
He was sure that the advocate would tell him something worthwhile.


EPISODE 10

After reaching his home at five p.m., the doctor started receiving phone calls from his friends and relatives of Seth Subhash Jain who had already reached the Jail. Jain was suffering from several diseases. If he did not get medical aid well in time, he could even die and never see the morning sun again.
The doctor was extremely tired on reaching home. He needed rest for a while. He had hardly lain in the bed when somebody rang the call bell.
The visitor was the brother-in-law of the Minister for Jails. He had come with the recommendation not empty-handed but with baskets of fruit and an envelope containing currency notes. The doctor did not dare to refuse the recommendation of the Minister. Further, he was getting everything that he could expect. The doctor had to go back to the hospital out of sheer compulsion.
While keeping the envelope in his safe, the doctor had peeped into it. There were several notes of one hundred rupees and some notes of five hundred rupees each. The amount was good enough. He therefore did not feel much inconvenience to return to his duty!
There were twenty beds in the Jail hospital. The number of inmates in the Jail was about fifteen hundred. Due to mental tension, more than half of the prisoners often remained ill. The doctor had asked for the provision of fifty beds in the hospital a number of times. But his recommendation was always turned down. The government could not open such a big hospital even in the city. The Minister for Jails did not want to bring himself a bad name by providing such facilities to the prisoners.
The hospital had two storeys with a patients’ ward on each storey. The doctor had made some changes in the management of the hospital according to the requirements. There were fifteen beds in the lower ward where only the seriously ill prisoners were admitted. The doctor used to examine most of the patients at the lower storey. The Operation Theatre and the Pharmacy were situated here.
There were only five beds in the upper ward. It was meant for the VIP prisoners. Being on the first floor, this ward was quite clean and airy. There was a TV set and an air-cooler in this ward. There was also a refrigerator for keeping medicines at this storey. The provision of extra milk, eggs, lemon, and bread was made by the government. On the recommendation of the doctor, special food could also be ordered from outside for the patients in this ward. The doctor openly exercised his discretion to keep these patients in good humour. Sometimes, the ration meant for the patients in the lower ward was sent to the upper ward.
There were hundreds of patients who wanted the luxury of the upper ward. A new patient could be admitted only after relieving a patient already there. In fact, none in this ward was really ill. Who should be relieved? In order to solve this problem, the doctor had come to the hospital.
The doctor wondered which bed could be vacated for Jain. Bed number one was occupied by Gurnam Singh. He used to come to the Jail for a week after two months in order to settle of the accounts of his business. Out of the fifteen hundred prisoners, as many as thirteen hundred used to take one drug or the other ranging from poppy husk to smack. Gurnam Singh used to provide all kinds of drugs in the Jail. His drugs were sold at the canteen and even in the female ward. He had a worker in each of the barracks. If the drug came to the barrack from any other source, it would lead to a dispute. The workers of Gurnam Singh thrashed many prisoners who brought drugs to the Jail when they went to the courts for hearing of their cases and tried to sell these drugs cheaper. He had some sort of understanding even with the judges. He would come to the Jail at will and leave it when he wanted. The doctor had come to know this secret when he had gone to the court as a witness in some case.
Gurnam Singh had managed to get some cases filed against him for gambling, betting, etc. He also managed to get the decisions about these cases suspended for long. When he was to come to the Jail, he would call the persons standing as his sureties and made them file applications for withdrawing their sureties. Till a new surety was arranged, the judge would sent him to the Jail. When he wanted to come out, a new person would stand surety for him. Gurnam Singh had another panacea with him. He had got a certificate of heart trouble from a cardiologist. The judge would append another order along with the warrant on the basis of that certificate. Keeping in view the heart ailment of the undertrial, he should be kept under medical supervision of the hospital.
Gurnam Singh has been doing all this for the last eight years. None else had the courage to sell even a packet of beedis in the Jail during his presence. The Jail Superintendent always agreed with him because he invariably got his due share. If he showed any reluctance, he would get him a threat from the high-ups. Once a Jail officer had started a de-addiction campaign in the Jail and tried to stop the import of drugs there. The campaign came to an end within a week and the officer was transferred from that place. Another officer had tried to put up a man as a rival to Gurnam Singh. That man was murdered on the third day and there was a strike against the officer in the Jail. He had saved himself only after tendering an apology.
Since that day, nobody had dared to challenge Gurnam Singh. He would go from one barrack to another at will and nobody could stop him. How could the doctor get the bed occupied by Gurnam vacated?
Surjan Singh was occupying bed number two.. He had opened a finance company in Maya Nagar two years ago. He used to take loans from and give loans to people. His rate of interest was one and a half times higher than that of a bank. He got fixed deposits for three years instead of five. Due to his high rates of interest, the employees started depositing money with him.
The recently retired government employees could not find any better scheme than the one offered by Surjan Singh. He collected a lot of money with which he began to set up a transport company. It was propagated that loans were being provided for small vehicles and big trucks by the finance company. Looking at the rows of new trucks standing before the company office, people were in high spirits. The number of people who wanted to deposit big amounts started multiplying. Surjan Singh kept on playing with currency notes for three years.
When it was time to return the money, he became shaky. After the return of a couple of clients empty-handed, he began to lose his reputation. The news spread like wild fire in the city. The people demanding the return of their money began to make queues before his office. His advisers told Surjan Singh that it was better for him to leave the place. He had already sent his transport company to Calcutta. Vacating his office, he left by train one night. People organized sit-in protests and took out processions against him but of no avail. The police filed a case of fraud against him but nobody dared to go to Calcutta to arrest him. The police would often go there and return blank. The disappointed people retreated to their homes in sheer disgust. When the matter had completely cooled down, Surjan Singh presented himself in the court. Most of his property was likely to put to auction. By appearing in the court, he could manage to sell his property. He would get bail in a month or two. He could effect compromises with most of the hot-headed creditors. He was going to put off the others.
Before coming to the Jail, he found kinship with the Jail Superintendent. The Superintendent himself came to the doctor to lodge him in the Jail hospital. The Superintendent used to go to the hospital in the evening to meet him and Surjan would often come to his bungalow. They kept on drinking late till night.
How could the doctor stop the sound of striking glasses made by them during their drinking sessions.
The third bed was occupied by the doctor’s own man. He had sold paddy worth twenty lac rupees belonging to the government lying at his sheller. With this money, he had helped his son to set up a factory at Gurgaon. For four years, he had not let the government take any action against him. A case was filed against him only when he had already disposed off his own land and property. He was likely to get bail within a month or so. The doctor had agreed to keep him in the hospital for this period. He did not like to lose a big amount of money by breaking the agreement a week in advance.
The fourth bed was occupied by Amarnath who had sacrificed his daughter at the altar of dowry. He was a relative of a legislator of the opposite party. He would get meals from the house of the legislator twice a day. Although there were instructions from the government that no opposition legislator would be accommodated in any way, yet it was not possible for anyone to live in glass houses and throw stones at others. The Jail officers could tolerate the anger of a legislator of the ruling party because he would not create any disturbance in the Legislative Assembly. The legislator of the opposition only needed an excuse to make an issue. How could they afford to displease him in any way?
A black cobra occupied the bed number five. The dark complexioned Deepa was a dismissed DSP from the police department. During his service, he had started purchasing disputed shops, lands, and bungalows. He managed to buy the disputed property at half the price and got it vacated with the authority of his police uniform. He would then sell it at double the price. Many police personnel and musclemen were partners in this business. When he had to face more powerful people, they got him involved in a murder case and even had him dismissed from service. When he was free from the constraints of service, Deepa took full advantage of his long experience of the police department. He set up a security agency with the help of retired police personnel, army men, and criminals. In the name of security, he started providing musclemen for taking unlawful possessions or snatching or occupying others’ properties. While taking such a possession, his gang committed a double murder. Deepa and his companions were sentenced to life imprisonment in this murder case. His companions used to rot in other barracks and do rigorous labour. Lying comfortably here, Deepa was trying to find ways of his escape.
The doctor could not afford to displease this rogue. He had only one option, that is, to make use of his special power. One of the prisoners could be stated to be suffering from a dangerous contagious disease and could be recommended for admission to isolation rooms meant for such prisoners. These isolation rooms were separate only on papers. These had not been used even once for this specific purpose. Whenever these rooms were used, it was for drinking purposes or holding some secret discussions. Jain was not going to be isolated after being lodged in this room. He would be kept aloof there only on papers but he could sit with other prisoners and enjoy gossiping with them.
After solving this problem, the doctor started towards the Circle to receive Jain.
Jain’s obese frame and fair complexion were enough to introduce him. On the basis of this guess, he addressed the new prisoner as ‘Seth Jain’.
“Excuse me, I was rather late in coming here. It is good that you have already got yourself declared a patient.”
“Mushi was a good man. He agreed to my request.”
Feeling encouraged, Jain admired Munshi. It was not possible to live in the river and have enmity with the crocodile. He had to deal with Munshi again. As such, he had hidden the truth.
“Well, agreed to the request! He must have got his pocket emptied. I know both of them.” The doctor thought to himself but said something else:
“If he had not agreed to it, I would have done it myself. I would have gone to the barracks where you were lodged. I would have examined you medically and declared you a patient. Thus I would have brought you to the hospital.”
The doctor was looking at the papers and moving to the hospital.
The doctor’s own office was at the first floor. He took Seth Jain there.
A small refrigerator was lying in a corner of the office. There was hardly any medicine to be kept in the refrigerator. On the other hand, it was used to keep cold drinks, fruits, and sweets.
The doctor took out a bottle of campa cola and offered it to Jain:
“You must have been thirsty since morning. Please quench your thirst. I will do the medical check up later.”
Jain was really dying of thirst. He had many times tried to find a source of water but he was not able to see a pitcher of water or a tap, what to speak of a water cooler. The events had taken place in such a quick succession that he could not dare to ask for water from anyone.
After the refreshments, the doctor opened his instrument bag and checked the blood pressure of Jain and observed his heart beat.
Jain’s friends were right when they said that he was suffering from great mental tension which had brought him to an alarming state. He was in need of several medicines to relieve his tension immediately.
There was not a single medicine required by him in the hospital stock.
“I am feeling that my blood pressure is rising. I have not brought my medicines with me. I did not expect that such a situation would arise.”
“I am sorry; there are no medicines for you even in the hospital. However, I have a tablet in my bag, which I will give you…”
“Please arrange for the medicine. How shall I spend the night?”
“The arrangement for the medicine will be made but it will be costly.”
“Never mind, but you will have to give it to me on loan till the morning. At present, I have not even a single penny in my pocket.”
“Don’t worry about it. I will stand surety for you. After all, you are not going to run away!”
“Who will bring medicine at this time? Will you go yourself?”
Jain was greatly worried at the lack of medicines in the hospital. He became restless for getting medicine from outside.
“Don’t worry, you will get the medicine from inside”.
In order to satisfy the curiosity of Jain, the doctor disclosed the mystery of getting medicine inside the Jail. The pharmacist of the hospital used to sell medicines in the Jail. He was the nephew of Sardari Lal, a member of Jail Welfare Board. Sardari Lal was a wholesale dealer of medicines. He was a distant relative of the Health Minister who had recommended him for the membership of the Board. He had got the contract to supply medicines to the Jail. Due to his influence as a member of the Board, he was taking full advantage of his position. He also exercised influence over the Jail officers. He had the permission to visit the Jail at any time. Taking advantage of his position, he got his nephew transferred to the Jail hospital. All the medicines were in possession of the pharmacist. He could easily sell the government medicines and bring his own medicines inside the Jail. The doctor wrote the prescription and the prisoners bought the medicines from him. The prisoners had not to wait for many days to get the medicines from outside. They were happy and so was the doctor who got his due share. The Jail officials were happy too. The prisoners got the medicines at double the price. The pleased member never visited the kitchen or the store of the Jail for checking. Neither did he meet the prisoners nor check the registers. He used to sign the papers put up by the Jail officers without raising any objections.
Thus Jain had not to worry for the availability of the medicine for him. He had not to worry about food items. The government had made special arrangements for the prisoners. There was also a kitchen in the hospital to cook food for the patients. A smell of fried eggs and frying curries used to emanate from the kitchen. Jain would get food of his choice there.
“If you need any soup or anything else, I will get it from my home”.
In fact, the food was sent from this kitchen to the doctor’s home. At the time of special need, a particular dish could be cooked at home and brought here. Of course, the cooking was not done by the doctor’s wife at their home. It was done by the helper prisoners there.
The surname Jain was always added by the doctor while addressing the Seth. After all, he was a businessman!
“You need not worry here. I will introduce you to other prisoners. They get crates of whisky and soda water bottles in the camper every evening. They will make you a partner.”
The doctor was solving each problem of Seth Jain. After all, his friends had put this responsibility on his shoulders.
Jain was provided a bed with a clean bedsheet. He was introduced with the fellow patients. The doctor made a strong recommendation about him.
Jain was now sure that he would have no problem in sleeping comfortably during the night.


EPISODE 11

The beard of the watchman guarding the Singhs’ Barracks lodging the militants was rather loose. In place of the jail uniform, he was wearing the kurta-pyajama of light blue colour. He had golden Punjabi shoes in his feet and was unarmed. Under the rules, it was imperative that there should be a watchman at the barracks and he should have the gun. Meeta wondered whether he was a watchman or a Singh, a baptized Sikh militant.
The watchman made Meeta stand outside and went to the Munshi inside with all the necessary papers.
Standing idle, Meeta began to observe his new place of lodging.
By now, Meeta had been to several jails. Most of the barracks had deserted courtyards and grassless open spaces. These lawns were meant for walking by the prisoners and holding games and athletics for them. Due to lack of facilities, these grounds were hardly used for their intended purposes.
However, this courtyard was rather different. Leaving the side of the barracks, there were shady trees beside the walls on all the three sides. There was a cemented pathway three feet wide by the side of trees. American grass had been grown all over the remaining courtyard. The grassy field had been divided into two parts: there was a volley-ball net in one part and a badminton court in the other. There was a small wrestling field in a corner.
The temporary kitchen rooms were being used as stores. Several tins of pure ghee, powder milk, bags of flour, packs of refined gram flour, packets of spices, and other such things were lying in the stores.
There was a water reservoir near the store. It was filled with clean water to its capacity. A water tap was still pouring more water into it. The water was overflowing the sides of the reservoir and moving into the grassy lawn through water channels. A wooden plank was lying nearby with several plastic buckets, oil, and soap over it. There were ropes hanging from the store to the gate. The clothes of the inmates were drying over the rope. There were blue and yellow

scarfs, knickerbockers, white loose shirts, and pyjamas, which indicated the kind of inmates living there.
After some time, the watchman returned and took him into the Munshi’s office holding him by the arm.
The Munshi had a yellow scarf on his head and was wearing a thick iron bangle on his wrist. His beard was flowing and eyes were red. He scrutinized Meeta from head to feet.
Meeta was shaken at this strange investigation. Caught in a dilemma, he was abusing Labh Singh in his mind.
“You are Meeta! You are the kidnapper of children for ransom. You kill them when you don’t get the ransom. You are a hard-core terrorist! We know that you have neither kidnapped Bunty nor killed him. We also know that you are not our companion. Since the court has declared you a militant, you are welcome to this barrack.”
The Munshi stood up and patted Meeta on his back. Then he held him by his hand and escorted him inside the barrack.
The atmosphere inside the barracks resembled that of a Gurdwara, a Sikh temple. The walls had been recently white-washed and were looking very bright. Big pictures of the Sikh Gurus were hung on the walls. Quotations from the holy scriptures were written in the empty spaces. They read: ‘The protest arises when the arrow strikes’, ‘I will make one Singh fight one and a quarter lac enemy soldiers’, ‘Don’t leave the battlefield even if cut to pieces,’ etc. Such quotations inspired the inmates to continue the struggle.
On a raised platform in the barrack, a table and four chairs were lying. A hand-embroidered table cloth was spread on the table. Writing material was placed on it. There was a small table lying in the center with several books and newspapers lying on it. According to the rules of the Jail, a bulb kept on burning all the night in the barrack. However, the appearance of the bulb was quite odd. It had been fitted in an empty one-kilo tin of cooking-oil with holes all around it. By using extra electric wire, the bulb had been lowered from the top. It acted like a table lamp for those who wanted to read without disturbing others who wanted to sleep. On the shelves, a big almirah, some trunks, suitcases and bags, a radio set, and several other things were lying. On the shelves of another almirah, photographs of the Singhs who had attained martyrdom were adorned in golden frames.
On the big wall, a TV set was fitted with two speakers, one on each side. Some young inmates were sitting in meditation. The melodious singing of holy scripture was helping them to get in communion with the Lord.
On another platform in the barrack, carpets had been spread. White sheets had been used to cover the carpet. Holy singers were sitting on the sheets. There was a mattress at the end of the platform. The Jathedar, the head of militants, was sitting on the mattress.
The Jathedar was dressed like a saint. His face reflected peace and his eyes radiated light. He knew who Meeta was and why he had been sent to that barrack.
As a mark of respect, Meeta bowed his head before the Jathedar.
Jathedar took up his right hand and blessed him.
“The Jail authorities have sent you here as a helper but we do not consider you a helper in any way. You are our brother. We will honour the decision of the government and the court. We will make you a perfect Singh. We will give you a gun in your hands to fight…”
“First of all give up your evil habits! Learn to say your daily prayers. For the time being, you should live with the cook. Do whatever he directs!”
Meeta accepted the edict and expressed his consent by saying ‘all right’.
As the Jathedar held his hand down, a Singh near him stood up and led Meeta to the kitchen.
In order to reach the kitchen, they had to cross a door in the central wall of the barrack.
On the left side of the door, there were four western toilets and four bathrooms. There were mirrors over the wash basins. There were washing soaps, and towels hanging near the mirrors. A smell of recently sprayed phenol was coming out of the toilets.
On the right side of the door, there was a kitchen with shelves almost of the equal size of the washing area. There were enough utensils in the kitchen. Tins of cashew nuts, almonds, raisins, and other edible seeds were lying there.
When they entered the kitchen, the cook was scrubbing the utensils.
Meeta was highly disappointed. It appeared that the meals were over.
Looking at the face of the cook, Meeta was again non-pulsed.
He was about forty years of age. From his appearance, he looked like a Napalese. There was no moustache or beard on his face but he was in complete Sikh dress.
“I will solve this puzzle later. First of all, I should satisfy my hunger.”
Meeta was lost in these thoughts and without doing the formality of introducing himself, he requested the cook:
“ Baba Ji, I am very hungry. Shall I get something to eat?”
“Certainly my dear, I will prepare just now. In the meantime, partake of this, karah prasad, holy pudding.”
Saying so, the cook opened the cover of a big steel container and took out holy pudding from it. He put it in an iron bowl and offered it to Meeta.
Before eating from the iron bowl, Meeta thanked God by folding both his hands.
After eating to his fill, Meeta thanked Labh Singh like God. It was with his kindness that he was able to eat such a variety of tasty food for the first time in his life.

EPISODE 12

Due to overeating, Pala was exhaling gas from his mouth. All the same, he was thankful to Labh Singh for this extreme kindness. He was lying on a neat and clean bed of a servant’s room and thinking of Meeta. During the day, he had spoken to Labh Singh: “ When we sleep at night after eating to our fill, we will bless you.”
Pala had been to several barracks. However, he had seen a bungalow in jail and kinglike prisoners for the first time.
After inquiring about it, he came to know of its background. This bungalow was constructed during the days of Emergency when high-profile leaders were put under arrest. Keeping in view the convenience of the leaders, this building was constructed in a corner of the Jail campus, away from the noise of the barracks. There was no fear of the escape of these guest prisoners. As such, the outer wall of the bungalow was kept only four feet high instead of nine. Since the leaders had to reflect and also to digest their food, arrangements for their walking inside the Jail were necessary. For this purpose, big lawns were developed outside the bungalow. Soft grass was grown in the lawns and flowers were planted all around them. For basking in the sun, bamboo chairs were placed in the lawns, which kept lying there all the day.
There were four bedrooms in the bungalow. Every room had a double bed in it. A small table with a lamp was kept for reading and writing. For the visitors, there were two settees of two seats each in every room. There was a centre table in each room. Paintings were hung on the walls. A tube was provided for greater light. A blue bulb of zero watt was provided for the night. There were cupboards for keeping clothes. A small dressing table was provided in each room. For summer days, there was an air-cooler.
Each bedroom had an attached bathroom. For hot water, there was a geyser in every bathroom. There was a big tub and a shower for taking bath.
The bungalow had a common drawing room. There were four sofa-sets of three seats each in the drawing room. A big glass table was placed in the centre. A bunch of fresh flowers in the vase lay on the table. There was an almirah with glass panes on one side. Hundreds of books in attractive bindings were kept in the almirah. Several newspapers and magazines were provided for the guests. The photographs of Nehru, Gandhi and Subhash were hung on the wall.
There was a dining hall in a corner of the drawing room. A dining set with six chairs was lying there beside a fridge nearby. The fridge was full of bottles of soda and Pepsi besides big pieces of meat.
There was a kitchen on one side. The kitchen contained all the modern facilities.
For many years, the political atmosphere in the state had been peaceful. There was no arrest of any political leaders. Due to the absence of high-profile prisoners, the bungalow was almost closed. Occasionally, it was used as a store. A legislator of the party of the Chief Minister had been convicted in a murder case. He was about to be released. The Chief Minister wanted that he should get a homely atmosphere in the Jail for some time before his release.
People were suspicious that the Chief Minister himself was responsible for getting him convicted.
Nachhattar Singh had become a member of the legislative assembly for the first time. He was keen to serve the people. His constituency was quite backward. There was hardly a school within ten villages of the area. If there was a school, there was no teacher. Same was the condition of the hospitals. Though there was electricity supply, there were no connections for tube-wells. ‘He was an MLA of the ruling party. His tasks had to be completed on priority basis.’ This is how he thought.
Being full of enthusiasm, he formulated new plans and put them before the government. Most of the plans came to a naught on the tables of bureaucrats. Though a proposal reached the table of a minister with great efforts, the minister put it off due to one excuse or the other.
Nachhattar alone did not face this problem, There were many other MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly) like him. Some of them felt it would be very difficult for them to win the next elections.
In order to put pressure on the government, these MLAs made a group of their own. To show their solidarity, they decided to visit one another for tea or dinner. They spoke against the government though in low tones. This tone became louder in the party meetings. Their collective efforts began to show results. The schools and hospitals approved for the constituencies of the ministers began to be shifted to the constituencies of these MLAs. The footpaths started taking the shape of paved roads.
“How dare these men winning with our support threaten us?” Keeping in view the growing strength of the group, the Chief Minister considered it like an alarm bell ringing. It was better to kill the snake in the hole itself before it could come out of it.
After a few months, the partridge fell into the trap by itself.
Before becoming an MLA, Nachhattar was Sarpanch, the elected village chief , for ten years. He used to become Sarpanch with the support of Gills and the votes of their clan.
In order to express his gratitude, he had allotted to them a piece of land measuring twenty acres belonging to the Panchyat, the village body, on contract. Nobody had the courage to defy the Sarpanch. Each year, the auction ended with a marginal increase of the contract money by a hundred or two hundred rupees in favour of Gills.
During the last elections, the office of Sarpanch in Nachhattar Singh’s village was reserved for the scheduled castes. There was not even a single person of the scheduled caste community in his party who could become Sarpanch. In order to avenge their defeat, the Lumburs decided to give a fight, They put all their force behind Mara Singh.
While taking the oath of Sarpanch, Mara Singh swore:
“The elections have been won not by me but by Lumburs; I am their rubber stamp. I will blindly put my thumb impression anywhere they say.”
Lumburs were jealous of Gills for the occupation of common land at a cheap contract.

Gills came to know of the auction only when the tractors of Lumburs began to move in the piece of land.
At that time, Gills remained quiet. The MLA was abroad. It was not possible to handle the situation in his absence.
As soon as Nachhattar Singh entered the village, they started ploughing the field with their tractors.
Both the sides asserted their claim on the land.
Nachhattar Singh was annoyed with the new Sarpanch besides the Lumburs. He was trying to politicize the issue. If the auction had taken place in a meeting of the village body, the MLA could have taken the possession of the land from Gills and given it to Lumburs. He was upset at this by-pass amounting to cheating.
Finding the land slipping out of their hands, the Lumburs gave it a new dimension, They started mud-slinging through the Press. The press reports said:
“Nachhattar Singh is unable to accept a man from lower caste as Sarpanch. In order to humiliate him, he is not allowing the unanimous decision to be implemented. He is bent upon removing the Sarpanch from his position.”
In his excitement, Mara Singh asked his community to come to his support and set up a front against the MLA.
The opposition party got a good chance to embarrass the government. The leader of the opposition called a press conference and declared their support for a scheduled caste Sarpanch.
The condition of the Chief Minister was precarious even earlier. He could not tolerate the strengthening of the opposition for such a small issue. He summoned Nachhattar Singh to the Capital. He ordered him to get the land vacated by his supporters at the earliest.
For Nachhattar Singh, this task was not as simple as the Chief Minister considered it. Gills had always been his right arm under all conditions. They used to spend money like water during the elections and ensured voting in his favour by standing at the booths. It was for the first time they had approached Nachhattar Singh for help. He could not betray them at this juncture.
He was thinking for a solution which would kill the snake and save the stick.
Finding their friend in a dilemma, they found a solution themselves. They were not greedy for a few acres of land. It was a question of their honour. They agreed to divide the piece of land by half.
The offer of this compromise made the opposite party think that they were about to win the battle. Now they started insisting for the vacation of the entire piece of land.
The MLA was not a novice. He had started approaching the members of village committee secretly. Two members agreed to his new proposal. It was a straight proposal. By accepting the offer of Gills, there could be re-auction of the land. Gills would not take part in the auction. Thus half of the land would automatically go to Lumburs. Honour of both the parties would be saved.
In order to give final touches to the agreement, a meeting of Panchyat, the village committee, was called. The supporters of both sides turned up.
The MLA started holding consultations with the members in a closed room of Panchayat building. It was the final round of discussions. Some people common to both parties also went inside.
At the last moment, the Lumburs came to know of the secrets agreement. They lost their heads. “Today the MLA has won the support of a few members. Tomorrow he would get the Panchayat dissolved. The agreement must be put off.”
Before reaching any conclusion, the Lumburs incited Sarpanch against the agreement. They also informed him of the treachery of some members.
Mara Singh was beside himself with rage when he learnt that his position was at stake. Lumburs had changed the situation in minutes.
According to the new plan, one of the members objected to the delay being committed by Gills in the vacation of the land. Another member demanded unconditional vacation of the land.
The supporters of Lumburs began to raise slogans in the favour of these members.

Without much thought, the supporters of the MLA raised slogans in his favour.
There were a confusion all over. Somebody was speaking in favour of Lumburs and someone else in favour of Gills. Somebody started criticizing the Sarpanch and someone began to condemn Nachhattar Singh.
The heated discussion led to the demand that the MLA should come out of closed room and put up the conditions before the people. Somebody suggested that Nachhattar Singh should be brought out of the room immediately while somebody opposed it. A kind of lawlessness prevailed there.
The crowd was divided into two groups - a group favouring the Sarpanch on one side and another group favouring the MLA on the other.
A stone was hurled at the supporters of the Sarpanch. Soon there was a rain of stone-pelting. Some people tried to save the situation, but they were thrashed.
After seeing the crowed become lawless, the gunmen were reminded of their duty. They took positions outside the door of the room.
After seeing the preparedness of the gunmen, people were infuriated. They began to abuse the police. A man a threw a shoe at the gunmen. A second person urged the crowd to manhandle them.
The gunmen found their lives in danger. They wanted the people to scatter. Instead of dispersing, they lost their temper altogether. With the intention of snatching their guns, they began to abuse them and moved towards them.
The nervous gunmen at first fired in the air.
When a stick hit one of the gunmen in his head, the other shot at the attacker who died on the spot. The crowd ran behind. Some of them still marched ahead. In order to stop their advance, the gunmen fired in their feet. Their advance came to a halt.
After hearing the gunshots, Nachhattar Singh came out.
By the time, the worst had taken place.
The gunmen surrounded Nachhattar Singh. They escorted him to the car and took him out of danger, thus performing their assigned duty.
Lumburs were the gainers after this incident. The dead man was from the scheduled caste. They started a sit-in protest alongwith their supporters. They started raising slogans and demanded: “So long as the MLA who had instigated the gunmen to open fire is not implicated in the case of murder, we will not lift the dead body”.
The people present on the spot opposed this demand of Lumburs. Nachhattar Singh was innocent and even the gunmen had to open fire under extreme compulsion. However, nobody paid any attention to their contention.
The police got the information. People belonging to scheduled castes in nearby villages started coming to this village in trucks and trollies. Any delay in lodging the First Information Report (FIR) could lead to deterioration in the law and order situation.
In order to control the situation the police had to register the case. The MLA was also dragged into it. The police officer thought that the MLA would be able to save himself after the worst was over.
The MLA began to pressurize the Chief Minister, “ I am innocent. My name should be dropped from this case.”
“The law is equal for all,” said the Chief Minister who was rather unconcerned about the condition of the MLA.
On the other hand, he started advising the MLA to show courage and to surrender himself before the police. He also gave him an assurance: “With your surrender, the people would become calm. As soon as the matter becomes cool, I will get you released on bail and also get your name deleted from the case.”
The group of MLAs was not in favour of this proposal. They smelt a rat in the whole plan. With the submission of Nachhattar Singh, the very existence of the group could come under threat. Then such an incident could take place involving all of them one by one.
Agreeing to the suggestion of the group, Nachhattar Singh applied for anticipatory bail.
The police and public prosecutor opposed the bail application tooth and nail and got it dismissed.
When all options were over, the MLA made up his mind to surrender before the police.
People did express sympathy with him. They took out processions against the highhandedness of the police and antipathy of the government. He was profusely garlanded and taken to the police station in order to surrender.
The MLA started receiving bad news inside the Jail: “The Chief Minister is annoyed with you. He says that the disciple does not pay heed to the advice of the Guru.”
Then there were voices from many quarters in the state, “ The tainted MLA should submit his resignation.”
Earlier, such demands were made by the opposition. Now the people inside the party began to raise this demand.
The supporters of Nachhattar Singh dug out information. This demand was being made at the behest of the Chief Minister.
“I am not the only MLA against whom a case has been registered. There are hundreds of MLAs and administrators in this category. Some of them are now ministers. So long as the court does not convict me, I will not submit my resignation.”
On the basis of this logic, the MLA refused to submit his resignation.
The Chief Minister accepted this challenge.
The case which was to last for several years in the court was decided in months.
People hoped that the MLA would be acquitted. Only two witnesses had deposed against him while there were forty who appeared in his favour. The supporters of the MLA also approached the judge. He simply said, “ I will have to accept the statement the forty witnesses.”
It was surprising to note that something went wrong with the judge at the time of decision. He found greater weightage in the version of the state witnesses. Along with the gunmen, he also convicted the MLA.
With the conviction of Nachhatter Singh, all other MLAs in the group were alarmed. They began to see clearly where the threads of the case began and where they ultimately reached. Some of them felt that this murder was committed under an evil conspiracy.
Afraid of the prison term, the MLAs stopped meeting one another over tea. They also stopped talking of the group.
People were not concerned how far the political friends of Nachhatter Singh had stood by him. The people of the constituency were firmly behind the truth of the case. Whenever they got an opportunity, they raised their voice in favour of their leader. They even resolved to support him while visiting the temples and gurdwaras. They even declared: “ If the MLA is not acquitted, we will put up his wife in the by- election to make her win with a huge margin.”
The Chief Minister began to feel the pulse of the people. Of course, he had no personal enmity with Nachhattar Singh. He had already achieved his motive by demolishing the group of MLAs.
He began to make amendments for the unpleasant episode.
According to the new plan of the Chief Minister, the Jail administration was instructed to provide homelike facilities to the MLA.
The Jail officers were already in search of an opportunity like this.
The Inspector General of the Jail Department had been urging the Jail Superintendent for several months to open this bungalow which had been lying closed for several years so that it could be used for prisoners.
A batch mate and the best friend of the Inspector General, DIG Satinder Kumar, was undergoing a prison term in this Jail. He wanted to give him a homely atmosphere. It was possible only with the opening of this bungalow.
A few years ago, when Satinder Kumar was posted at Maya Nagar, he had fallen in love with Nadia, the Indian beauty queen.
When the news about her pregnancy was published in the newspapers, Satinder Kumar and many others had to face the music. Some newspapers declared Satinder Kumar as the father of the unborn child while some other newspapers blamed a young central minister of state for it. Satinder’s wife was a college lecturer. His daughter was a BA student and his son was a student of senior secondary class. All of them used to read the newspapers. As the story of Nadia was published in the newspapers, there was a tension in the family. Although nobody said anything, yet their indignation was not a secret.
Nadia said, “ You are the father of my baby.”
Satinder considered her a lair. ‘Every woman says so to prove her loyalty’. Satinder was in favour of an abortion. Nadia wanted to give birth to the child. Nadia was not even greedy to get married. She simply wanted to give a name to her child.
Satinder was afraid of the dark days ahead. ‘If the matter is not resolved right now, the home would break.’ As Satinder reflected over it, he hired two contract killers and silenced Nadia forever. The subordinate police officers proved this murder to be a case of suicide and the matter was hushed up.
After completing the task, the police officer had a sound sleep. However, the central minister could sleep no longer. Nadia appeared to him in his dreams. “I was yours and the child was also yours; both of us have been murdered. You must take revenge.”
Till the killers were identified, the minister kept on pressing the intelligence department very hard.
The killers were arrested. They were presented before the journalists. The conspiracy was exposed. The central minister was now at peace.
Satinder was in Jail waiting for the proceedings in the case to start.
The Inspector General of Jails had visited the Jail three times in three months. Satinder always complained, “I feel uneasy in B-Class.”
The IG was prepared to help the friend as far as possible. But the central minister was still keeping an eye on him. Satinder could neither be taken out to spend a night at the residence of another officer nor could he be taken out of the Jail.
The only solution of all these problems was that the bungalow inside the Jail should be got opened. Thereafter, there could be any activity in the bungalow - singing or dancing. The information about it could never reach the minister or even to the watchman of the Jail.

This was the reason why the IG was pressing the Jail Superintendent to make a recommendation for the opening of this bungalow. He would manage everything all by himself.
The Jail Superintendent himself wanted to do it. He had to take a professor out of the barracks every day to give a tuition to his children. At this, the other prisoners raised objections. The professor had done a great favour to the Superintendent. He had taught his dull nephew so well that he had become as clever as a parrot. The boy who had to spend two years in the senior secondary class was able to pass the entrance test in a single attempt and was now a student of MBBS class at a medical college.
These days, the professor was coaching the son of the Superintendent. The boy used to say that the professor had a magic to teach the formulas. “The things which I never understood for months are now easy to understand within minutes.”
The boy scored good marks in the preliminary tests. The final results would also be good. The Superintendent was very hopeful.
In return, the Superintendent was providing some extra facility to his friend. The other prisoners did not like it.
The Superintendent wanted to take the professor to the bungalow. There was no barrack or lock. There was no Munshi or the daily diary. The prisoner could come and go anywhere anytime.
The Jail officer took full advantage of the situation. With the opening of the bungalow, the Superintendent sent a proposal:
“It is a big building. By keeping a single prisoner there, we are likely to keep him in isolation, which is against the Jail Manual. Some other prisoners may be allowed to be kept in the building for the entertainment of the MLA.”
The IG immediately accepted this proposal.
Along with the MLA, Satinder Kumar, and the professor also began to enjoy their days in the luxury prison!
With the kindness of Labh Singh, Pala also began to enjoy the luxuries in this heaven to some extent.

Somebody said, “Jai Prakash Narain was put under arrest in this bungalow.” Some other said that Chander Shekhar used to live there.
Pala was not concerned with the inmates of this building or who were imprisoned there from time to time. He was proud that he was living in this bungalow although he was only a helper there.

EPISODE 13
That the court would be so merciless with Pala and Meeta was not expected by the Samiti. The Samiti had managed to present several elite witnesses in their favour against the fake witnesses of the police. They were almost sure that Pala and Meeta would be declared innocent. However, the court did not agree to their arguments. They believed the witnesses presented by the state; Meeta and Pala were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Bunty.
Everybody knew that Pala and Meeta used to commit petty crimes earlier. They had a history-sheet in the police station. They were required to get their presence marked in the police station on a particular day every fortnight.
They were quite reformed now. Instead of pick-pocketing and stealing, they used to work hard to make a living.
The grandson of a famous social worker of the city popularly known as Lalaji had been kidnapped. Due to the delay in the delivery of the letter, the ransom amount had not reached the kidnappers in time. The irritated kidnappers had killed Bunty and thrown his body in the veterinary hospital.
The Chief Minister belonged to this city. Expressing their claim over him, the people urged him to get the killers arrested immediately. In a state of emotion, the Chief Minister announced: “The killers of Bunty must be arrested before the last rites of the child.”
In order to obey the instructions of the Chief Minister, the police left no stone unturned to arrest the killers. However, the murderers were very clever. They had no left any clue for the police.
In utter confusion, the police opened the old cases of criminals in their files. Every suspicious person was apprehended and beaten up.
Fearing torture by the police, Pala and Meeta presented themselves at the police station. Since they had surrendered through respectable persons, they were spared unnecessary harassment.
During those dark days, many workers of the Samiti including Baba Gurdit Singh had to spend some time in police lock-up. All of them had seen Pala and Meeta sitting in the police station.
As the day of the last rites of Bunty approached and the police could not arrest the culprits, they found a simple solution to this problem. They made Pala and Meeta wear the clothes of militants and projected them fighting with the police in an encounter outside the city.
At the time of their arrest, Gurmeet Singh was the public prosecutor in the city. He played an important role in bringing round Meeta to give up criminal activities. The grain merchant Jeevan Lal was his friend. Pala was the son of a daily labourer working at his shop. At the recommendation of Jeevan, Gurmeet also presented Pala at the police station.
Whenever Gurmeet went to the police station on official duty, he used to meet them. He used to tell the police officials: ‘When investigation about them is completed , they should be released.’ Due to the increasing number of the arrested persons, the police was rather overburdened. Being seasoned criminals, Pala and Meeta knew the working of the police. As such, their release was always put off although they were innocent.
When Pala and Meeta were declared dangerous terrorists and arrested in this case, Gurmeet Singh was asked to appear against them. But he could not tolerate this injustice. He resigned form the government service and decided to fight for these innocent persons.
This initiative by Gurmeet Singh motivated Baba Gurdit Singh and the organizations working under him. They organized Lok Sangharsh Samiti (Peoples’ Struggle Association) comprising like-minded people who collected under its banner.
The Samiti undertook a long struggle to get these innocent persons acquitted but they could not succeed despite their best efforts.
The members of the Samiti were however not prepared to accept defeat and sit passively at home.
In order to intensify the struggle, a special meeting of the members of the Samiti was held to formulate the next strategy.
“Gurmeet Singh! Your legal system is very strange. The judge believed in the false witnesses and convicted the innocent persons. The police endorsed the illegal proceedings. The police will now consider this case as closed. They would not try to arrest the real culprits who got acquitted without even going to the police station or the court.” Baba Gurdit Singh was finding faults with the legal system by interacting with Gurmeet Singh who had come earlier than others.
“The other side of the picture is equally horrible. The guilty persons are acquitted by saying: ‘The matter is doubtful.’ The police again becomes silent. The suffering party asks: ‘Our man has been killed. If they are not guilty, who else are? Who will arrest them?’ The dumb law does not give any answer to this question.” This observation of Gurmeet made Baba all the more worried.
“It means that the common man should not expect justice from the present legal system.”
“You may think so.”
“When injustice crosses all limits, people go to knock at the door of the court. It appears that this last hope of the people has become dim. Baba Ji, think about it.”
Shamu, who had come after Gurmeet, become restless to say something: “The problem will not be solved with the release of Pala and Meeta. We must widen the scope of our struggle.”
Ashok, the sole organizer of Naujawan Sabha (Youth Club), plunged into the discussion as he entered: “Things would not change by improving the legal structure alone; we can solve this problem by overhauling the political system.”
Rajinder, who belonged to the Revolutionary Front, tried to assert that he understood the root-cause of the problem which required concerted action:
“All of you are right in one way or the other. Don’t worry; we are on the right path. By fighting for Pala and Meeta, we are trying to expose the anti-people nature of this legal system which is a weapon in the hands of the government. By fighting against the judicial system, we are fighting against the government. Every suitable step will be taken at the appropriate occasion. For the time being, we should think of the difficulties which we want to discuss and overcome, “ observed Baba Gurdit Singh who called the meeting to attention in accordance with the agenda after the arrival of all the members.
Rajinder said, “ With the conviction of Pala and Meeta, the morale of the Samiti and its supporters has fallen. In order to raise their morale, the release of the convicted persons on bail is necessary. We must try to secure the bail of Pala and Meeta.”
Gurmeet was not hopeful of an early bail of the convicted persons. He tried to convince the members how the bail application would be dismissed: “The police has projected this incident as a terrorist action. Of course, it is a terrorist action, but Pala and Meeta are not terrorists. The judge knows it quite well though he has sentenced them fearlessly terming it a terrorist crime. The newspapers and the government are admiring the courage of the judge. They are expecting that `other judges will also follow him. By granting bail to Pala and Meeta so soon, the High Court will not try to affect the morale of the judges.”
“In this incident, an innocent child has been killed. The court will hesitate to give any relief to the killers of the child.”
“The history of Pala and Meeta will also be a hurdle in the grant of bail to them. Their ten year old files will be dug out of graves. The Yuva Sangh (Youth Forum) is fighting for the complainant; the government itself would create hurdles in the grant of bail to them.
All members of the Samiti agreed to the arguments of the advocate. The proposal for filing the application of bail for Pala and Meeta was dropped.
“We will appeal against this decision. The turn of the appeal will come after ten years. Shall we sit idle for this period? Should we dissolve the Samiti? Should we put an end to the struggle?” Rajinder was afraid of complacency in the struggle. He frankly expressed his apprehension.
Before the beginning of the meeting, there was some discussion between Baba and Gurmeet. At that time, Baba was having a thought lurking in his mind. He was feeling that the Samiti had committed a blunder. Till now, the Samiti was fighting a one-sided battle - the battle to get Pala and Meeta declared innocent. The Samiti knew that Bunty’s murderers were some other people. By getting Pala and Meeta convicted in this case, the police had given up its actual responsibility. The

Samiti could do this task. The actual killers could be traced and brought to book by the police and the court with their efforts.
Even now, there was no need to cry over spilt milk. The Samiti must start its efforts from today itself. By doing so, the Samiti would get more supporters and the police and the judiciary would be exposed.
This proposal of Baba Gudit Singh was immediately accepted because it opened new directions of the struggle. It was unanimously decided that the members of the Samiti would leave no stone unturned to trace the real murderers.
Advocate Pyare Lal gave another suggestion: “So long as the real murderer are not traced, the witnesses who appeared against Pala and Meeta should be motivated. They should be made to realize their blunder. If they accept that they had told a lie in the court, affidavits containing their true statements can be procured from them. On the basis of these facts, the police should be approached to investigate the crime afresh and the High Court should be urged to acquit the innocent persons.”
This proposal was also accepted.
Meghraj wanted that the awakening in the people should not be allowed to dwindle.
Many people like Pala and Meeta were suffering due to this faulty legal system. Something should also be done for these suffering people.
After this proposal, there was no discussion. It was immediately decided: “The Samiti will start taking new cases from tomorrow.”
Baba made a formal announcement at the end of the meeting:
“A big protest should be organized to show resentment against the unjust conviction of Pala and Meeta. People should be made aware of the stereotyped and anti-people legal system. A struggle should be launched against the government with this protest. People should be informed of the new strategy of the Samiti.”
The young members were now full of enthusiasm; they stood up to take their new assignments whole-heartedly.



EPISODE 14

It was the fifteenth day of Meeta in this barrack. He was neither allowed to go to the barrack of Singhs (Sikh militants) nor permitted to visit the cells of Jathedars (leaders).
He was instructed to sleep in the kitchen.
Since childhood, Meeta had been all alone. The Jail was like a second home for him. Therefore, he was not afraid to going jail or living alone.
Meeta’s occupation was peculiar. Like owls, he had developed the habit of lying awake at night. However, after coming to this barrack, he would get up at sunrise.
Last night, he had forgotten to drink the special saffron flavoured milk meant for the Singhs. It was perhaps the reason that he got up at midnight.
The Jail was situated in a deserted place. The tired prisoners were fast asleep. Normally, there were sounds of beetles and jackals around the Jail. However, he could hear the sounds of music and some other strange sounds. He was feeling rather afraid of these sounds.
Meeta had been committing thefts for many years. For this purpose, he had to make a big hole in a wall of the selected house. He used to employ sharp rods, hammers, and other hand tools to break the wall. He therefore knew how to mix the sounds of these hand tools into the normal sounds.
Meeta was an experienced thief. He felt that the same thing was happening there.
He wanted to know who was breaking the wall and where he was doing it. There were several questions in the mind of Meeta.
Ever since he came to this barrack, he had been confronted with such strange questions of his own.
There had been manifold increase in the incidents of kidnapping, robbery, and murders for the last few years. Everyone knew that these crimes were committed by the Sikh militants. Their morale was very high. They would kill hundreds of people in a single action. They were neither arrested by the police nor convicted by the court. They had no dearth of weapons or money.
Meeta had come across many hardened criminals. However, none of them was as brave as the Sikh militants.
Who were these Sikh militants? Who supplied them the weapons? Why did they kill the innocent people? Where did they hide after the crime? What to speak of Meeta, no one knew about it. Meeta wanted to meet a Sikh militant and talk to him for long. However, he could not meet anyone of them despite many efforts.
After reaching the barracks of Sikh militants, he felt that all his questions would be solved.
However, the matter was becoming more complicated for him.
Meeta thought that the Sikh militants were fearful demons like the army of the demon king, Ravana. However, not a single man in this barrack looked like the one of his imagination. All these persons were quite peaceful and spent the whole day in religious activities.
Out of the nine jailed militants, four of them were the leaders of different organizations. There were about twenty cases every against each Jathedar.
The government considered Zaila Sipahi as the most fanatical of all. His organization had resolved to eliminate Hindus from the state altogether. They used to resort to firing in the railway trains and buses where they killed the Hindus. Besides other cases, Zaila was also accused of killing six policemen of Central Reserve Police by blasting their van.
The organization of General Sukha established contacts with the neighbouring countries. It arranged weapons through them. For getting money to purchase arms and ammunition, they used to commit bank robberies. They recruited young men and sent them to training camps. The police of a certain district claimed that they had captured AK 47 rifles from his possession. Some other police organizations accused him of storing RDX and foreign pistols.
The organization of Danewalia was expert in kidnapping industrialists, doctors, and advocates and then getting heavy ransom for their release. Many such cases had been filed against him.
The organization of the Chief Commander Mitha worked for suppressing the forces of repression. They had taught lessons to several police inspectors and superintendents of police for killing militants in fake police encounters.
The Chief Commander had himself shot dead two magistrates in the court itself for helping the police. They had struck a sessions judge who was about to sentence some militants. Ever since his organization decided to teach a lesson to the son-in-law of a central minister, the entire police force of the state was after him. The central minister could heave a sigh of relief only after getting him behind bars.
Although these Jathedars had been put behind bars for many years, they continued to be the heads of their respective organizations. There was hardly any district in the state where a case against them was not pending in the court. They used to go to appear in the court on six out of seven days in a week. The intelligence agencies always followed them. Even then, they would establish contact with their supporters and exchange information with them. They had more knowledge of the incidents taking place in the state than the intelligence department itself.
The organizations outside the Jail were autonomous. They followed the instructions of their heads. The Jathedars inside the Jail had made Jathedar Sukha as their leader. Whenever there was no consensus about a problem, his command was accepted.
The government considered Singhs as cruel fellows. From their conversation and actions, Meeta considered them noble persons. The status of a Jathedar in the organization reflected his high character.
Meeta could not understand whether the government was speaking the truth or he was seeing the truth. It was a riddle which he was unable to solve.
The appearance of the four Jathedars was almost the same. He could not distinguish who was Sukha and who was Zaila. Meeta could not recognize anyone.
How could he recognize them? During the day, they remained out attending different courts. At night, they retreated to their respective cells.

The Singhs had occupied six cells in the Jail. There was a verandah of three feet before each cell. This verandah was closed from one side. The other side was linked to the main verandah of the barracks. There was an iron gate between the two verandahs and it often remained locked. This gate separated other prisoners from those in the cells. Although these cells were constructed to lodge troublesome prisoners, they had not been used for any such purpose since the Singhs had come to this barrack.
Singhs expressed their resentment before the Jail authorities that their religious feelings were being ignored. They were true Sikhs and they had to pray several times during the day. Ten Singhs could not carry out their religious duties in such a small place.
They urged the Jail administration that only a minimum number of the Jathedars should be allowed to live in these cells.
After some hesitation, the Warden acceded to this request of Jathedars.
Jathedars were not put in these cells to undergo their sentence. Keeping this consideration in view, their cells were not locked. They were allowed to walk in the verandahs and visit the rooms of others.
Keeping in view the religious commitments of Singhs, the court had allowed them to listen to the holy scripture. There were bulbs in the cells but there were no plugs. The tape-recorders of Singhs and the audio cassettes containing recorded holy scripture were lying unused. They put up a new demand. They wanted that electric plugs should be fitted in their rooms. They had themselves made arrangements for the wire. The court ordered the fitting of plugs in their rooms. The melodious singing of scripture began to make the atmosphere of the cells quite holy.
The Singhs got up early in the morning for their daily prayers. The kitchen of the barracks was at distance from these cells. To overcome this difficulty, a cell was allotted to the cook. The other cell was converted into a kitchen.
The cook remained with the Jathedars all the day long. He should have known who was Jathedar Danewalia and who was Jathedar Mitha.

The cook shook his head: “One Jathedar does not address the other Jathedar by name.”
Meeta was not able to decide whether the cook was speaking the truth or a lie.
The cook did not say anything about the background of each Jathedar. However, he did not keep any secret when he told him about himself.
Before getting involved in a murder case, the cook was a chef in a three-star hotel. When there was no work in the kitchen, he performed the duty of a waiter. The main source of the income of the hotel was from those couples who came there for sexual enjoyment. The owner had deliberately kept the tariff of the room rather low. He used to make up the loss while supplying soda, whisky, and food to them. There was always a dispute between the owner and the clients due to the bills. The wise clients used to accept the bills patiently and make the payment. Some foolish clients got irritated and even came to blows. The police was aware of the activities in the hotel. The owner was hand and glove with the police. Such clients never got anything by picking up a quarrel. The faithful police always took the side the owner of the hotel. Sometimes, the waiters had to use force against such clients.
When the owner took a little more of drink, he would disturb the enjoying couples. Sometimes, he would molest the women accompanying their partners. Many times, the clients bowed out of the situation. They knew that the police would come in case of a dispute and the client was bound to face disrepute and humiliation.
Once the owner of the hotel picked up rather a big dispute. The client protested, “This women is not a prostitute but my fiance.” The owner insisted, “Every man coming here says so.”
In order to save her honour, the woman in the room hit the owner with a jug on his shoulder. The waiters came to know that the client was dominating their master. They took an iron rod from the verandah and came to the rescue of the owner. In order to save himself, the client moved backwards in the balcony of the

room. He was pushed to the grill and he fell down. His neck was fractured in the fall.
A case was registered on the statement of the fiance.
At the behest of the owner, the police involved the chef in the case. He also misled the chef and boasted of his power to save him.
“I will engage a senior advocate for you. I will make the witnesses disown their statement; you will be acquitted in a month.”
Due to his extreme loyalty, the chef confessed to the crime.
As soon as the challan was presented in the court, the owner turned his face. Instead of spending anything on the advocate or the witnesses, he did not even go to see the accused.
Nepali Brotherhood made efforts to save their companion. Many Nepalese were working as servants in several offices and homes. They flattered housewives who in turn urged their husbands to help the poor chef. The officers approached the judge for this purpose. It was a serious matter. It was not possible to acquit a murderer on the basis of such recommendations. Even then, the judge showed some lenience. Instead of convicting him for murder, he converted it to a case of grievous injuries and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment.
Being a chef stood him in good stead. A good cook was always in demand in the Jail. In order to get the Nepali cook in heir barracks, there was a kind of auction among the prisoners. Recommendations were sought even from the Jail Minister. The members of Prisoners Welfare Board personally came to visit the Jail.
The Singhs were victorious in the long run. After the issue of an edict by them, all the cries of auction and words of recommendation were nullified. The cook reached their barrack.
He had been preparing food for Singhs for the last two years.
He knew a little bit of Punjabi earlier. He learnt the rest form the Singhs. His mostouches and beard had not yet grown. However, he kept long hair. He was so influenced by the favour and ideology of the Singhs that he partook of amrit,

the holy water for baptism, and became a perfect Singh. He was no longer a mere cook but he became Ranjit Singh.
“The Singhs have more say than even the ministers in the Jail.” Meeta could not digest this tall talk of the cook.
It was otherwise a fact. No rules and regulations were enforced in this barrack. There was no counting of heads here in the morning and the evening and neither was this barrack locked. The watchman of this barrack was a Singh and he was the Munshi as well.
During his weekly round, the Jail Warden only observed a formality. He stood on the gate of the courtyard and enquired about the welfare of Singhs. He promised to solve their problems sooner than later.
This understanding between the Jail officers and Singhs was not without a reason.
They had to undergo a long struggle to achieve this end.
Earlier, a Singh was arrested occasionally. He was considered to be the enemy number one of the government. He was treated with all strictness. Instead of keeping the Singhs in the barracks, they were put in the cells. They were handcuffed and chained. They were kept without food and water. They were not allowed to sleep all the night.
With the rise in the number of Singhs, the problems of the Jail administration began to increase. They were taken out of different barracks and put into the same barrack. Armed guards were posted outside the barracks.
Being fed up with the daily excesses, the Singhs decided: “Let us be ready to die. We should teach a lesson to the administration under one excuse or the other.”
A week before the Gurpurb, the celebration of Guru’s birthday, they put up a demand: “We will celebrate the Guru’s birthday in the Gurdwara inside the Jail.”
The Jail Superintendent was not willing to accept this demand. There was a distance of half a kilometer between the Gurdwara and the barracks of Singhs. Common prisoners also visited the Gurdwara; it was risky to let the Singhs mix with the common prisoners.
Singhs gave an assurance, “We will not create any problem during the function of the Guru’s birthday and would not try to escape.”
However, the Warden remained unmoved.
There was sloganeering in the barracks all the night. Singhs started a hunger strike in the morning.
The Warden was rather nervous and reported the matter to the Inspector General. He was not willing to accept this precarious proposition. Every Singh was involved in about twenty court cases. Even if the hearing of these cases was expedited and they got acquitted in each case, it would take them at least ten to fifteen years in Jail before the final acquittal. Singhs called themselves lions. They were not like rats in the cages. They could not be trusted and given any opportunity to escape. Keeping this factor in mind, the Inspector General expressed agreement with the Warden.
The news of the refusal of this demand was leaked out of the files and spread in the whole state.
Other Singhs in different jails also started hunger strike in favour of this demand.
The human rights organizations condemned this policy of the government as interference in the religious rights of the prisoners.
Some Sikh organizations called for observing a black day in the state.
The intelligence department warned the government that this smouldering fire should not be allowed to take the shape of flames.
In order to control the situation, a middle path was found out.
Singhs were allowed to go to the Gurudwara on the condition that each Singh would go there one by one. They would remain handcuffed in the way.
The matter was resolved by the intervention of the Chief Minister.
Common prisoners were locked in the barracks. Paramilitary forces were put on duty inside and outside the Jail for security arrangements. Singhs were brought to the Gurdwara in locked vans. They were taken back in the same vans.
The government had to surrender before Singhs for nothing. It earned criticism instead.
The Warden was transferred from that Jail on the basis of his being an incapable administrator. Singhs now had an upper hand. There was one year for the new Warden to retire. He bagan to give more concessions to Singhs in order to spend his remaining time in the service peacefully.
The transferred the Warden did not allow even a tin of milk to be taken inside the Jail. The new Warden waived this restriction. First of all, he allowed those items to be brought into the Jail, which were not available in the store inside. Pure ghee, cashew nuts, and almonds were allowed for parsad, the holy pudding. Then permission was granted to bring in wheat flour and refined gram flour. Thereafter, he allowed the entry of fruit, syrups, and jams in the Jail.
One year passed in no time and the Warden retired from the service.
The Warden who took over from him had been suspended for two years and was reinstated recently.
The Singhs in his earlier Jail had dug a tunnel which was eight feet deep and thirty feet long. Truckloads of earth had been removed secretly. Singhs had committed a mistake while digging the tunnel. They did not know that the foundation of the outer wall of the Jail was fifteen feet deep. All their hopes were dashed to the ground. Then they closed the tunnel. But this simpleton had not come to know of anything.
No wonder, the Warden was doubly careful. In his earlier jail, the instruments to dig the tunnel had reached the Singhs in the tins of cooking oil and sacks of wheat.
The new Warden wanted to ban the import of such material to the barracks of Singhs.
His decision was opposed from the warders to the Deputy Superintendent. Their logic was that Singhs inside the barrack were very dangerous persons. They were passing their time with great difficulty. They were of the opinion that any contradiction with Singhs would put their lives in danger.
The Warden understood their mischief. The actual reason for their opposition was quite different.

Singhs had no dearth of devotees. Ration was brought from religious institutions and gurdwaras in small trucks. The police officials were also enjoying themselves with the Singhs. Earlier, the officials used to take home the surplus ration. Now they asked for their share before the supply. Earlier, only junior officials used to take this ration to their homes. Gradually, the senior officials also started taking the material. Packets of cashew nuts and almonds and tins of pure ghee began to be supplied to the high officials.
The officials did not want to be deprived of this wonderful facility. For running the administration, the co-operation of the all the officials was imperative.
Thus the Warden modified his orders rather hesitatingly.
“In future only that much ration would be allowed inside the Jail as was actually required. Even a match box will have to be scrutinized before it was allowed inside. All this has to be done in the presence of the Warden.”
The irritated Jail personnel informed the Singhs about it: “The barrack can be searched anytime. It can be shifted anytime.”
Singhs were quite worried. If this decision was implemented, all the efforts made by them during the last years would come to nothing. Their dreams to get released soon would come to an end.
“The search of barracks should be stopped and it should not be shifted in any case, “ they decided. How could they stop action on this order? The Jathedars kept on discussing the matter for several days.
During the next weekly inspection, the Singhs threatened the Warden: “We do not accept the search of our ration. It is an insult to us. Stop it immediately otherwise get ready for the consequences.”
The Warden was made of different stuff. He heard this threat from one ear and let it escape from the other.
On his next round, the Jathedar himself challenged him: “We are sending an edict to the Singhs outside the Jail. Behave yourself or you will be eliminated.”
After three days of this round, an action took place.
While going to appear in the court, two Singhs were killed. The next day, the newspapers gave this news: “In response to the call of nature, the Singhs got the police van halted near the bridge of the drain. They hit the policemen with their handcuffs. Then they sat in the jeep standing nearby in order to escape. The alert police did not let them succeed. There was firing between the police and the Singhs inside the jeep. Both Singhs were killed in the cross fire. The other Singhs in the jeep managed to escape.”
The killed Singhs were taking the edict for the Singhs outside. Jathedar became suspicious. Perhaps the Warden had come to know of this plan. He might have got this action taken against the militants.
Before the last rites of two Singhs, the Chief Commander returned the compliment!
The Singhs outside got four Singhs released from the police personnel before the hearing in the court by firing intensely. It was a real encounter. Instead of Singhs, the policemen were killed in this encounter.
With the escape of Singhs, there was an atmosphere of mourning in the house of the Warden. After two hours of the encounter, he began to receive threatening phone calls: “Get ready to die with family.”
This was not an ordinary threat. It was not desirable to give out these threats. The Warden talked to the higher authorities.
Keeping in view his personal welfare, some high officers advised him to be alert, to apologize to Singhs, and to settle the matter amicably.
The strict officers asked him to place a guard in his house and increase the numbers of gunmen.
The Warden did not like any of the proposals. He was a Rajput. He was not inclined to tender an apology; he could die but could not bow his head.
The warnings were not mere threats. They could turn into reality anytime. The greater security arrangements would be of no use at the time of a militant attack.
The relatives of the Warden offered a solution:
“The situation has become critical. There is no need of looking towards the government or the officers. The government will not give anything except false promises. Leave for Canada with your family in a quiet manner. You have many relatives in Canada. They will welcome you there. The conditions do not remain the same forever. Militancy is moving downwards. When the conditions are better, you can come back.”
There were many rumours about the disappearance of the Warden and his family. Some people called him a coward and an absconder. Someone said that he had been eliminated by the Singhs and the government was deliberately trying to hide the news so that the morale of the police personnel should not fall.
Nothing could be said about the rising or falling morale of the Jail authorities but it was certain that nobody could deter Singhs from having their own way.
And now at midnight, Singhs were engaged in their mysterious activities. Lying by himself in the kitchen, Meeta became a little quiet. The situation became clearer to him. They were trying to break the Jail. Singhs were digging a tunnel with the intention of escaping.
Meeta began to get answer to some of his questions. What was there in the sacks lying on the shelf and behind the curtain? Where does the wet earth in the wrestling round come from every day in the morning? Where does the dry earth go in the evening? Why is the toilet of the rooms of the Jathedars used so frequently? Why does the cook go to his room early every night ? Why does he keep sleeping during the day? Why is he dreaming of going to his country sooner? Why does he promise to Meeta to take him to his country for a tour?
After getting the answers, Meeta began to tremble.
Should he join the Singhs and escape or should he run away from this barrack?
He began to find any answer to this new question.

EPISODE 15

A meeting of Jathedars atd been taking place since morning. Some important matters were being discussed.
Meeta knew two of them.
This matter was concerning Meeta.
Last week, Jathedar declared: “We know that you are innocent. People should also come to know of this truth. I have sent an edict to the Singhs outside. They will find out the real murderers of Bunty.”
The names of murderers of Bunty would have been found out. How were they to be dealt with? It was to be decided in this meeting.
The second matter pertained to the priest of a dera, a religious place. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for raping a lady volunteer. From the very first day, the priest was putting pressure on the Jail authorities: “I am a religious man. I should be sent to the barrack having the atmosphere of Sikh faith.”
This proposal was not acceptable to the Jathedars. They could give him refuge even if he had committed a hundred murders, but they were not willing to accept a priest who was accused of an immoral crime like rape.
“ I am innocent”, the priest was pleading time and again.
He said, “My opponents have got me framed under a conspiracy.”
He had converted a deserted cremation ground into a beautiful dera with his meditation and supernatural powers to overcome the evil spirits. He had attracted lakhs of devotees. The baptism of amrit, holy water, was held on the first and the last day of each local month. Even some foreign devotees had started coming to the dera. They had provided modern facilities for the kitchen and two specious halls for kirtan, holy singing. The income from the land of the dera was increasing day by day. A woman was to donate a car to the dera on the Baisakhi Festival. The priest had got a visa for abroad. He was to go to America and Canada under a programme of preaching religion.
The popularity of the priest created a heart burning in his opponents. They wanted to eject the priest out of the dera with a conspiracy.
First of all, they formed a five-member committee for the administration of the dera in collaboration with the Sarpanch of the village. In its very first meeting, the committee passed many resolutions:" The committee would lock the donation box. A complete account of the donation would be kept. The land belonging to the dera would be given on contract farming."
The number of admirers of the priest was not small. They stood at the entrance gate of the dera with guns in their hands. The opponents were scared and did not dare to enter the dera.
Another conspiracy was hatched to malign the holy man.
They bribed the tractor driver of the dera by giving him several bundles of currency notes. His wife was made to join them in the evil deed.
According to the planned conspiracy, the driver’s wife raised an alarm at night: "Save me! Save me!! The priest is trying to molest me by calling me at his residence."
The driver, who had gone to the city, turned up immediately. After listening to the cries of his wife, he ran towards to residence of the priest. It was with great difficulty that he rescued his wife from the clutches of the priest.
A case was filed against the priest at the police station and he was immediately arrested. The opponents soon took control of the dera. With the income from the dera, the police officials and the judge were corrupted. The priest had to land in prison due to falsehood.
Clarifying his position the priest used to say: “There is a distance of five hundred yards between the house of the driver and the dera. Why did the young woman come to his residence at night? The city is twenty miles away from the dera. How did the driver come to know of the impending incident. The entire story is concocted.”
The worldly court had not done justice to the priest. He had now come to the ‘court of truth’ with his petition. He was seeking justice.


The Jathedar seemed to believe the priest as speaking the truth. He assured him, “We have asked for a report from the Singhs outside. If you are innocent, we will get you acquitted and get you the control of the dera.”
The Singhs outside had investigated matter thoroughly and submitted a true report.
This report was to be considered in the meeting.
Sitting in the compound, Meeta was rather afraid. He felt that a decision about his fate was also going to be taken. He was likely to be expelled from the barrack for not obeying the orders of the Singhs.
The Singhs had told him a day before that he should become a Singh himself. However, Meeta had ignored the instruction.
Now when Meeta had a heart to heart talk with the cook, the latter was persuading him to abide by the instructions of the Singhs.
“The Singhs have done you a favour by inviting you to their fold. You should comply with their instructions and become a Singh immediately. Seeing you in the form of a Singh, the judge would acquit you in no time. If the appeal took longer, the Singhs would help you to escape from the Jail. Why do you want to rot in the Jail? You can go out and serve the nation instead of picking the pockets of poor people. You can rob the treasures of rich people. You can kill the cruel police officials. If you continue to live, you will lead a heavenly life. If you die, you will be considered a martyr by the nation. Your name will get a mention in history. You should give up the Samiti. You stopped committing crime after following the Samiti, but what did you get? Life imprisonment! That too in a false case! They will stand by you only up to the decision of your appeal. Thereafter, they will start following some other case and forget you altogether.”
After listening to the cook, Meeta felt that he was speaking the truth. There was no room for the honest and hard working people in the society. Why should he live like an insect in the drain? Everyone has to die one day or the other. Why should he not lead a good life and face death like brave men?


The other statement of the cook was also true. The priest had been trying to get a place in the barrack of Singhs for the last one month. Coming to the barrack was a distant dream; he had not yet been able to meet the Singhs.
The Singhs had themselves invited Meeta to come to their fold. He was not caring for their invitation.
Meeta had a doubt about the third statement of the cook. The members of the Samiti had really been very kind to him. If they had not stood by Meeta and Pala at the crucial hour, they would have been hanged by now. The Samiti was not going to leave them in the lurch. They had filed an appeal in the high court. They firmly said that they would get them acquitted in any case. They always did what they said.
Meeta was in a dilemma. He could not decide whether he should follow the fiery path of the Singhs or adopt the rational approach of the Samiti. He wondered whether he should escape from the Jail or get acquitted in an honorable manner. He was puzzled whether he should hold a gun to avenge the injustice done to people like him or pursue the direction provided by the Samiti to bring about a change in the system through the people’s struggle.
Meeta was not able to reach any conclusion and could not decide to which side he should go.
But the Singhs had drawn their conclusion.
A Singh was sent to the Bachelors’ Barracks to call the priest.
The priest did not wear even his shoes due to hurry. He was certain that the decision would go in his favour.
The report sent by the Singhs from outside was read before him:
“This man is not a holy man but a fraud. He is an absconder in a murder case filed against him in a court at Kangra. He remained underground for three years hiding himself in a dera. There he learnt the art of playing with the religious sentiments of the people. With the help of his tricks, he exploited the people in the area with his clever deeds. He is a slave to his own evil instincts. He has raped not only the driver’s wife but also many other female volunteers at the dera. The arrival of the driver on the spot of the incident is not true. The police had made the driver give such a statement in order to make their case against the priest stronger. The so-called holy man is not able to pronounce even a single line of the holy scripture correctly. He cannot explain the scripture in any way. The villagers are on the right side. Whatever they have done is justified and done rightly.”
The Singhs outside had expressed the opinion that this fraudulent priest who misled the people should be given a sound punishment in the Jail itself.
Having heard the details of his evil deeds, the fraudulent priest began to tremble and begged forgiveness by touching the feet of Singhs. First of all, his face was blackened; then he was given a shoe-beating and made to run out of the barrack.
Meeta felt that similar treatment was in store for him for his non-compliance of their instructions.
He was invited by the Singhs affectionately and not angrily. The Chief Jathedar himself advised him: “The murderers of Bunty are very clever people. They have not left any clue behind. It appears that the crime has been committed by the policemen. However, you should not worry; Singhs will find them one day or the other. They will be made to appear in the High Court and confess to their crime. They will be put in jail and you will be acquitted with their efforts.”
This encouraging gesture of Jathedar took Meeta out of his dilemma. He took a decision in his mind: “I will stop cutting my hair from today itself. I will start saying daily prayers. I will become a perfect Singh.”

EPISODE 16

The meeting of the cabinet of ministers lasted till late at night. As soon as the Jail Superintendent got the information, he came in haste to the bungalow. He woke up Nachhattar Singh from his early sleep. He apprised him about the decision taken in the cabinet of ministers. He also told him of the assurance given by the government: “The proceedings have been kept secret this time. Nobody would come to know of the decision till you get acquitted. The orders would be sent through a special nominee. Get ready for the release now.”
There were four prisoners in the bungalow at this time - the legislator, the professor, cook Ramu, and Pala. The release of the professor and Ramu was connected with the release of Nachhattar Singh. After the departure of the Superintendent, the legislator broke this news to them as well.
Instead of being happy, all the four prisoners kept lying restlessly on their beds.
The legislator thought that the Chief Minister had not yet forgiven him at heart. He used to issue orders of his release just to pacify Nachhattar Singh. Thereafter, he created some hindrance in the release due to one excuse or the other. This had happened twice earlier. He felt that the same was going to happen this time as well.
The cook Ramu was also thinking in the same way. He was not a criminal He knew how to cook and serve food for the elite persons. He was sent to prison only due to this fault.
Whenever the Jail Superintendent came to the Jail on a round, Satinder Kumar had only one complaint, “ Give me a good cook.”
The Superintendent presented as many as twenty cooks to him one after the other. However, he did not like any of them. Someone did not know how to hold the tray while the other did not know how to cover the glass of water. Someone else did not know how to talk to the officer while the other lacked manners while entering the room. Someone did not know how to make the soup while the other could not prepare bariyani (rice cooked with meat or vegetables). It was not a mess of police lines but the Jail. The cook had to be arranged from the prisoners alone. How could a prisoner of the liking of the officer could be brought inside? The Superintendent was at a loss what to do.
In order to solve this problem, the help of the Superintendent of Police was sought.
The police raided a hotel of medium level. The manager of the hotel and a waiter were arrested for serving liquor without the necessary permit. A condition was put before the manager, “If you want to be out of the case, you should forget about the waiter for a few months.”
The manager stood with folded hands and said, “ I have many waiters like him. You may keep him as long as you wish.”
The Superintendent gave an assurance to Ramu advising him to work hard, “The officer here is a guest for a few days. If he is pleased, he will take you along with him. He will get you recruited to the police.”
Dreaming of an early release and recruitment to the police, Ramu served the officer day and night.
To his bad luck, the orders for the release of Satinder Kumar were issued earlier than the orders for the legislator.
Nachhattar Singh also liked the work of Ramu.
“I am about to be released quite soon. Why should you go elsewhere for only a few days. Spend a few more days here somehow. I will take you with me”, saying so, the legislator got hold of Ramu from Satinder for his own comfort. The ‘few days’ turned into several months. Neither was Nachhattar Singh released nor was Ramu.
Ramu felt that Nachhattar Singh alone would get the release. Some other influential prisoner will get hold of him afterwards.
Pala was worried due to a reason different from theirs. He was serving a life imprisonment. He had nothing to do with the release of others. A saint called Labh Singh had made him a prince from a rat. He had sent him to this heaven to spend his time luxuriously. Lack of worry and excess of good food had made his tummy
rise a little and his neck had become rather fat. As soon as the legislator was released, his heavenly life would come to an end.
He trembled whenever he thought that he would be converted to a rat again.
Lying in his bed, Pala was praying that the release of the legislator should be withheld.
Pala had seen many a jail. He had come across hundreds of jail officials; almost all of them were very cruel. However, there was a kind of magic on the premises of the bungalow prison. As the officers entered the gate of this bungalow, they became very soft and began to wag their tails like dogs.
People considered that the bungalow as a lucky place. It was opened once a while after many years. Whenever it was opened, it made many a poor fellow a prince.
During the days of Emergency, Shekhar Baba was imprisoned here. One of the Deputy Jail Superintendents was his devotee. Ignoring the official instructions and risking his own service in the police, he served the leader in a nice manner. After the Emergency, there was a change of the government. Shekhar Sahib occupied a very high chair. He remembered his friend who had stood him in good stead during the crisis. As soon as he took the oath of his office, he issued the order that the Deputy Superintendent should be made the Superintendent. He was given further promotions and made the Director of the Jail Department. When he was about to retire, he was given an extension of two years. As long as Shekhar Sahib occupied the chair, he enjoyed himself immensely.
After many years, the bungalow was opened for Barnala Sahib. In order to entertain him, a humourous prisoner was sent to the bungalow. With his funny statements, he won the heart of Barnala Sahib. When Barnala Sahib came out of the Jail and occupied a high chair, he helped this joker to become a legislator. When he formed his government, he made him a minister in his cabinet. The same joker now occupies an important place in the politics of the state.
After many years, the bungalow was again buzzing with activity.
The Jail officials had learnt a lesson from its history. Someone wanted to become a minister while the other wanted to become the head of the department.
So long as Nachhattar Singh was facing bad times, the officials used to avoid him As soon as the situation changed in his favour, they also changed their attitude. The Superintendent made his own guess when the orders to open the bungalow were received. ‘The relations between the master and the disciple have improved.’ Everybody knew that the legislator was awarded the punishment at the behest of the Chief Minister. Half of the judges of the High Court were appointed with the blessings of the Chief Minister. As soon as he became soft towards the legislator, he would get him released. Since Nachhattar Singh was a young man, he was likely to make a lot of progress in the field of politics. The far-sighted Superintendent began to consider him as a minister from the same day itself.
Likewise, Satinder Kumar was also a senior officer in the police department. Bad days have after all to come to an end. He would be the Director of the department one day or the other. He still commanded a good deal of influence. He was able to help small officials to a great extent even while sitting in the Jail. It was therefore useful to keep the future Director of the department pleased in every possible way.
The political prisoners were about to leave. The Jail Superintendent did not want to lose any time.
The residential houses of the employees were situated at the back of the bungalow. There was a wall between the residential quarters and this bungalow. There was a small door in this wall for the coming and going of the employees.
The Superintendent made full use of this door.
Whenever he went to the office, he came through this door and called at the bungalow. He wished ‘good morning’ to the three prisoners and asked them, “Did you face any problem at night?” Then he inspected the entire bungalow and found out if it had been cleaned properly. He asked the cook, “Is there need of anything in the kitchen?” He warned both the helper prisoners, “There should be no carelessness in the service of the elite inmates, otherwise I would shift you from the bungalow.”
After the duty hours, he would visit the bungalow on his way home and repeat the morning formalities. After becoming fresh at night, he would come to the bungalow again and had a gossip with elite prisoners. They would have drinks and enjoyed poetic recitations.
The legislator and the Deputy Inspector General were happy with the Jail administration. The elite prisoners were getting ‘all the home-like facilities’ in accordance with the instructions of the government.
They had a bungalow to live in, not the jail barrack. They had a high class cook to make and serve food for them. They had Pala to wash their clothes, polish their shoes, and massage their bodies
During the day, the visitors kept them entertained. There was no restriction on the number of the visitors and neither were they searched while coming to the bungalow. The visitors started pouring in at the day break. They continued to sit with them till late at night. Nobody came empty-handed. Somebody brought a can of milk while another a container of stuffed-loaves. Somebody brought bread and butter while the other came with a tray of eggs. Some other visitors brought a pack of whisky bottles while another came with a tiffin of chicken. There were only four persons to eat while the food was enough for forty people. The surplus food was sent to the residential quarters in the evening. The jail officials were also enjoying with the elite prisoners.
The Jail was after all a jail. Good food was not enough. The day passed among the visitors and having gossip. As the night fell, the view of a tearful wife or keen children eager to hug appeared before them. Sometimes, one’s father would be heard grumbling and sometimes one’s mother would be imagined crying. Nachhatter would have an imaginary view of destroyed crops and sometimes he would be obsessed with his uncertain future.
The legislator felt very restless and yearned to be out of the Jail.
“You have already done me many favours. Kindly do another favour to me. Make such arrangement somehow as I may be released permanently.”
The legislator begged the Superintendent to do something for him. He even made the Jail Minister give a hint about it: “We will implement any proposal to this effect as soon as it is received.”

The Jail Superintendent began to think of ways and means to help the MLA.
It is the duty of the Jail Department to understand the problems of the prisoners and to solve them suitably. In order to perform his duty, the Jail Superintendent made a deep study of the rules and regulations and reached some conclusion.
“In old days the aim of keeping prisoners behind the four walls of the jail was to torture them. Now a days the aim of keeping them in the jail is to improve their habits and to help them to become good citizens. In order to fulfil this aim, it is highly imperative to understand the social, physical, and mental problems of the prisoners and to solve them.”
“Since the prisoners are kept away from their families and the society for long periods, their sociological problems become more complicated. In order to keep a balance, the prisoners should be allowed to visit their homes more often.”
How can the opportunity to visit home be provided to the prisoners? Which rule can be modified to fulfil this requirement? The administration had some suggestions about it.
According to the present rule, a prisoner is allowed a parole for one month after spending one year in jail. The undertrials are not allowed this facility. Since the day of their arrest till the day of the judgement, they have to rot in jail. Courts are full of a large number of cases; it takes many years for the completion of the hearing in a case. Sometimes a case lasts for ten to twelve years.
The undertrials should also be given the facility of parole like the other prisoners. The condition to go on leave after spending one year in jail should also be relaxed. The prisoner should be allowed to go on leave any time according to his requirements. The period of one month as leave is quite short. It should be extended upto six months. The prisoner has to undergo the complete sentence. If he goes on leave for a longer period and as a result his release is suspended, what difference does it make to the government? The modification of another rule was also demanded from the administration. Now a days, the prisoner can get leave only for his own medical treatment. The scope of this facility should be enlarged. It is the duty of the prisoner to look after his close relatives. If a close relative falls ill, he should be allowed to go on leave to look after him.
With such relaxations, the prisoners will be relieved of a good deal of bitterness in their minds. It would increase the possibility of their reform. The Director of the Jail Department was in fact thinking of the well-being of his undertrial friend. As soon as the proposal to allow the undertrials to go on leave was accepted, Satinder Kumar was to proceed on leave. During this period, he could win over his angry boss and get released even before the expiry of his leave period. He accepted the proposal of the Jail Superintendent and submitted the file to the Jail Minister.
The Jail Minister was interested in his own friend. As soon as the amendment was approved, Nachhattar Singh would get long leave. Relatives continue to fall ill. It would then be easy for the Jail Minister to grant leave for the illness of every relative. Thus Nachhattar Singh could live outside easily till his appeal was accepted.
After completing all the formalities, the Jail Minister sent the file to the office of the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister approved the proposal. It was then forwarded to the cabinet and was put in the agenda for the next meeting.
Somehow, a copy of the agenda fell into the hands of the Victims’ Welfare Forum which was an organization for the protection of people’s right. The Forum started propagating against the amendments. It argued: “Why should the welfare of only the criminals be kept in view? Why should the tears of the orphaned children whose parents had been killed by them be not taken care of? Why should bleak future of those young girls who have been raped not be kept in mind? They have no place to go. The suffering party has also to undergo mental torture. If the criminals returned home immediately after being jailed, would these victims not have a heart burning? Once the right to go on leave at will was granted, the prisoner would not like to go to the jail till his death. How long would you keep on extending his leave? The undertrials would threaten the witnesses if they came out. If they did not succeed in winning them over, they would get them killed. In how many cases would you give them the freedom to commit further crimes. The government should not make a mockery of the principles underlying punishment to the criminals and their consequent imprisonment for the sake of personal gains.”
The arguments put forwarded by the Victims’ Welfare Forum alerted many other associations. Resolutions were passed against these amendments at various places.
Afraid of the criticism of these amendments, the government had to withdraw the proposal. The file containing the amendments had to be put in the cold storage with a statement by the Chief Minister: “There is no proposal like this under consideration.”
The Jail Superintendent was not prepared to accept defeat after the misfired proposal of amendments. He thought of another way out.
If the government found it difficult to effect the amendments in the existing rules, it was not necessary to pursue this proposal. It could help its favourite prisoners through the existing rules.
People’s verdict was in favour of Nachhattar Singh. They used to organize functions and take out processions in order to get him released. The government had investigated the matter through its intelligence department. The gunman had committed the murder on his own. The legislator had played no role whatsoever in it. People’s verdict matters a great deal in a democratic set up. The government could bow before the will of the people and withdraw the case against the legislator in public interest.
In order to accomplish this aim, the government filed an application in the High Court. The advocates of the gunmen managed to get a hint of the application. They took exception to this application and began to propagate against the government that its attitude was full of prejudice. The gunmen had only performed their duty. They were innocent. The entire case should be withdrawn without any partiality in the case.
The High Court agreed to the plea of the advocates of the gunmen.
With the intervention of the court, the release of the legislator was again put off.
During this period, Satinder Kumar succeeded in winning over the central minister. As soon as the minister became neutral, he contacted the concerned judge and won him over one way or the other. His bail application was granted and he was released from Jail.
Nachhattar Singh was now left alone in the Jail and he became very restless. He wanted to become free at the earliest. He therefore increased his pressure on the jail administration through the Jail Minister.
The Jail Superintendent knew the story of King Bruce. He began to try afresh for the release of the legislator.
The government must have a strong will to protect a prisoner. There is no dearth of powers with the government to enforce its will. If the Chief Minister wishes, he can give a new lease of life to a prisoner who is standing on the gallows to face execution.
The Jail Superintendent reminded the government that the Constitution had given it the power to condone the punishment given to any prisoner. This right could be used to deal with such situations where a grave injustice had been done to a prisoner and who had not been able to get justice due to legal complications. The government has been using this right to help its supporters in most of the cases.
The Superintendent gave references of several cases where the government had used this discretion successfully. Criminals who were involved in heinous crimes had quietly gone to their homes. No institution or even the court got a hint of their release.
Sanjay Khan was accused of murdering two students. He was the only son of his old parents. There was nobody to look after them in his absence. His punishment was condoned with this excuse.
Partap Singh was accused of kidnapping children and disabling them physically to make them beggars as he was the leader of a gang. His wife was seriously ill and could die at any time. The government had used this discretion so that his wife could have her last breath in his lap.
Fernandes was serving a twenty-year term in jail for smuggling heroin and selling it in the country. His children were very young. They made an appeal for the release of their father. In order to please these children, the government had also made use of this special right.
The case of the legislator was even stronger. He had got the punishment due to political reasons. Both the parties had however reached an agreement and there was perfect peace in the village. In order to make this peace lasting, the presence of their elected representative among the people was quite necessary. The remaining sentence of the legislator could be dropped on the basis of this plea.
In order to make the iron float along with the wood, the Superintendent also made a case for the release of the professor along with the legislator. The professor had been sentenced to imprisonment for raping a female student in his laboratory. He had himself denied the charge. He used to say, “I had to come to Maya Nagar recently. My reputation as a highly capable teacher spread in the city. It led to the closure of tuition shops of other professors. They hatched a conspiracy against me and got me framed in this case. At this age, I cannot defile a girl of the age of my grand-daughter.” Nobody knew the truth. The Superintendent proposed, “Even if the accusations against the professor are considered to be true, a scholar of his stature should not be allowed to rot in jail all his life for this small blunder committed under the sway of passion. Hundreds of students taught by the professor are occupying the posts of expert doctors, engineers, and scientists. The young students outside still need his guidance. His sentence should therefore be waived.”
The order of waiving the sentence were to be signed by the Governor. Before reaching the Governor, the file had to pass through many hands. The people pursuing the case of the professor were not so pushing. He attached his file with the file of the legislator in a clever manner. If the case of the legislator was approved, the case of the professor would also be approved quite easily. It was like an elephant getting out of a narrow passage from which the tail could easily come out..
At night, the Superintendent had gone to the bungalow to give the news of the successful crossing of the passage by the elephant as well as the tail.


This news had not given much delight to anyone. At heart, they felt that the efforts would succeed this time. However, they thought that even this order was a mere illusion; they would have to complete the full sentence.
In their double mindedness, they began to wait for the noon.
The noon did come but it brought a bad news instead of the good one.
“Someone from inside has sabotaged the case. The secret documents have reached the Victims’ Welfare Forum. The office-bearers of the Forum are sitting in the High Court. They are planning a writ petition. They complain that the government is trying to misuse its powers. In order to strengthen their case, they have collected figures. They have come to know that Fernandes has no wife. Where would the children come from? After getting released, he has again started dealing in heroin. Now a days, he is in the custody of Delhi police. Sanjay Khan has stabbed a passer-by in the stomach. He is also in the jail again. Pratap Singh’s house is locked. He has gone to Delhi or in the south on his kidnapping mission. The Forum is afraid of further crimes to be committed by them. Scores of other people like Fernandes, Khan, and Partap Singh are likely to be released. By releasing the dangerous criminals convicted for life after only six months in prison, the government is trying to make a mockery of the court and is creating a problem of security for the people. Release of such persons is being done out of one-sided prejudice and must be stopped forthwith.”
After hearing this news, Nachhattar Singh and others were quite stunned. Nachhattar Singh went to the Professor and Ramu went to Pala.
Ramu began to cry in a low tone.
“I am expecting the birth of a child at my home. I had many dreams. I wanted to get my wife checked by a doctor every month. I wish to give her the best possible food. I wanted to keep my wife cheerful all these months. All my plans have been dashed to the ground. My lonely wife keeps on crying all the day. The hotel owner has stopped giving us any loan. My wife makes both ends meet by cleaning houses of other people.” Ramu was afraid that due to his long absence, their yet-born child might die. Someone else might misguide his wife and his happy home could be destroyed. After listening to Ramu, Pala began to criticize the legislator, “He is trying to secure his release at any cost but he is not able to realize the inner suffering of Ramu. Living in jail is compulsion for the legislator; he is undergoing his sentence. There is no legal hitch in the release of Ramu. Only a hint from him can set poor Ramu free. I wonder why Nachhattar Singh is more concerned about his taste-buds than the freedom of an innocent man.”
Pala could only grumble and he kept on grumbling.
In the afternoon, another news came: “The High Court is surprised at the large scale release of criminals sentenced for serious crimes; a hearing about it is going on at present.”
Ramu covered his face with a piece of cloth and lay down on his bed. Pala got busy in usual pieces of work.
In the evening, they got the news which they were quite afraid of: “The High Court has reprimanded the government for this irresponsible attitude for the time-being and has stayed all the releases of such prisoners. They have asked for a report how many prisoners have been released under this excuse and how many more are likely to be released on the same ground in the next three months.”
It was a bad news for all except Pala. He knew that the bungalow would remain open for some more days and Pala would continue to enjoy a comfortable life there.
Although he had prayed to this effect in the morning and his wish had been granted, he was feeling quite unhappy when he saw the depressed face of Ramu.


EPISODE 17

On one hand, the Police Station was short of staff; on the other hand, the Intelligence Department had issued strict instructions: “A function is being held in favour of the terrorists. The excited mob can resort to any untoward action. The local police must remain extremely alert.”
The police party to oversee the function was being led by the Station House Officer (SHO) himself. He had got up from the bed after many days. He was still suffering from sore throat and cold besides pain in the body. The sun beams and the rising dust had further deteriorated his condition.
Besides physical ailment, he was also under a great mental tension. While the entire police force of the State had not been able to solve the mystery of the murder of Bunty, Maninder alone had done it. He had arrested the killers and made them confess to the crime. Instead of giving him any encouragement, promotion, or prize, his senior officers had snubbed him and even released the culprits.
This incident was several months old. Maninder had not been able to overcome his anger till now. He had made up his mind, “I will get the murderers arrested one day”. He was in search of a suitable person who should not disclose the name of the informer and also lay his hands on the culprits.
The Samiti had invited a number of speakers. The function was getting longer like the tale of Hanuman.
Grumbling in this manner, Maninder sat on the back seat of the car and began to wait for the end of the function in a semi-conscious state.
In the end, the stage secretary announced: “The last speaker will now address the people.”
When Baba Gurdit Singh used to speak, the people were spell-bound . Maninder Singh did not agree to his views but he enjoyed the frank and fearless statements of the old leader. Collecting a little courage, he began to listen to the words of Baba Gurdit Singh attentively.
“The exploiting government, the exploited people …” He had heard such phrases many a time. These worn-out phrases began to bore him.
Maninder Singh was about to close his eyes when Baba declared: “The Samiti has committed a mistake but we will rectify it. We will find out the real murderers of Bunty and present them before the people’s court in the long run.”
As Maninder listened to this statement, he became glad all of a sudden. His body pain was over. He felt so fresh as if he had smelt a life-giving drug.
In fact, he was looking for such an appropriate occasion and such an effective Samiti.
Baba asked for the co-operation of the people in order to accomplish this task: “I will help you in getting the real murderers arrested,” Maninder began to make up his mind to extend his co-operation to the Samiti.
“Earlier, people used to act as informers of the police. Today the police would act as an informer for the people’s representative.” Thinking in this manner, Maninder began to wait for the conclusion of the function.
“An informer does not get a criminal arrested only for the sake of money. A good intention is always a motivating force for him.” Maninder realized the usefulness of this dictum after becoming an informer himself.
Perhaps it was such a compulsion that the informer of Maninder kept persuading him: “Raid the restaurant. They also deal in drugs and prostitution.”
The restaurant belonged to the relative of a friend of Maninder. “The raid might not prove to be counter productive”. The friend had come to him with a recommendation of his relative on the opening day of the restaurant.
Maninder kept on verifying the information supplied to him for three days.
He appointed two policemen to move around the restaurant. He thought that the owner would became careful after seeing the police around him and the clients would stop visiting the restaurant keeping in view the seriousness of the situation.
However, the owner and the clients were a little too confident. They did not show any fear of the police.

Maninder could not displease the informer. He used to help Maninder in many ways. If Maninder did not raid the restaurant, he would get it raided by someone else. Maninder thought that it was all right to conduct the raid; they could release the culprits by settling with them afterwards. It would be beneficial for both the parties. The informer would also get his share and stop persuading him any longer.
However, he had a prize catch.
The arrested lover was the son of leading spinning mill-owner of the town.
From her dress and make up, the girl seemed to belong to a good family but it did not turn out to be true. She was Taro, a girl from a Sansi family. She used to charge three hundred rupees for giving company.
The boy spoke out the truth when he was hit a couple of times. At first, Maninder did not believe that he was speaking the truth and felt that he was talking irrelevantly due to the fear of the police or under the influence of the alcohol.
In order to verify the truth, Maninder Singh slapped the driver. He also confessed to the crime.
To be very certain, he arrested the Nepalese servant and brought him to the police station. He was also deeply involved in crimes. He also endorsed the truth.
Maninder seized five hundred rupees from the owners of the restaurant. He handed it over to the informer. He rebuked Taro and then released both of them. In fact, he had come upon a hidden treasurer. There was no need to pursue the weak case of loafing against them.
All the three of them were the kidnappers and killers of Bunty. Harmanbir had not committed this crime due to lack of money. He had a lot of money to squander anywhere. In fact, excessive love and easy availability of money had spoiled him. The father was involved in his business and the mother had no time from her social activities to look after the boy. They did not come to know that their son had become an adult before time. Instead of going to the college, he started going to the hotels and instead of tuitions, he started going to clubs. Starting with beer, he began to enjoy heroin. Sometimes, he would go to the drug dens in order to regain his lost vitality.
The servants used to be a hurdle for him when he remained out of home till late at night. Gradually he overcame this hurdle. Earlier, the driver kept sitting in the car outside the walled club and only used to imagine the colourful lights inside. Harmanbir made him a companion, which was like realizing a dream for him.
Thapa was found of beer. Earlier, he used to satisfy his taste by the left-over beer in the bottles. Harmanbir began to pamper him by offering drinks of imported scotch whisky. Burdened under his favours, the servants became virtual slaves of Harmanbir. They were like puppets dancing to his tunes.
Harman had no dearth of money to satisfy his tastes. However, he had to look towards many people in order to get money. First of all, he had to get permission for taking money from his father. Then he had to deposit the chit with the manager and later get cash from the cashier. Harman felt quite embarrassed while completing these formalities.
Harman made a plan to meet his own expenses. The news of kidnappings and ransom used to appear in the newspapers quite frequently. He was also fond of going to see films. The adventures of the film heroes became a source of inspiration for him.
Harman discussed this plan with his companions. However, the slaves were not supposed to discuss things but to obey the orders. They immediately agreed with him. Next day, the driver and Thapa implemented the plan. They kidnapped one child before a school meant for the children of rich people. The servant took him inside the mill to his residential quarters. The driver wrote a letter in broken Punjabi and made it reach the parents. The money reached the appointed spot within an hour.
With their ‘own earning’, all the three of them enjoyed a week in a heavenly manner.
After the money was spent, they repeated the crime. Even this time, they were quite successful. They got a good amount of money and nobody came to know of it.
The three friends were in high spirits. They abducted Bunty the next week.

The parents of Bunty did not behave tactfully. Unknowingly, they informed the police. Soon the police came into action and a curfew was imposed in the town. Each house of the town began to be searched. Involved in a difficult situation, Harman had to hide Bunty in the house of Thapa for many days. The outer wall of the mill was ten feet high. There was a two feet barbed wire over the wall. It was impossible for a kidnapper to come inside with the child by jumping over the wall. The mill had two gates. There was a vigil on both the gates round the clock. Every person entering the mill was searched and his name was entered in the register. Due to these reasons, the police raided each corner of the town but did not enter the mill. Nobody could ever think that the owner of the mill himself could take Bunty inside in his splendid car with dark glasses.
Due to the good reputation of his father, Harman was saved from being caught red-handed.
In order to silence the weeping sound of Bunty, he was given some drug so that the people living in the neighbouring quarters could not know of the kidnapping. Due to the intoxication of drug and hunger, Bunty died in the quarters.
They threw the dead body of Bunty outside in the fields as soon as they got an opportunity to do so.
This secret had remained unknown till date. Even today Harmanbir himself blurted out the truth.
Maninder took him to the Police Station for further investigation. The manager of the mill followed him there.
Somebody informed Mr. Arora at Bombay that his son Harmanbir had been arrested in an inebriated condition.
Mr. Arora had an access to the high-ups. However, he did not want to get the favour of anybody for a small thing. He instructed the manager from Bombay: “Settle the matter by spending a good sum of money”.
Maninder was not an ungrateful person. He was getting monthly gratification from the mill for the police. On some odd occasions, the mill-owner also met their other demands. However, it was not possible for him to acquit Harman of the serious crime which he had committed.
When the manager came to know of the details of his crimes, he was virtually shaken. He immediately contacted the owner of the mill. Mr. Arora begged Maninder to help him but the latter was more interested in his promotion and a medal than any amount of money. He did not budge an inch.
When Maninder did not come round, Mr. Arora phoned the high-ups in the department.
There was an immediate effect of his implorations.
The Superintendent of Police was sitting in an urgent meeting. He was made to leave the meeting soon. He instructed Maninder: “In order to assess the situation, I am myself visiting the city; no further action should be taken until I reach there.”
The Police Superintendent advised Maninder like his own son: “The hearing in Bunty’s murder case has been completed. The court is about to give the judgement. All the witnesses have held Pala and Meeta guilty of the murder. It is foolish to change horses in the battlefield. If Pala and Meeta are declared innocent, it will put the police and the government in a very shameful situation. First of all, the police officers will be reprimanded. Many of them will be dismissed. The Samiti is already at the nerves of the police as well as the government officers. They will get another opportunity to incite the people. The Chief Minister himself is keeping an eye on the situation. They will not allow these arrests in any case.”
“Mr. Arora is an influential person. It is a question of his honour. We cannot afford to displease him”. The Police Superintendent considered it his duty to advise a subordinate.
He did not need the approval of Maninder for any further action in the matter.
When Maninder did not break the silence, the Police Superintendent called the culprits to him. After giving them some advice, he handed them over to the manager.
At night the manager came to the residence of Maninder. He had a packet of fifty thousand rupees in his hands. He had brought it to Maninder just to thank him according to the instructions of the Police Superintendent. Afraid of the displeasure of the Police Superintendent, Maninder did not raise any objection.

However, he was writhing in pain like an injured she-snake. It was a good opportunity to sting.

EPISODE 18

Before disclosing the identity of the real culprits in the case, the Samiti began to verify the facts on its own. Early in the morning, Baba went to the house of Shankar Dass, a commission agent. It was his grandson who was kidnapped first of all.
If anyone else enquired about this incident, Shankar Dass would move his big head in the negative. He did not have the courage to tell a lie before Baba.
The details of the kidnappers provided by the child on his safe return confirmed the involvement of Harmanbir and others. Titu was made to sit in a car with dark glasses. The car was being driven by a Sikh. The man sitting behind him was a clean shaven. The place where he was kept in detention seemed to be the living quarter of a servant. Shankar Dass had preserved the letters with the hope that they would be arrested some day. He handed over these letters to Baba.
The commission agent Jeevan knocked at the door of the bank manager. He had an account with his bank. Both of them were friends. He also endorsed the facts about kidnappers.
Both the letters were examined by a forensic expert. According to his opinion, both the letters were written by the same person. Thereafter, the link in the chain of this crime began to become clear. The real problem would have been solved if the letters written by them to Bunty’s parents had been kept safe. The police had taken away the original threatening letters from the file. Instead, they had appended the letters newly written by Pala under police torture.
In order to reach the conclusion, the Samiti felt that it would have to work still harder.
Rajinder had alerted the leaders of the trade union working in the spinning mill, “You should keep an eye on the movements of three culprits. Keep the Samiti informed of them from time o time.”
After three days, the Samiti was able to get the true information.
The servants working in the bungalow pointed out, “Harmanbir has been absent for the last two months. At first, he was sent to Delhi and then to some foreign country. We are trying to find out which country he has gone to and with which relative he is putting up.”
The owner of the mill was quite sore at the servants misguiding his son. They were given a shoe-beating and dismissed from service.
The mill-owner had spread a rumour: ‘The Nepalese servant has run away to Nepal’. However, it was not true. The mill-owner had brought him from Delhi and he had sent him there itself. Thapa’s relatives had been warned, “Send him somewhere as early as possible. The police can come to arrest him any time”. In compliance with the instructions, the relatives had sent Thapa to a far-off place. The union leaders were quite likely to get in touch with him.
Short of drugs, the half dead driver of the car was lying in the de-addiction ward of the government hospital; he was struggling for his life.
With the help of the para-medical staff, a specimen of his hand-writing had been taken.
“The letters recovered from Shankar Dass and the Manager are written by the driver.” After getting this report, the Samiti called a press conference and disclosed the names of the murderers of Bunty with the relevant proofs.

EPISODE 19

Sunder and his companions had come to know that there was likely to be an increase in their numbers.
The Jail officials considered the prisoners in this barrack as rogues. As such, this barrack was known as the ‘Rogues’ Barracks’ in Jail record. Sunder and his companions used to say that they had got imprisonment for committing courageous crimes. They considered themselves as brave men. Therefore, the other prisoners in the Jail called it the ‘Braves’ Barracks’.
“What brave deed has been done by Pala who has been sent to this barrack? How brave is he?” All of them had been thinking over this matter since morning.
The prisoners kept in the bungalow for the last three months had not been able to find time to think what the background of this helper was. They only knew that he was a well-behaved person and served them sincerely.
When the legislator came to know that his helper was a terrorist, he felt his heart-beat increasing. He was afraid that some terrorist organization might take exception to the fact that he used to get his shoes polished by a Singh and got personal service from him. They could issue an edict against him. Perhaps it was a new mischief of the Chief Minister. Perhaps he wanted to create a hurdle in his release on the excuse that he had links with the terrorists. The Samiti was following his case. The legislator was afraid that they might come to know that he was getting five-star facilities in the Jail.
The apprehensive legislator complained to the Jail Superintendent, “You have deliberately put my life to a risk.”
The Jail Superintendent swore and said, “Pala is not a dangerous man. He has nothing to do with the terrorists. That he has unshorn hair is a proof enough for it. Had he been a militant, we would have sent him to the Singhs’ Barracks. However, I am at your service. If you still have any doubt, I can send him away from here.”
“Which barrack should Pala be sent to?” The Superintendent continued to think while sitting there.
Pala’s companions were imprisoned in ‘Birds’ Barracks’. However, he was not punished for stealing or picking a pocket this time. Therefore, he could not be sent to the Birds’ Barracks. The court had declared him a terrorist but Singhs were not ready to accept him in their barrack. The Rogues’ Barracks was perhaps the most suitable place for this murderer. In compliance of these orders, Pala was now going to the Braves’ Barracks. After thinking for long, Sunder and his companions concluded: “Pala and others did not rob the house of a rich man. They had asked for a small amount of money. No terrorist organization had taken responsibility for this incident; neither had they owned Pala. Evidently Pala was not a militant.”
However, he was certainly a troublesome man. The city had been split into two groups. The main group was supporting them. They were trying their level best to prove them innocent.
Sunder and his companions were in a dilemma. They could not decide whether they should welcome Pala by considering him a brave man or use him as a helping hand by considering him a clever thief.
Of all the so-called brave men, Sunder was the cleverest. He was authorized to frighten Pala and make him come out with his real crime.
This barrack was quite small and there were fewer prisoners in it. Pala had no difficulty in finding a corner in this barrack for him.
After laying out his bed on the ground, Pala began to observe the barrack by looking all around.
Both parts of the barrack had beds covered with coloured sheets. It appeared as if a carpet had been spread over there.
The shelves were stuffed with valuable articles. By looking at these facilities, Pala heaved a sigh of relief. The inmates of this barrack seemed to belong to well-to-do families. He thought that he would have a good time there.
After making this observation, he stretched his body when Sunder and his companions came and surrounded him.
“How are you a brave man? You have killed a child and that too for a small amount of five thousand rupees.”
I have not killed anybody. I have been falsely implicated in this case. Pala made his position clear as he was afraid that they might not hurt him by twisting his arm.
“I have not committed any murder; I am innocent. Foolish man! These lessons are taught by the advocates to be spoken out in the court. Now you are not standing in a court but in the jail. Here everybody speaks the truth. You will not get any punishment again for speaking the truth here. In order to remove your hesitation, I will tell you about my brave deeds. Till now, I have committed three murders. Nobody got any clue of the first two murders committed by me. I was implicated in the third murder.”
Saying so, Sunder began to boast of his brave deeds.
Sunder had committed first murder on contract given by a rich man who had got his own brother-in-law killed. They were partners in business. They had made a good deal of money through this business. Both of them were finding it difficult to adjust their extra money. They began to remain sore with each other over this issue. Their contradictions reached such an extent that one wanted to get the other killed. Before the other partner could take the lead, the first partner was able to contact Sunder. Nobody had come to know till date that his brother-in-law had fallen into the sewerage hole by an accident or he was pushed into it.
The background of the second murder was also similar. There was a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. Twenty years earlier, the tenant worked as a helper with the landlord. In order to reward him for his good service, the landlord gave him a piece of land and helped him to set up a shop. The hardworking servant worked day and night and the shop turned into a small factory.
The landlord was not jealous of the progress of the servant.
However, a problem arose when a bye-pass road was made near the factory. The value of land around the bye-pass increased a hundred times. Many show-rooms of motor vehicles were opened there. Tata company made an offer to the sons of the landlord: “The company is interested in this site. If the factory is vacated and a show-room of the company is set up there, the landlord could get the distributorship of three districts.” The boys became very keen about the proposal. It was a well-known company whose mark itself was a source of profit. Three or four vehicles would be sold each day. One could earn lacs of rupees by sitting at the counter. Reminding him of their past favour, they began to persuade the servant to vacate the premises of his factory. In order to make up for his loss, they offered to buy him a plot of land to set up his factory elsewhere.
However, the servant of the past days did not agree to the proposal. In the end, the owners had to take the bitter pill.
Nobody knows till this date that he was killed in a road accident or a truck was made to run him over deliberately.
When Sunder got involved in the third case, he easily fell into the trap. A non-resident Indian girl from Canada developed a love- affair with a boy of the village. The relatives of the girl hired a taxi for her for a month so that she could visit places of interest on her own. The boy was himself the taxi driver. The girl liked his lively nature. Forgetting the luxurious life in Canada, she got married to the boy. The parents of the girl in Canada felt a great shame at this deed of their daughter. With the help of their relatives in India, they filed a case against the boy for misleading her and getting married to her cunningly. The girl did not let the plan of her parents succeed. She gave a statement in the court: ‘I have married the boy of my own will’. It was difficult for the judge to ignore the statement of a foreign girl. The relationship of the boy and girl got a legal approval. The parents of the girl could not contain themselves with anger. In order to take revenge, they contacted Sunder. Having committed two murders earlier, he was in high spirits. After taking a heavy amount of money, he committed the third murder as well. The police in India was made to hush up the matter but the Canadian Government pursued the case and traced the murderer. Getting the clues, the police reached the house of Sunder.
However, Sunder had no regrets. There was no eyewitness to the murder. He was to get acquitted in the long run. He was going to continue his criminal activities again after his release.
“I have confessed to committing three murders. Whosoever wants to harm me in any way, let him try; I am not afraid at all.”
Sunder patted his chest proudly after narrating his criminal record.
“I am not alone to speak of my brave deeds. Everyone in this barrack has his own courageous actions to boast of. You may ask any man here to know what crime he has committed”.
Sital Singh had avenged the murder of his father after twenty years. Ever since he came to the Jail, he has improved in health. His old grandfather and widowed mother are not less proud of him. Sital describes his brave deeds in Jail while his grandfather boasts of his actions in the village.
Niranjan had done an act of social welfare by committing a crime. He had thrown the village rascal down in the community center of the village and pissed at his face. Then he had shorn his beard and cut him into pieces. This rascal had been a source of great harassment to the village folk for the last ten years. It was impossible for the young girls of the village to move out safely. On the day of the murder of this rascal, people had lighted lamps on their roof tops. On the day of hearing, the entire village comes to meet Niranjan in the court. Everybody sings praises of his bravery. Being afraid of the unity of the people in the village, the eye-witnesses have refused to give statements according to the briefing of the police. He can be acquitted on any day. The people of the village have decided that they would take Niranjan to the village in the form of a procession. In the next elections, they would elect him as the Sarpanch, the village chief. Niranjan is eagerly looking forward to that day.
Avtar had done his maternal grandmother to death. He has no maternal uncle. His maternal aunt had trapped her mother in her net. She wanted her to get ten acres of land registered in her name. Avtar came to know of the news somehow. He learnt that the maternal aunt had got a registered will in her favour at the tehsil (administrative headquarters of town). If it turned out to be true, Avtar and others would have to lead a hellish life. Avtar’s father had inherited only two acres of land. Avtar had got an offer of marriage only on the basis of the land that he was to get through his maternal parents. If they did not get this piece of land, Avtar’s other sisters and brothers would also not be able to get married. At the instigation of his parents, he went to the house of his maternal aunt and brought her old maternal grandmother in his car rather forcibly. He got all the land registered in the name of his mother by force and then strangled the old woman. Before the maternal aunt came to their village, the old woman had already been cremated.
A case of murder was registered against Avtar. However, there was no proof whether the old woman had actually been murdered. The advocates tried to advise the maternal aunt and told her that Avtar would get acquitted one day or the other due to the lack of eye-witnesses. It would be better for her to enter into an agreement with her sister by getting two or four acres of land. The maternal aunt got three acres of land in the bargain and sat quietly at home. The cost of one acre of land was spent on expenses of the court case. The remaining six acres were left for Avtar and their family. As such, all members of the family were grateful to him. He would declare in the court: ‘I have not killed the old woman’. However, he confesses to having committed the murder in the brotherhood of prisoners here.
Rehman and others had no regrets about the double murder committed by them. The influence of Ahmadiya Muslims was increasing day-by-day. In a short time, they had erected two mosques and three religious schools in the area. The number of their followers was also increasing. For Rehman and others, Ahmadiyas were as dangerous as the black cobras. Their religious chief urged them to crush the rising heads of the leaders of Ahmadiya sect. When they got the opportunity, they brought both the victims into the mosque and clubbed them to death, thus sending them to hell according to their conviction.
Besides Rehman, their entire community is proud of their bravery. During the Friday prayer, they are publicly praised for their courageous act. They have become role models for the other youth of the community.
“Bastard! You should now confess that you have committed the murder so that we may consider you a brave man and allow you to enter our brotherhood,” Sunder was trying every means to make him speak out the truth.
“I am speaking the truth, brother; I have not committed the murder. Earlier, I used to commit petty crimes but I have given them up now,” blurted Pala.
“If you have not committed any murder, you should commit now. There is no fun of indulging in petty crimes. You should commit big crimes and get huge amounts of money. You can join my gang. You have now been sentenced to prison without committing any crime. Then you will see that you would get acquitted even after committing a murder! Come on, give me your hand,” urged Sunder extending his hand.
Pala was not in favour of shaking hands with Sunder. However, he could not annoy the crocodile if he was to live in the same waters.
Pala kept quiet.
Sunder was a shrewd fellow. He immediately judged that Pala was not an ordinary man; he was a mysterious person. No wonder, he had connections with several groups.
Sunder thought it wise to keep quiet for the time being.
“Okay, you can tell me after making up your mind.”
Saying so, Sunder became silent grudgingly.

EPISODE 20
The names of the real murderers of Bunty had been declared. The Samiti had collected proofs against Harmanbir and others and put them before the people. The demand to arrest the real culprits was becoming stronger. The number of people accepting the version of the Samiti was increasing day-by-day.
People start believing: ‘The police will have to arrest the actual killers one day or the other. The court will have to acquit Pala and Meeta. The representatives of the Samiti would make the false witnesses face trial in the court and stand in the witness box to answer the questions in the case’. The witnesses who had made their statements under the influence of the Sangh and the police were on the run.
The Samiti was prepared to forgive the false witnesses on one condition. They should accept their fault and submit affidavits for having made a false statement earlier. The Samiti was clear in its policy. Their struggle was not against any individual but against the system itself.
The Sangh and their advocates were dissuading the witnesses from taking any such action. They argued, “Your statements have been accepted to be true in the court. The criminals have been sentenced on the basis of your statements. The Samiti has concocted this false story to save Pala and Meeta. No child was every kidnapped before Bunty and no one had ever given any ransom earlier. Why did the bank manager and Shankar Dass remain silent for two years? The driver is dying for want of drugs. The Samiti is trying to exploit his weakness and has bribed him to make the statement. They have got several threatening letters written by him in back dates. In order to collect money, they are threatening the richest man in the town. The government is not going to bow to the baseless threats of the Samiti. You should not give any affidavit by falling in the trap of the Samiti. You should not lead yourself to gallows with your own blunder”.
The frightened witnesses did not understand which side they should follow.
In order to prove the guilt of Pala and Meeta, the police had recorded the statements of many witnesses. Many of them had already spoken the truth and withdrawn. They had boldly stated that Pala and Meeta had no hand in this crime.
Only four witnesses had given their statements in accordance with the version of the police.
Ram Sarup had stated that the police had interrogated both the culprits in his presence. They had confessed to their crime before him. In his presence, Meeta took the police party to the ruins from where they recovered the iron rod with which Bunty was killed. Pala had led the police party to his house from where the uniform worn by Bunty was recovered.
Des Raj had a shop for selling utensils. He also used to buy broken utensils there. Pala used to sell stolen articles to him. Therefore, he knew him beforehand. The pot under which the threatening letter was kept was lying before the house of Lalaji and the pot was sold at his shop. Pala had purchased this pot from his shop only a day before. He had got his name carved on it. In this way, he had connected Pala with this crime.
The third witness was Kamal Parsad, the owner of the Kamla Printing Press. Meeta had got the letter-pad printed from his press by threatening him; he had demanded ransom by writing on this letter-pad.
Ram Sarup was the President of the Sangh. He was a great admirer of Lalaji. The Sangh led by him had demanded the arrest of the killers of Bunty and then struggled for getting death sentence for them. They were not concerned with the fact whether Pala and Meeta were falsely implicated in the case. They were firm on their previous stand of punishment to the killers.
In order to find some way of escape, the other three witnesses contacted Ram Sarup who flatly refused to co-operate with them. He said that he was neither afraid of anybody nor interested in any plan to save them.
Ram Sarup alone was not an admirer of Lalaji. The other three witnesses were also his devotees.
Des Raj was the President of Gita Bhawan which had been constructed with the inspiration of Lalaji. Des Raj had become its President with the blessings of Lalaji. Swearing on the Gita, he had made a false statement in the court only to please Lalaji. He had been assured: ‘These are the killers of Bunty. In order to

overcome legal complications, some sort of lie has to be told’. He had made the false statement considering it to be true.
Kamal Parsad was the President of Sewa Samiti, a social welfare society. He was its President only in name. All the powers rested with Lalaji. Kamal Parsad had printed the letter pad on the instructions of the police and not due to any threat by Meeta. Ram Sarup himself had advised him to do so.
Almost same was the condition of Radhey Shyam. Lalaji had made him the owner of the shop. Earlier, he used to work as a helper at a sweets shop and used to wash dishes there. In order to pay back for the favours of Lalaji, he had concocted the story of Pala and Meeta hatching the conspiracy at his shop.
During the cross examination, the advocates of accused had caught him on the wrong foot. It was, therefore, surprising how the court had held them guilty of murder. In order to seek guidance, the witnesses got in touch with Lalaji because they were in a dilemma.
“Wait for the truth to come out”, he advised.
The witnesses were businessmen. They could not afford to keep waiting for long. The leaders of the Samiti were following them fervently. `Take a decision soon’, they insisted.
They were presented before many police officers during the investigation and then during their statements as witnesses. All the police officers had told them, “Give your statements fearlessly; nobody can dare to harm you in any way.”
All those officers had now been transferred from the town. Someone had been posted in the capital while the other was in some border district.
First of all, they went to the investigating officer in the border district. He did not grant a meeting to them for two days and when he did meet them, he refused to recognize them. He said, “I have been the investigating officer in hundreds of cases. I have recorded the statements of thousands of witnesses. How can I remember the name of each of them?”
When they reminded him of their names and addresses, he was infuriated and said, “This case has given me a lot of trouble. If the case is reopened, the first person to be blamed will be I myself. Should I save myself or save you?”
They went to the capital to seek help from the former Police Superintendent.
The Police Superintendent recognized them and offered them refreshments but advised them, “You should meet the present Police Superintendent. You should seek gunmen from him for your personal security.” As a mark of sympathy, he rang up the concerned Police Superintendent.
When they came to the city, they met the present Police Superintendent. He also expressed his helplessness: “Thousands of witnesses appear in hundreds of cases. Every witness has to face the ire of the opposite party. You should have thought of it before becoming a witness in the case. How can I provide security to all the witnesses? I can only do one thing; you should arrange the personal bodyguards and I will arrange for the guns and the licences.”
All the three witnesses were religious persons. Before giving their statements as witnesses, they had sworn in the name of God that they would speak the truth, only the truth. People had now started doubting their religious facade.
There was hardly any doubt that they had told a lie. However, this was also true that they had made the false statement only under misguidance.
Their conscience began to curse them. Pala and Meeta might be the murderers but they had not seen them involved in any activity regarding this murder. Whatever they had stated in the court was absolutely false. The court had accepted their falsehood as true. They had sentenced two persons on the basis of this falsehood. If they proved to be innocent as contended by the Samiti, they would have to suffer for their sinful statements.
The three witnesses decided that they would have no burden on their minds.
In order to repent for their sins, they went to the court and recorded affidavits withdrawing their previous statements and stating the truth in the matter. They got these affidavits duly attested.
They handed over these affidavits to the leaders of the Samiti and said, “Justice should be done to all sides. We are prepared to undergo any punishment for the fault committed by us.”

After removing the burden from their minds, the witnesses began to wait for justice in the case.

EPISODE 21

While going to the Birds’ Barracks, Meeta was feeling as if he had been released from hell.
Although he had spent a year in the Singhs’ Barracks, he did not feel at home there.
For the first few months, he had dreamt of many things. He was obsessed with the idea of becoming a Singh. Following the basic rules of the organization, he had stopped cutting his hair and beard. He had started saying daily prayers. He had severed his ties with his previous supporters. He had met the representatives of the Samiti only under compulsion. He had not bothered where his brother-like friend Pala was passing his days.
As he went closer to the Singhs, he began to feel repulsion for them.
He came to know that the Singhs put chits in a pitcher. Anybody whose chit was taken out was supposed to be eliminated through an edict. They used to kidnap doctors, advocates, and industrialists. Then they received big amounts of ransom from them. They used to buy lethal weapons from the neighbouring countries with this money. With these very weapons, common innocent people were killed indiscriminately.
Then he came to know that the work on the tunnel was about to be completed. They could disappear from the prison any time.
Meeta had no intention of running out of the Jail. He knew that he would be captured within ten or twenty days. Even the Singhs had no intention of taking Meeta along with them.
He knew very well what terrible time he would have to undergo if the Singhs escaped from the Barracks.
Afraid of the situation, Meeta was trying to get rid of Singhs. But his dull mind could not offer him any solution.
The government itself solved this problem of Meeta.
From their secret sources, Singhs came to know that the government was going to adopt a new policy to deal with the Singhs in jails. The government was quite upset at the slow progress of the cases in the courts. The number of cases against the Singhs was increasing day-by-day but the number of decisions was virtually nil. Even the decisions given in the cases were not satisfactory.
The Singhs had to be taken to different courts at far off places during the hearings of their cases. For a single militant, at least one bullet-proof car and four armed policemen were required. Half of the police of the state was busy in these tasks.
The incidents of getting the Singhs released during the days of hearings were increasing at an alarming speed. People considered only those encounters to be genuine where a police personnel was either killed or wounded, otherwise they thought that the government was not disclosing the truth. They felt that they were actually killed in false encounters with the excuse of their trying to escape from the police escort.
The government had formulated a new policy to encounter negative propaganda and to save unnecessary expenditure.
Nabha jail had been declared as the ‘most protected jail’. Security arrangements around this jail were made very strict. A special court was set up here after making necessary amendments in the law. A judge was made to sit in the jail itself. The cases going on in different courts were transferred to this court in the jail. It was also ordered that all the Singhs in different jails should be transferred to Nabha jail.
The Singhs imprisoned in this Jail were likely to be asked to get ready for the transfer under the new policy.
As soon as the Chief Jathedar got a hint of this policy, he called a meeting of the leaders. An assessment of the tunnel in the Jail was made. When it was felt that the tunnel could not be completed in time, they took a decision sad-heartedly. They decided to cover the tunnel so that the government should not come to know of the plan of the Singhs to escape.
The labour of about one year came to nothing and the Singhs began to wait for the next instructions.

Meeta had lived with the Singhs for a year. He had virtually become a Singh in their company. The court had already declared him a terrorist. Therefore, the Jathedars wanted to take him to Nabha along with them.
The Jail Superintendent did not approve of this demand of the Singhs. He had been sentenced in a case of a terrorist crime but he was not a terrorist. He had already sent his report to the government in order to get his name deleted from the list of Singhs. “ Meeta is accepting the influence of Singhs gradually. If he is sent to Nabha, he will become a firm militant.”
The government was not able to control the self-styled militants. It could not take the risk of a common prisoner becoming a terrorist. Commenting upon the report of the Jail Superintendent, the government agreed to his proposal and the name of Meeta was deleted from the list of Singhs.
Today, the Singhs were to be sent to Nabha and Meeta to the Birds’ Barracks.
Singhs did not wear the uniform of prisoners. They had determined their dress themselves. They wore kurta and pyjama with a black turban on their heads. During winter, they used to have a black shawl each.
Imitating them, Meeta also wore the same dress. In the beginning, he used to move proudly in this dress. He had, however, been sick of this dress for the past some time. He was in a hurry to reach the new barrack and get rid of this coded dress.
Whatever Meeta thought about the Singhs, they always had a kind consideration for him. Before parting, they gave him several gifts.
The gifts included a watch with gold chain and a pocket transistor set.
They also gave him a khadi bag with two new sets of kurta and pyjama, a black shawl, a white sheet, a new mat, and a thick covering sheet besides some steel utensils. He also held a tin containing four kilograms of sweets. As he was a helper of the Singhs, the other prisoners and Jail officials were rather afraid of him. Meeta felt that he would be allowed to enter the barrack without any search or snatching due to his erstwhile reputation.

Meeta had heard that thousands of well-wishers attended the last rites of the mother of a police officer. However, very few people attended the last rites of the police officer himself. It appeared that the reputation of dominance of Singhs had ceased to exist with their departure from the Jail. The Munshi of the Birds’ Barracks began to treat Meeta like other ordinary prisoners.
Meeta had already decided that he would give the tin of sweets to the Munshi if he created some problem. He felt that the sweets had come through the exploitation of innocent men; he did not want to partake of such sweets.
Then he thought that he would hand over the bag of clothes to the Munshi if he bothered him all the more. These clothes were useless for him.
However, he did not want to lose the watch and the transistor set.
The Munshi was a shrewd person; he snatched only those articles which were very dear to Meeta.
Unable to do anything, Meeta entered the Barracks.

EPISODE 22

After the meals, the prisoners were sitting in groups idling away their time. Some group was playing cards while some other was busy in singing. Some people were preparing bhang, an intoxicant made from a plant while others were smoking sulfa, an intoxicating cigar.
Meeta thought of those old days when he was fully involved in his occupation. He used to spend eight of the twelve months in jail at that time. The atmosphere in the Jail was like that of a fair. Many of the prisoners were of the same age, same occupation, and same views. They spent all the day in fun and playing games.
At that time, the circle of Meeta’s acquaintances was very wide. He would meet a friend everywhere. Once he had to be in prison at Delhi and once at Kullu. Even there, he met some of his acquaintances.
Meeta had given up his occupation for many years. He had made up his mind that he would not take to this evil path again. Therefore, he had snapped ties with his old friends. He never told them about his address and neither did he ask them about theirs.
Now he was regretting his decision. He did not know that he would have to face such a difficult situation some day. He never knew that he would have to live in jail all his life.
However, Meeta had not given up hope. He felt that he would meet some old friend one day or the other.
Like all other barracks, this barrack was also crowded with prisoners. He wondered whether he would get some space for spreading his bed. In order to assess the situation, he looked at the barrack from one end to the other. During this time, a well-built young man stood up from the group which was playing cards. He moved towards Meeta and touched his feet saying, “Ustad Meeta, my teacher!” He took him in his embrace.
“Bhola! You !!” Meeta recognized him as his grip became a little loose.

Bhola was his most favourite disciple. He had brought him up like his own son.
Bhola’s mother had died of tuberculosis when he was only six or seven years old. The step-mother tortured Bhola so much as defied all accounts of step-motherly treatment in stories. Tired of his hellish life, Bhola ran away from home and boarded a train. Meeta was sitting in the same train following a rich victim. The train came to a halt at Ambala. All the passengers got down and went to their homes. Being afraid, Bhola began to cry. Meeta gave up his mission and took charge of Bhola. Like the mother-monkey, he pressed him to his chest. Meeta had no gold or silver to give to Bhola. However, he taught him all the tricks of the trade of pick-pocketing. Bhola learnt within days and began to pick the pockets of his own victims.
Before giving up his occupation, Meeta had declared Bhola as his heir and then got his own area allotted to him for crimes before the brotherhood of pick-pockets.
“Ustad, why did you give up the occupation? How did you then reach here?”
He took the tin and the bag from Meeta and held them in his hand while taking him to his own corner of the prison.
Meeta briefly told him the tale of his sufferings.
“He is my Ustad, my teacher Meeta, about whom I keep on talking throughout the day.”
Bhola proudly introduced Meeta to his group mates.
In order to show respect to Bhola’s teacher, the group members stood up and touched his feet one by one.
Bhola’s followers had spread a folded blanket over their mat. They called it their leader’s seat. Only the Ustad could sit there.
As a token of respect, Bhola offered that cushioned seat to Ustad Meeta. He himself sat among his followers.
Meeta had no intention of joining his disciples. As such, he rolled the blanket further and sat on the mat like an ordinary prisoner.
Bhola understood the intention of Ustad Meeta. He was not in a hurry to make him rejoin the world of crime.
“Ustad! Have you become a Singh?” Meeta tried to guess from his dress.
“No. It is like a melon getting the colour of melons among which it happened to live,” Meeta explained the inner experiences of the Singhs’ Barracks to them.
“Let me first change this misleading dress.”
Saying so, Meeta took his bag and changed his dress. He took off the dress he was wearing and wore the new kurta-pyjama given to him by Labh Singh on the first day.
Appreciating the intention of Ustad Meeta, Bhola first offered him zarda, an intoxicating powder, and then presented his favourite brand of cigarette, Four Square, to him.
Meeta had given up smoking for many years. He had started hating tobacco. Now, he did not want to taste zarda or smoke a cigarette.
However, in order to convince his fellow prisoners that he was not a Singh, he took some zarda and smoked a cigarette.
“Ustad! shall we try smack now?” Nandu was not satisfied with zarda or cigarette. He wanted to serve the Ustad whole-heartedly.
“So you have become Ustad, Bhola?” Meeta was sad to learn that Bhola had become an Ustad in he world of crime.
“What have you gained by becoming a saint, Ustad? A widow may be able to live a lonely life but the lecherous people around do not let her live alone. We are all right here. All these are my disciples. I will tell you about each of them.”
Saying so, Bhola put his hand on the shoulder of Nandu and began to tell about him. His father was a labourer at a kiln. There was a school about a hundered yards away from the kiln. Nandu’s father wanted that he should get some education and lead a better life. If he could not become a government servant, he could at least become a Munshi at the kiln. He sent Nandu to school with great expectations but that school was a government school where the teacheresses spent all the day in knitting or speaking ill of one another. There was nobody at Nandu’s home to help him in his home work The teacheresses used to beat him for not doing the home work. Since he was very poor at school, the father also used to beat him. Afraid of the school, he would go to the railway station or the bus stand to while away his time there. Bhola had come across Nandu at a bus stand. He gave up his family and joined Bhola for good.
The second disciple was Raju Paharia. His father used to produce children in big numbers in his hilly village. He would leave every child at the shop of a sweets-maker when he was six or seven years old. The sweets-maker provided food and lodging to the employed children. The father took away the wages from him. When the child would be twelve or thirteen years old, he would arrange his marriage and keep the daughter-in-law at home for work. Thus he enjoyed his life at the cost of his children.
As Diwali, the festival of lights, approached, the work at the shop of the sweets-maker often increased. Neela, the sweets-maker made his servants work day and night. In order to make the boys work hard without getting tired, he would give them a drink of poppy-husk as a stimulant. Sometimes, he would give them opium. Like all other servants, Raju also developed the habit of taking poppy-husk. After Diwali, he was given neither poppy husk nor opium. He could not get any money from his wages. The poppy-husk sellers had told him how to buy the stuff. They suggested, “The sweets-maker has a good income. It is not impossible to steal four or five rupees from the shop everyday. He would not come to know of this theft.” Raju adopted this trick and then started increasing the amount of theft everyday. The sweets-maker became suspicious of him as he noticed a decrease in the income. One day, he caught Raju red-handed. He gave him a thorough beating and turned him out of service. Afraid of the ill treatment of his father, he started thinking of the ways and means to leave the city.
The shop of the sweets-maker was outside the railway station. Bhola used to spend his idle time there. Both of them knew each other. Bhola provided protection to Raju at the time of crisis. Now he always followed Bhola like a shadow.
The disciples of Bhola served Meeta very well. Now it was his turn to reciprocate.
As a matter of his moral duty, Meeta took out the steel plates from his bag and put the sweets from the tin into the plates.
“Come on, have some sweets.”
Meeta offered the plates full of sweets to Bhola.
Bhola was overjoyed to have delicious sweets before him and invited all his friends to join them.
Bhola kept on distributing sweets among his friends and at the same time told them about the tale of his Ustad.
In the course of time, Bhola told him that he was no longer the old Bhola who was afraid of being alone. Now, people were virtually scared of his name. He did not pick pockets for petty amounts of five hundred rupees. He took big contracts. He had not come to the Jail for stealing utensils. Like Ustad Meeta, he had also a case of murder against him.
Bhola told Meeta that he was going to be in Jail only for a few days more. His friends outside the Jail had made all the arrangements. When the hearing began in his case, he would be acquitted.
“Bhola, can I do anything for Ustad? If you order, I can teach a lesson to the persons who gave false evidence against Ustad Meeta in the murder case.”
Billu was very sad to hear about the sentence of Meeta in a false case. The witnesses were responsible for this sentence. Billu offered his co-operation to Meeta so that he could punish the false witnesses.
Billu was not boasting; he could do what he said.
Billu was known as the ‘King of Railway Station’. It was simply not due to the fact that he was born to a she-beggar who used to beg sitting on the railway bridge. He was known as the ‘king’ because every crime committed at the railway station had his sanction.
Billu’s group was expert in developing friendship with the passengers, winning them over, and then offering them eatables. They used to mix certain drugs in the eatables. When the passenger became unconscious, they would run away with his luggage. It was a small railway station. They would get one or two victims everyday. For the last few months, they had not been doing so well. Another group expert in this sort of crime had come to that place. In three or four days, they had snatched eighteen or twenty gold chains. The department of railways and the railway police itself had to face the music from the people. The matter was reported to the higher authorities at Delhi. In order to alert the passengers, the department of railways had put up big hoardings on the railway station. Further, announcements warning people about such gangs were being made after every fifteen minutes at the public address system from the railway station. The alert passengers did not to take any eatables from the strangers and even refrained from talking to them.
Billu and others changed their modus operandi till the matter settled down.
They purchased an old three-wheeler. They parked the three-wheeler before the railway station in order to carry the passengers. Two or three members of their group sat in the sharing three-wheeler posing as passengers and thus attracting others. When a rich passenger boarded the three-wheeler, they started moving They would take the three-wheeler to a deserted place and rob the passengers. Some passengers returned penniless to their home. Some of them went to the police station to lodge a report. The police officials made some initial investigation and later hushed up the case.
An alert passenger succeeded in implicating them. He was once the President of the Drivers’ Union. He knew all the van drivers. He gave a description of Billu and his companions and alerted all the police check-posts. The alerted police arrested the group before they could scatter.
The Jail was like in-law’s house for Billu. He used to come here frequently. He was particularly happy this time because he had come across his teacher Bhola there. Bhola had formed a union of all crime groups of the city. Billu was also invited to join this union. Billu knew the tricks of the trade very well. The union gave him some tips how to get acquitted in a court case. One of these tricks was to threaten the witnesses and make them turn hostile. Billu and others were in jail. Who would threaten the witnesses? This problem was solved as soon as he became a member of the union. The members outside the Jail prevailed upon the witnesses, “If you depose against us in the court, you will be given double the punishment which our Ustad would get.” The witnesses were afraid and turned hostile. All the witnesses in case of Billu had resiled their statements. He was likely to be acquitted quite soon.
“Dear friend! The decision in my case has already taken place. Which witnesses will you incluence now?”
Meeta thanked Billu and explained the situation of the case to him.
“Then we can engage an able advocate for the High Court. First of all, he will get you released on bail and then get you acquitted; our union will bear the expenses.”
Ustad Neeley Khan did not want to remain behind in making an offer of help to Meeta. He put forward a suggestion which he had used to his advantage after becoming a member of the union.
‘Union is strength.’ Neeley Khan had understood the value of this dictum after becoming a member of the union.
There were seven members in his group. All of them firmly stood by him. They were known as ‘Black Shorts Gang’ in these days.
They were not like those criminals earlier. They had come from Bihar in search of employment here. They had also got jobs in a factory. They were soon able to earn well enough. This easy life diverted them to lavishness. On the day of Holi, the festival of colours, they drank a lot and made much mischief. This mischief turned into a quarrel by the evening. This quarrel took them to the police station at night
They could not pay the money demanded by the police for their release. They did not have that much money and neither did they want to pay it. They thought that they had not caused any injury to anybody . The quarrel was more or less at the oral level and they had also reached an agreement. They felt that the police would release them after a few days.
However, the matter took a serious turn. The police officers in that police station had arrested four groups of men who were preparing to commit robberies last month. They had not come across any such group even by the end of this month. Being afraid of the police officers, the policemen filed a case against this group under the same offence because they had not been able to give them the demanded amount of money. In order to strengthen their case, the police showed one of them having a ‘country-made pistol’ and the others possessing knives.
During those days, the ‘Black Shorts Gang’ was quite active in the area. The incidents of robbery and physical assaults took place everyday. Keeping in view the precarious conditions, the judge refused to release them on bail and then began to hear their case on day to day basis and finally sentenced each of them to three years in prison.
Later, the real ‘Black Shorts Gang’ belonging to Baurya community was busted. They also reached the barracks of Neeley Khan.
Considering them as members of their own brotherhood, the Bauryas included them in their own group and taught them the tricks of the trade involved in their crime.
After three years in prison, they were neither willing nor interested in doing any hard-labour job. This new occupation provided them with a better option for earning money.
Now, they were sometimes arrested and sometimes released.
The members of Neeley Khan operated all over the state. They had their permanent advocates everywhere. They used to give them fixed amounts as fees every month. Whenever a member of this gang was arrested, the concerned advocate started following their cases themselves. The advocates sent telegrams about their illegal apprehension to the High Court: ‘The Police has picked up my client. He is likely to be implicated in a false case.’ The police was not able to decide in which case the arrested persons should be booked. The delay went in their favour. On the basis of the telegram, their arrest by the police was revealed much before the day of arrest shown by the police in their record. On the benefit of doubt, the person was acquitted.
This trick used by the Bauryas was disclosed to the union by Neeley Khan. The members of the union immediately adopted it. They engaged permanent advocates upto the High Court. All these advocates had a high standing in the court. Since the group offered them fixed fees, many good advocates agreed to take up the cases of these criminals. It was beneficial to both the parties. Every member
had to pay two or three hundred rupees per month and the advocates got a good amount of money in this way.
These efforts of the union yielded wonderful results. Earlier, the police used to keep criminal at the police station for many days. The advocates engaged by the union got these police stations raided under orders of the High Court. Being afraid of such embarrassment, the police began to file the cases immediately after the arrest. Earlier, the magistrate used to give police remand of arrested persons upto ten days without any justification. Now, he would not give such remand for more than a day or two. This helped the undertrials from being tortured for long. Earlier, the police recovered something and showed something else in possession of the accused. Now, they could not do this bungling so easily. Earlier, the members of the gang did not appeal against their arrest because they could not afford to pay the high fees of the advocates. Sometimes, they had to undergo a prison term in a false case. Now, they could appeal against any decision. In most of the cases, their appeals were accepted.
It was due to this reason that Neeley Khan wanted to provide an advocate from their union to fight the case of Ustad Meeta.
“No brother! The Samiti is fighting my case. I have full faith in them. They will get my appeal accepted at any cost.”
Meeta had really full faith in his supporters.
“Ustad Ji! Give up the Samiti. They are gentle people and would not be able to do much. You need an iron chisel if you have to cut an iron rod. Hand over this case to us. You will see we will get you acquitted within days,” Banta, the ex-soldier, boasted striking his thigh with his hand .
Banta was the leader of the gang selling opium and poppy-husk
When he came to his village after getting pension from his service, he became the body-guard of Sukha Numberdar. Sukha was a smuggler in opium. He moved in a car along the vehicle which carried his consignment of opium. Sukha would overcome all the hurdles in the way. The vehicle reached its destination without any checking.
Banta fell into bad days when a truck full of poppy-husk belonging to Sukha was confiscated. On that day, Banta was going along with Sukha. Somehow, Sukha felt that Banta was behind the seizure of this truck. In order to get at the truth, he got him arrested by a police officer whom he knew well. The police officer reported that Banta was innocent but Sukha did not believe it. He got him sentenced to imprisonment for no fault on his part.
His companion Mohinder was a driver of the truck of Bhadauria. He used to bring truckloads of poppy-husk from Rajasthan. To Mohinder’s ill luck, Bhadauria was killed in a car accident. Mohinder tried to continue with the business all by himself. However, the big traders did not let him succeed in his plan. They got him arrested during his very first attempt.
Banta and Mohinder knew each other a little even earlier. They became fast friends in Jail. When they were released, they started the business again. Now they were successful.
They told the leaders of the union that the secret of their success was their contacts with the police. Agreeing to their suggestion, the leaders of the union also established contacts with the police. Accordingly, a monthly allowance was fixed for every police officer according to his position. The members were very happy at this arrangement. Earlier, if someone picked a pocket of five hundred rupees, he had to give four hundred rupees to the police. Now he was supposed to pay only the membership fee of the union. All other things were to be managed by the President of the union. It amply proved that ‘union is strength’. Now, somebody could pick a pocket of ten thousand, commit a theft of five thousand, carry five kilos of opinion, or sell five bags of poppy-husk, the police did not interfere.
On the basis of his experience, Banta wanted that Meeta should become a member of the union and forget all his worries.
“At first, I also used to think like you. But friends, it is not the way to lead a good life. I may live in comfort or discomfort, but I will not follow the old ways,” Meeta put an end to the conversation.
“Ustad! Tell me what you have gained from your new path. Life imprisonment! Is’nt it? What was the shortcoming in the earlier life like that of birds in the air? Had you stuck to the old ways of ‘Ustad Meeta’, the police would not have dragged you in a false case and the witnesses could not have dared to tell lies about you. We do not like your new way of life.” Bhola was quite upset at the injustice which had been meted out to Meeta.
“Never mind, let the leaders of the Samiti come to see me. I will introduce you to them. Then you will come to know which the better way is.”
Meeta did not know how to convince people with logic. He, therefore, left the remaining argument by pointing to the Samiti.
“For the time being, let us forget who is on the right path and who is on the wrong one. Let us celebrate the arrival of Ustad Meeta.”
After finishing the sweets, Neeley Khan wiped his hands and announced the end of the discussion.
They started planning for the celebration to welcome Meeta to the barracks at night.

EPISODE 23

The news about the work of Lok Sangrash Samiti spread far and wide. Many people aggrieved by the police excesses started coming to its office with their complaints. There were many applications of people who were implicated in false cases and rotting in jails.
The smaller social organizations working in the area also started contacting the Samiti. These organizations were not able to face the government, the police, or the courts for settling their cases. Countless drops combine to take the form of ocean. In order to become a part of the ocean, these organizations began to offer their co-operation to the Samiti and brought forward their problems before it.
The morale of the members of the Samiti became higher day-by-day. They felt: “It is not possible to solve the problem by securing the release of Pala and Meeta alone. The sufferers like them are increasing daily in numbers. We must consider the cases of all such sufferers.”
The Samiti also began to feel: “We cannot achieve our goal by confining our struggle to the police station or the court. We will have to broaden the scope of our struggle. We will have to take this struggle to the streets and roads. The masses will have to be associated with this struggle.”
After a long consideration of the matter, the Samiti declared , “The Samiti would take up the case of everyman against whom an excess has been committed at the police station or in the court.”
Soon after this declaration, the Istri Sabha, a women’s organization, came to join hands with the Samiti.
The Sabha was in need of help by the Samiti in many cases pertaining to the injustice meted out to women. They had limited resources and lacked sufficient knowledge of the law; they had therefore not been able to help the aggrieved women adequately.
On the strong recommendation of the President, Inderjit Kaur, legal help was sought for Neelam who had fallen into the trap of a gang which misguided young girls and made them take to prostitution.
Neelam was suffering from the dangerous disease of AIDS and if she was not allowed to come out of the prison within a week, only her dead body would be taken out. The Sabha would be responsible if it could not come to the rescue of the unfortunate girl.
The carelessness of the Sabha was responsible to some extent for this pitiable condition of Neelam.
During those days, praises were being showered on the police because they had busted a big gang of criminals who were forcing girls to take to prostitution. During the raid, a sixteen years old young girl was arrested from the house of Neelam who was the leader of this gang. The newspapers had published stories about Neelam how she had enticed this girl and involved her in the flesh -trade.
According to the statement of the girl recorded with the police, she was an orphan. Her parents had died during her childhood . Neelam was her maternal aunt. She had brought Raji from her paternal aunt promising that she would keep her very affectionately with her. As the girl became young, the maternal aunt started earning through her by putting her into the flesh-trade. Sometimes, Neelam would present Raji to five or seven persons during a single night to earn more money. The drunken clients of villages could hardly get a girl like this. They would fall upon her like wolves and pluck her bones. She had to undergo an abortion many a time. Due to the lack of medical treatment, she had developed wounds inside. Afraid of raids by the police, Neelam used to shift to a different house every month and to a different village after every six months. At the time of arrest, the condition of Raji amply showed how brutally Neelam had been treating her. A stink emanated from the body of the girl. She had not taken a bath for about one week. Her clothes were very dirty and patches of repair could be seen on her dress. Grime had settled on her hands and feet. She had gathered several diseases at a very young age. It was surprising how the lusty men approached her.
The police had also given out another statement. According to this statement, Neelam had enticed many girls like Raji in her trap. She used to have them photographed in naked or semi-naked positions and then blackmailed them

by showing these photographs. Afraid of bad reputation, the girls did what Neelam asked them to do.
The Istri Sabha had come into action after reading these reports. The Sabha took out a procession against Neelam and demanded strict action against her. They had taken permission from the court to keep Raji with the Sabha instead of sending her to the home for destitute women.
With the care and help of the Sabha, Raji became sure that they were her sympathizers and narrated her entire story to them, which changed the direction of the whole case.
As a matter of fact, Neelam was Raji’s mother. Being afraid of slander, she used to introduce her as her niece. Raji’s father was a truck-driver and remained out of home for long. He gathered AIDS while moving outside. When his employer came to know of it, he dismissed him. All the money saved by them could not save his life. Before he died, he gave the gift of AIDS to Neelam. She could neither look after herself nor protect the honour of her daughter. Every lecherous man in the village had an eye on Raji. Finding her alone and helpless, they even stalked her many times. Neelam felt that Raji was bound to be raped one day or the other. She, therefore, decided to put her in flesh-trade herself. She thought that they would be able to make both ends meet for as many days as possible through her.
Despite the flesh-trade, they were not able to make a comfortable living. The clients paid at random; someone would give some money while the other went away without paying anything. The poor woman could not match their might and could not raise an alarm. This was actually the reason for the poor condition of Raji.
Neelam never took nude photographs of any girls and nor did she persuade any other girl to take to flesh- trade.
In order to expose the falsehood of the police reports, the Sabha took out a protest rally.
Afraid of the revelation of truth, the police filed a case in the court.

When the representatives of the Sabha approached the Police Superintendent, he put them off by telling them politely: “The case is in the court which will do whatever is required in the matter. The police cannot do anything now. You should put up your plea in the court.”
The Sabha stopped taking out rallies because the case had become sub-judice.
The Sabha now came to understand that it was important to build up public opinion to fight such cases as the Lok Sangrash Samiti was doing.
The condition of Neelam was deteriorating day-by-day. The doctor in the jail was trying to suppress the report about her real illness. There was no treatment of her disease at the hospital in the jail or even at the civil hospital. She could get proper treatment only if she was released on bail. The Samiti could help in getting her released on bail and then the Sabha could take care of her medical treatment.
The Samiti immediately took up the case of Neelam for follow-up.
The Sabha was greatly encouraged considerably and it put forward another case for the consideration of the Samiti. Like Neelam, Preeto was accused of the murder of her husband in collaboration with her lover and was now undergoing a sentence in the jail. Preeto’s father-in-law had given away three acres of his land to greedy people. Preeto had been looking after her father-in-law till his death. She was naturally looking forward to getting the piece of land as inheritance. But the old man had been taught differently.
‘So long as you are the owner of the land, you will enjoy the respect and service of your family.’ The old man got good service at his home till his death but he did not pay for this service to Preeto who actually served him. As soon as the old man died, Preeto’s elder brother-in-law filed a case to get his share of the land. Preeto was not going to remain far behind. She knew that the old man had not got his will registered and had put his thumb impression on the blank stamp papers which were in her possession. She immediately got the will written on these papers and submitted them in the court claiming all the land to herself.


The relatives tried their best to mediate between them and advised the elder brother: “Preeto has served the old man in his old age. She has the right to his land.”
However, the elder brother did not relent. On the contrary, he said: “The old man was virtually starved and died without much care. The will is fabricated.”
Preeto’s elder brother-in-law knew the weakness of his case. The proceedings in the case had been completed. The judgement could be announced any day. Fearing the loss of land, he consulted his brothers-in-law who began to threaten Preeto every now and then.
“Give the due share to your elder brother-in-law, otherwise we will kill both of you.”
Preeto was not afraid of their threats. She began to wait for the verdict courageously.
A day before the judgement, somebody came to call at Preeto’s husband. The stranger kept on talking to him in the street. Then he started pursuading him to accompany him. Preeto tried to stop him but he did not listen to her. He went along with the caller.
Preeto followed them with a throbbing heart.
At the bridge of the canal near the village, the terrible event took place. Four or five men hidden in fields came out. They attacked Preeto’s husband with swords and other sharp-edged weapons. They killed him mercilessly and ran away from the scene boasting loudly.
The heads and faces of the murderers were covered. Even their bodies were covered with shawls. However, Preeto was able to identify her elder brother-in-law by his gait and also felt that the other killers were his brothers-in-law.
In the heat of the incident, a case of murder was filed against Preeto’s elder brother-in-law and others on her statement.
However, the influential brothers-in-law turned the tables before their arrest. They created four false witnesses and accused Preeto, her father, and a stranger described as her lover to be guilty of the murder of her husband. In order

to strengthen the case, the police recorded the confessional statement of the so-called lover of Preeto.
Preeto’s lover pointed out that he had an old relationship with her. He used to meet Preeto secretly even after her marriage. She wanted to get rid of her husband who was ten years older than she herself. Preeto had tried to kill two birds with one stone. On one hand, she would get rid of her husband and on the other, she would get her elder brother-in-law and his companions involved in the murder case. Preeto was going to live with her lover after getting all the land to herself. The so-called lover reiterated that he had committed the murder for the sake of wealth and woman.
Preeto’s father was in jail. Her opium-addict brother was threatened by the elder brother-in-law and the police.
“If you try to intervene in the case by going to the court, you will also be implicated in some case.”
Being afraid, the opium-addict confined himself to his home.
Thus the cruel elder brother-in-law occupied not only the entire land but also Preeto’s house.
The other relatives of Preeto kept away from the situation due to the fear of her opponents. Isolated in this way, Preeto also approached the Istri Sabha. The Sabha verified from its own sources and came to the conclusion that Preeto was speaking the truth.
However, the Sabha had no funds to pay the fees of the advocates and nor did it have the capacity to get her house and land vacated.
Only the Samiti could come to her rescue in both these cases.
The Samiti agreed to take up the case of Preeto also.


Episode 24

An organization, Helpline, which was formed by educated youths for helping the poor and destitute children, wanted to expand its operational area.
The organization had started its work by distributing uniforms, books, and stationery items to school children.
Seeing good results coming in with the efforts of the youth, the elite of the city started extending them helping hands.
Encouraged by these events, the youth took the responsibility of providing medical aid to the weak and the sick children besides taking up the liability of their education. Two doctors reserved a day each out of their monthly medical examination schedules for children; this medical examination was free of cost. The responsibility of providing medicines and other medical equipment was taken by an NRI Sabha, a social organization of non-resident Indians.
The Green Transport Company took the responsibility of taking children for excursion in the hills during the ensuing month; these rural children had never seen even a railway station! The responsibility of serving food was taken up by the Truck Union.
For few months, the Helpline people had been facing by a new problem. The city-dwellers had been urging Helpline to give attention to some children who were in jail. The organization wanted to help the children who had been trapped in adverse circumstances. However, its officials were unable to understand how they could extend help to such children.
Tarsem, the Director of Helpline, had held many meetings with jail officials. He had also learnt about the background of the children held in prison. He had also understood how these children could be got released.
Two out of the fourteen imprisoned children were the progeny of the prisoners serving life term. One of these prisoners was a woman and the other a man. When the woman was arrested, she was pregnant. She had been accused of strangulating her mother-in-law to death. The in-laws of that woman were at daggers drawn with her; even her parents had also not come to jail to meet their daughter and enquire why she had strangulated her mother-in-law. The parents and the kin of Sheela had accepted the allegation of her in-laws that the child in her womb was the result of an illicit relationship.
Till the age of eight years, the child was reared by her mother in the female ward. As soon as the child entered the ninth year, he was taken out of the female ward and sent to children’s ward in accordance with the rules of the jail. Now, he had been staying in the children’s ward for two years. The jail authorities contacted the parents as well as the in-laws of Sheela and told them that either party could take the child. However, neither party was prepared to allow an illegal child to enter its precincts.
Another child of six years belonged to a beggar prisoner. The beggar had died inside the prison. No one knew about the kith or kin of the beggar. Some beggars had come to take the child. The district authorities did not deem it proper to hand over the child to beggars. They would have made the child a beggar. For the past three years, this child had been locked up in prison without any reason. Initially, a few couples came to adopt this child. However, the child was neither attractive in terms of appearance nor clever and swift in terms of intelligence. He was unable to hold a book properly although he was nine years of age. Besides, the couples rejected him because he had the background of beggars.
The third child was found by the police at the railway station. He used to wash the utensils of a hawker who sold puris, deep fried loaves. His father had died after having a row with his mother and then throwing himself under the train. The child’s mother had married another man. She had purposely left her son at the railway platform and boarded a train. In order to satisfy the fire in his belly, the child had started washing utensils at the hawker’s rehri, vending cart. In lieu of the hard work done, he used to get the left-over food from the hawker. When the police raided the railway station to nab pickpockets, they arrested the child. The mother of the child had maintained contact with the jail authorities. She was afraid of her new husband; that is why she would neither take him along with her nor let

any one else take him away from jail. She wanted the boy to grow up and make him serve in a shop in order to take a share out of his earnings.
The backgrounds of other prisoner children were thoroughly criminal. Someone was caught stealing while someone else was caught pick-pocketing. Someone was fond of playing games of dice and someone else was addicted to charas, an intoxicnt. Someone’s father was adept at killing people with his knife while someone else’s mother was in flesh-trade.
Helpline was worried about the first three children. The particular reason for this worry was that they were being kept along with professional criminals. Bad company was spoiling them. They had already started smoking beedi (rolled tobacco) and cigarette. If they were not got released at the earliest, they would also adopt criminal tendencies. If one gets lessons on crime from early childhood, it is not difficult to visualize what one would become upon reaching one’s adulthood.
The jail officials were prepared to release all three children on bail. However, who would take the responsibility of rearing them and where should they be kept after getting them released from the jail? The officials of Helpline were not able to solve these two riddles.
Last month, the staff of Helpline had heard some rumours. The Lok Sangharsh Samiti had decided to give free legal aid to the poor and suppressed people.
However, this news was confirmed as true from the President of the Istri Sabha. In just six days, the Sangharsh Samiti accomplished the task which had not been by the Sabha in six months.
The Istri Sabha wanted that Neelam should be released on bail. Had the Samiti desired, it would have got Neelam released on bail within one hour. However, it was not in the interest of Neelam to come out on bail. She was the victim of a dangerous disease. The treatment of the disease was very costly. The burden of treatment could not be borne either by the Istri Sabha or by the Sangharsh Samiti. Her treatment was required to be done at a cost to the government.

The Sangharsh Samiti filed an application in the court to get Neelam medically examined from expert physicians. The request was accepted by the honourable court. Neelam was medically examined. She was instructed to be admitted in a high-quality hospital of the state for treating her disease.
Since Neelam was under judicial custody and a report was demanded by the court regarding her medical fitness every fortnight, the doctors attending on her had to treat her with utmost care.
Her condition had improved. She could be discharged from hospital at any point of time.
After her discharge from the hospital, the Samiti was likely to get her released on bail.
In order to settle the case of Preeto, the Istri Sabha and Samiti had to fight a long-drawn battle.
Due to lack of proper presentation, Preeto’s bail application had already been rejected in the lower court. The family of Preeto could not arrange a good lawyer because of shortage of money. Only a seasoned advocate could fight her case. The inexperienced counsel had not been able to raise legal issues. The lawyer of her elder brother-in-law had totally overpowered her weak lawyer.
The application was filed once again, this time in the High Court.
Preeto had given the first-hand information about the incident to the police. The man who had died was her husband. The evidence about the third accused being a lover of Preeto was not on record; nor was there any evidence that the conspiracy had been hatched by the three accused among them. The police had written two false statements through which it had declared her elder brother-in-law and his brothers-in-laws as completely innocent. On the other hand, Preeto and others had been made accused in the case by the police. Who were the real killers of the deceased? There were two viewpoints about it. If the accused of one party were roaming freely, it was not logical to keep the accused of the other party in jail till the crime was proved in court. This logic of the Samiti went down well in the High Court and on its basis, Preeto and others’ bail application was accepted.

After coming out of jail, another serious problem confronted Preeto. Where could she go? Her home and land had been occupied by the enemies.
After getting her out on bail, the Samiti was not going to leave Preeto in learch. In order to find a permanent solution to the problem, both organizations put up a joint front. They sat picketing to protest. They took out many processions.
Then, the police started acting. Finally, Preeto was able to enter her home.
The President of the Istri Sabha advised the Helpline volunteers: “You should meet the leaders of the Sangharsh Samiti. Get help from them. Give them help if need be. All problems would be solved only through a joint struggle,” she told the officials of Helpline.
This suggestion worth crores of rupees was accepted heartily by all.
The cadres of Samiti also quickly organized a meeting of legal experts to share views and deliberate on the issue.
“The worry of the Helpline cadres is justified. A rotten apple also spoils others. However, the good or bad apples are not at fault in this case. The real fault is that of lawmakers. They board aircraft and go abroad. They bring the law books and legal manuscripts of those countries back home. They apply those very laws on us. The law dealing with juvenile criminals is an example in this case. There is a separate law for dealing with helpless children roaming on the footpaths and a separate law for juvenile criminals. Both these types of criminals are kept in different organizations and dealt with in different manners. Further, efforts are made so that both these types of criminals may become good citizens. In our country, horses and donkeys are put in the same stable. The path is cleared for making good children chug along the crime route,” Gurmit expressed his grief after hearing the story of helpless children.
“Whenever a person unaware of the real situation hears about law, he becomes very happy. Many hollow claims have been made in this law. Children shall be kept away from ordinary jail inmates. There would be psychologists in the jail to resolve the psychological riddles of these children. Healthy diet would be provided to these children for their physical growth. There would special arrangements for their education. The teachers of fine arts and music would be provided for their all-round development. Warders would be women with soft hearts. The prison would be like a hostel.”
“However, the opposite is happening. The inmates of ripe age groups have to struggle to get their rights. Children don’t even know how to talk. How can they put forward their demands?” Pyare Lal was also as concerned as Gurmit.
“There is no problem in getting children released. The children we want to be released are not criminals but sans any support. Any organization can get them released by promising that it would take adequate care of them. The law not only permits this venture but also encourages it. The problem is where these children would stay. Who would rear them?”
Gurmit was worried about the present as well as the future of the children. He shared this worry with the cadres of Helpline.
“At present, we do not have any solution to this problem. We do not have any experience in dealing with children. You can contact a bigger organization for help and support,” Tarsem described the limits of his organization without any hesitation.
“There can be one solution. Let us knock at the doors of the court. Let us request it to separate innocent children from criminals. Let us try to prevent them from being spoiled further. Let us make all such facilities available to these children as have been promised by the law.”
Gurmit wanted to deal with the problem in a legal manner till the alternative arrangements were made.
“If helpless children get separated from criminals, start getting good food and clothes, and have educational opportunites, this arrangement would be sufficient as of now,” Tarsem expressed satisfaction at the useful conclusions drawn after the deliberations.
In order to give a practical shape to the decisions and get going with individual duties, members of both organizations ended the meeting on a positive note.

Episode 25

The Sangharsh Samiti started operating according to a previously defined policy to disseminate its message among the ordinary masses.
This time, the Samiti had not limited its activities to court after getting Preeto out on bail. It had also initiated steps to get her home and land liberated from the clutches of hooligans.
“How flexible the law is! The cruel and selfish people twist it quite shamelessly to satisfy their own vested interests. The police work shoulder to shoulder with the rich instead of supporting the innocent poor.” In order to let people understand this fact, the Samiti, in collaboration with the Istri Sabha, organized congregations and took out processions.
In the beginning, Dhanna, Preeto’s elder brother-in-law, stopped his village people from attending such congregations. The police increased the frequency of taking rounds of the village. The cadres of the Sabha and the Samiti received threats. However, when the number of people swelled during congregations and people from villages nearby joined the battle, Dhanna found it difficult to prove his occupation of Preeto’s home and land as legal actions. Why doesn’t the police end illegal occupation? When this question was raised through newspapers, it became difficult for the police to save its skin.
First of all, the police ditched Dhanna. Then, a panicky Dhanna vacated her home and land.
An inspired Istri Sabha opened a new front.
“The case of the murder of Preeto’s husband should be re-examined. The innocent should be taken out of the court case. The real murderers must be nabbed.” With this demand, the Istri Sabha started the battle yet again.
The Samiti fully supported the Sabha. A writ petition was filed in the High Court and an order was obtained from the honourable court to examine the murder case ab initio. Surrounded from all sides, the police started the investigation afresh. After re-investigation, a senior officer of the police concluded, “The murder was executed by Dhanna and his brothers-in-law.”
Now, Dhanna ran hither and thither to save his skin. He could be arrested at any point of time.
After a long yet joint struggle, the relationship between the Istri Sabha and the Samiti grew to such heights that they were likened to milk in water! If one organization initiated a struggle, the other one reached the scene without asking.
The case of Helpline was a legal one. As soon as it filed an application in the court, the problem was resolved. The helpless children were separated from the criminals. Besides, orders were passed to give more facilities to children.
The youth brigade was indebted to the Samiti.
When the Class IV Employees Union needed legal aid, the Helpline cadres handed over their case to the Samiti.
A member of the union was a helper in the civil hospital.
Last month, the chief medical officer of the hospital had taken the food inspector along and started a campaign to take the samples of food items.
Monthly bribe was being received from many a business firm. Those business firms were informed by the Food Inspector well in advance. The informed shopkeepers used some alibis and closed their shops before the food inspection team set out from its office. With many shopkeepers, money deals were done on the spot. Those who didn’t know how to tackle the officers of the food department were forced to give samples of their food items.
The objective of the team gone out to take food samples was not to stop the sale of food items that were harmful to health. The main objectives of officers were to threaten people, teach a lesson to those who didn’t pay monthly bribe, and fill their coffers. Besides, they were supposed to complete the formality of taking a few food samples to complete the fixed quota delineated to them by their department.
All members of the team were fulfilling this duty with finesse.
The members of the inspection team started explaining the methods of escaping from this harassment to the shopkeepers whose food samples had been taken inadvertently.

“Pay the fee. We shall throw the samples while going back,” a shopkeeper was given this escape route to follow.
“First of all, get your food items tested from a private laboratory. If those samples are passed, bring the same to us. We shall replace the samples taken by us with those samples approved by the laboratory. Thus, the replaced samples would be approved automatically,” another shopkeeper was given this modus operandi to get out of the mess.
The doctor offered broad concessions to the shopkeepers. Five thousand rupees were demanded from each of them. The ones who could not pay were told to pay whatever they had; so the officials took even a hundred or two to make good the raid.
In the Neena Pickle Factory, the matter was unduly prolonged.
The name of the owner of this factory was Neena. Her husband used to make badi and papad, the indigenous food items. His products were being consumed in the city in quite large quantities. Last year, he died in an accident. Neena sat at home and cried for six months. When it became difficult to keep the kitchen fire burning, her brothers, sisters and friends of her husband advised her, “You must do something.”
Neena’s brother-in-law had a pickle factory at Panchkula. He sent his technical staff and made the pickle factory operational for Neena. Old customers came to the fore to offer help. They stopped purchasing pickle from other sources and started selling pickle made in Neena’s factory. They also advised, “Listen girl, if you want to be successful in the real sense of the word, you must maintain the quality of your products.”
Neena stored this sermon at the deepest core of her heart.
Neena was confident. The inspector could take samples of all types of pickles. The samples would certainly be approved.
However, the inspector was not concerned with the quality of products. He wanted his monthly bribe. He was thoroughly surprised. The factory had been operational for the past six months and he had not even an inkling of its operations.
He took four samples to teach Neena a lesson.
At the same time, he pitied Neena’s innocence. In order to dispel her misgivings, he advised her, “O girl, don’t be proud of your high-quality products. Those who would test these samples are not the likes of Raja Harish Chandra, the mythical adherent of truth. They also have bellies to fill up. They would approve only those samples that we would tell them to do. The rest would be returned as adulterated ones. Don’t be stubborn and talk straight!”
Neena understood now. She searched her cash box. There were nearly seven to eight hundred rupees in it. She handed over the entire amount to the food inspector.
“What would I do with this meager amount? You have to pay six thousand rupees at the rate of one thousand per month for the previous six months. Three thousand rupees are to be paid as an advance for the next three months. Pay separately for throwing away these food samples. So, I need minimum ten thousand.”
Neena begged of him and told him that she herself was not able to earn one thousand rupees per month.
The inspector was stubborn to the core. He said, “We charge three hundred rupees per month from the street hawker who sells tea. We charge five hundred rupees per month from grocery shop owners operating in slums and shanty townships. I would take at least one thousand rupees per month from your factory.”
A panicky Neena agreed to abide by his directive.
Both sides agreed that within a week, Neena would pay him the balance amount. When the full amount would be paid to the food inspector, the team would return the samples that it had taken from Neena’s factory. In the future, the team would never head towards her factory.
The helper arrived on the third day.
Afraid of the unknown, Neena paid him another thousand rupees.
In the evening, she consulted her brothers-in-law. It would be better to shut the shop than pay such hefty amounts to the food inspector’s team.


Her brothers-ion-law flew into a rage. They discussed the matter with the cadres of the Sangh. The Sangh members took Neena along and arrived at the office of the vigilance department.
The staff of the vigilance department were waiting for a complaint of this genre only. The food inspector himself was collecting monthly bribe from the shopkeepers and factory owners. However, he was reluctant to pay the share of the vigilance department officials. This was a fine opportunity to teach him a lesson.
The vigilance department officials quickly made a plan to nab the team members red-handed.
“Call the team to your factory the next day. Pay him money as monthly bribe and get him arrested red-handed.”
Despite the requests made by Neena, neither the doctor nor the food inspector came to collect the monthly bribe. If at all someone came, he was the helper.
Neena tried hard to persuade the vigilance department officials that the helper ought not to be arrested. However, the latter did not pay heed to her advice.
On the one hand, the vigilance department arrested the helper and on the other, the second team raided the doctor’s house.
The doctor was in the hospital; he fled from that place upon hearing the news.
The doctor could not be arrested but his house was searched thoroughly. Huge amount of cash, vikas patras (investment documents), bank passbooks, and the registration documents of bungalows and land were confiscated.
The next day, the list of items confiscated from the doctor’s residence was published in newspapers. The total value of the cash found at his residence and the entire land and property was estimated to more than one crore rupees.
The followng day, the background and the history of the doctor were published in newspapers. He was the son of an ordinary bank clerk. In order to complete his degree, he had taken a loan from a bank. He was a bright student. He got a job immediately after completing graduation. He had purchased the land and acquired all properties through illegal means.
The doctor silenced all his critics and enemies within three days. First of all, he got anticipatory bail from the court. Then, he presented manipulated accounts and got back all documents as well as cash.
The food inspector was cleverer than even the doctor. On the very first day, he got a phone call made by the powerful higher-ups to the officials of the vigilance department. He didn’t even need the anticipatory bail. He was exculpated from all allegations at the very first stage of the investigation..
After a week, the doctor returned to his job. He filed an application and got the matter re-investigated at a very high level. Through that investigation, he proved himself as totally innocent and got the challan filed against the helper.
The organization of helpers nurtured a grudge against the officers. They had themselves got rid of the problem and implicated the helper in it. They were asking, ‘Is the monthly gratification of a helper five thousand rupees? What type of benefit was the helper supposed to deliver to Neea by taking such a huge amount as bribe? Whatever was to be done was the prerogative of the officers. “
However, no one was listening to the helpers’ organization, not even the officials of the vigilance department.
The members of helpers’ organization procured the statement of Neena. She stated on oath that the helper had neither asked for a monthly payment nor received any bribe amount from Neena. This money was meant for the officers. However, no one was prepared even to read Neena’s affidavit.
The helpers’ organization decided to sit on a dharna, sit-in-protest, against the officers. The doctor quickly arrived at the office of bosses of the helpers’ union. Then, every officer threatened the respective helper reporting to him. They cautioned, “If you sit in dharna to protest or planned a congregation, you would be hit in the first instance.”
Terrified helpers denounced the idea of staging the dharna.
The officials of the organization wanted justice.
Nurturing this hope, they had knocked at the doors of the Samiti.
The Samiti had been created for achieving this very objective.
The cadres of the Samiti started the investigation on their own.
The report filed by the vigilance department after Neena’s statement under oath clearly stated that the bribe was demanded by the doctor and the food inspector. She was still firm on this statement.
First of all, the Samiti obtained a copy of the report.
A list of all the documents confiscated from the doctor’s residence was prepared by the vigilance department. Neena’s signature had also been got on that list. A copy of that list had been attached with the challan that was filed in the court. A copy of that list was obtained the Samiti.
Then, copies of the bank accounts of the doctor were obtained. The details of all the amounts deposited in his bank accounts were also collected. Then, copies of the deeds of land and bungalows purchased by the doctor were proucred. The land and the properties were got evaluated.
The vigilance department had already investigated the background of the doctor.
How could the doctor acquire properties worth crores of rupees?
The Samiti started organizing congregations and processions in collaboration with the helpers’ union and asked straight questions from the vigilance department.
Neena’s statement under oath was presented in the court. The court was already annoyed over the lopsided investigation undertaken about the doctor and the food inspector. On the basis of the statement of Neena, the helper was immediately declared “innocent.”
Further, the court directed the vigilance department to submit the list of properties and cash details of the doctor and the food inspector within a month.
After the helper was acquitted, his organization took him to its own office in the form of a procession rejoicing over their victory in the case.
Throughout the journey, the cadres of the helpers’ union raised slogans in favour of the Samiti instead of their own organization.

Episode 26

The students of the law department of the Patna University were doing research on the topic ‘The Principle of Equality Before Law and the Downtrodden Classes.’ When a team of students took a round of jails to collect data for the purpose of research, the ugly reality of the principle was revealed at the outset.
Eighty per cent of the prisoners locked up in jails belonged to the downtrodden class. Out of these, three-fourth were those undertrials whose court cases were at the stage of either investigation or hearing and they had passed more time in prison than the law would make them spend even in the extreme cases of maximum punishment. There were no chance of their release even in the distant future. The reasons were poverty of these inmates, the apathetic attitude of the government, and negligence by the courts.
As soon as the reports were published in newspapers, the matter was taken up seriously by the honourable Supreme Court (SC). The Chief Secretary of the Bihar government was asked to give clarifications about these facts within a month. Further, the SC also pulled up the High Courts in this context. The High Courts got up after a long slumber.
The tremors due to the earthquake of Bihar were also felt in this state. The Chief Minister advised his secretaries, “Before the storm heads towards this side, it would be wise for us to put our house in order.”
The jail department received an order from the Jail Minister, “The secretary of the department should personally pay attention to this problem. The report should be put on the table of CM within a month after collecting all facts.”
The chief of the jail department reprimanded the inspectors-general of jails, “Not a single such inmate should be kept in prisons. Even if there is one such undertrial, he must be released immediately. Then, the satisfactory position report should be sent to the main office.”
The jail administration was of the view that their state was not Bihar where hunger and poverty ruled the roost. They thought that their state was one of the prosperous states of the country. Its citizens would certainly arrange medicine at the time of illness and a lawyer at the time of a court case. Hardly would there be any undertrial who might be languishing in jail due to lack of legal support.
Nevertheless, they were supposed to obey the orders of the government. In order to satisfy themselves, they started fact finding enquiry..
When the honeycomb was touched, the number of honeybees coming out increased day by day.
Already, there was a shortgage of staff in jails. To top it up, the task was quite complicated. A single accused was facing ten or more charges of crime. Which criminal had received a certain sentence on account of a single crime? Which criminal should get bail after a certain period? Even after doing a lot of mental and physical toil, the jail administration was unable to solve these riddles.
Only legal experts could have resolved this complex problem.
The jail authorities contacted the government lawyers for getting their guidance. The government lawyers didn’t have enough time to scratch their head. They could not have left court premises and investigate the cases of fifteen hundred inmates. They gave the elementary information about the relevant laws to the jail authorities and at the same time advised them, ‘Get the rest of the work done from private counsels.’
The jail authorities now talked to the President of the Bar Association. He agreed to send a team of junior lawyers to jails but with a condition, ‘In order to encourage these young lawyers, the government should pay them some remuneration in lieu of their services.’
The budget of the jail department was already showing deficit. The department was not in a position to take extra financial burden. Hence, it put forth a suggestion: ‘Tell the undertrials to get their respective cases prepared by their lawyers.’
She drowned because she couldn’t breathe! The inmates who could pay hefty fees of lawyers had been released long ago. Those prisoners who were suffering the vagaries of jail didn’t have anyone to take care of them. Lawyers demanded double the fees for coming to the Jail and preparing cases of these inmates.
Then, someone gave a clue, “There is a Victims’ Welfare Forum in Maya Nagar. It gives free legal advice to people. It may agree to help these prisoners.”
However, the President of that Forum gave a blank reply, “Our organization supports those sufferers who had suffered at the hands of criminals, not criminals themselves. We are against giving undue facilities to criminals. We cannot defy our own rules.”
When Subhash Jain learnt about the problem being faced by the Jail administration, he laughed aloud. Then, he said, “ Why look for the girl in the village while she is at home! A wise lawyer is locked up in Jail. The task of the factory accounts can be got done by a person like me. Get the task of legal calculations done by a lawyer only.”
After hearing the sermons of Jain, the Jail Superintendent wondered why he had refused to act in a wise manner. The Ganges was flowing in front of the house and he was dying for a single droplet of water!
In a jiffy, Hakim was called from the factory. A legal cell was created and Hakim was made its chief. A teacher, a jail inmate, was made to assist him.
The members of the legal cell were explained the task: “You have to go from barrack to barrack. You have to examine the case of every undertrial. You have to recommend what concession can be given to him.”
Hakim Singh was promised, “You should put your heart and soul into the work. In lieu of this service, you would be given a huge waiver.”
Hakim had already done his homework to accomplish this task. He had put forth his demand before the Jail administration, “The Jail Manual states that the prisoner should be given work according to his or her ability. I am an advocate. Poor inmates need legal help and support. Please give me this task.”
However, at that time, the Jail authorities were of the view that teaching law to prisoners was like feeding milk to snakes. The officers could not prepare such people as would attack them later.
Now, they were helpless and had to take the assistance of Hakim.
Once he was given the opportunity, Hakim put himself whole-heartedly into this task.

Episode 27

Hakim had already made up his mind to help those prisoners who direly needed legal assistance. He had brought copies of some special court decisions that were in favour of prisoners. However, Labh Singh had not allowed him to put his feet firmly on the ground.
Hakim thoroughly studied the provisions of law under the changed and favourable circumstances for him. He carefully understood the intricacies of getting the resourceless prisoners released from jail. When he became confident of his success, he walked up to the Jail authorities and claimed, thumping his chest, “You should give me your co-operation. I would get half of the Jail emptied within three months.”
The department of jails reciprocated his gesture with responsive attitude. On his demand, Tara Chand was designated as assistant to Hakim. Tara Chand was not only educated but also honest and loyal to the core.
Before landing in Jail, Tara Chand was a teacher of sociology in a government school. He also used to write poetry sometimes. He was highly active in the teachers’ union. This intense involvement in union activities was the reason why he had come to jail.
His elder brother was an assistant engineer in the marketing board. His brother’s wife belonged to a rich family but she was not much educated. She didn’t know how to talk and present herself in society. That is why the husband and the wife used to be at daggers drawn with each other. One day, fed up with the daily hellish conflict, his brother’s wife took sulphos tablets. The parents and kin of his brother’s wife converted the case of simple suicide into the one of sacrifice on the altar of dowry.
“If the leader remains out, he would fight the case for his brother in the court. Involve him and clip his wings first,” the supporters of the kin of his brother’s wife gave a suggestion to her parents.
Hence, the broher was made to suffer with the brother.
Tara Chand got life imprisonment along with his brother. Even after making all efforts, the cadres of the teachers’ union could not get him acquitted. However, these cadres were fully known to the Jail authorities because they used to visit the Jail quite often. They used their influence and references and saved Tara Chand from taking up hard labour in jail. They also got him fixed up in a job involving writing and reading in jail.
Further, Tara Chand made the road easy for himself by the dint of his hard work and good character. He made good friends with Jail warders. He wrote letters and applications on behalf of illiterate prisoners and thus pleased them. Besides, he also made himself financially comfortable by doing such types of writing jobs.
Tara Chand was an expert in writing the applications of prisoners. This was one of the reasons behind making him a member of the legal cell. When an educated man faces court trial, he starts reading the law books in a desperate bid to find a way for escape. The same frenzy had overtaken Tara Chand too. In the context of dowry cases and fights due to dowry, he had read thousands of cases that ranged from the day of filing of papers till the day of court’s decision. His knowledge could not help him but he certainly used it to lead and impress other prisoners by holding legal counselling sessions in Jail.
“I know enough of law that is known to an ordinary lawyer,” thinking of this achievement, Tara Chand had offered his services to the legal cell.
Before starting his work, Hakim Singh analyzed each court case in a scientific manner. Then, he arrived at a conclusion that in the beginning, the legal cell should work on three points. In order that Tara Chand should find it easier to work, Hakim Singh explained those three legal points to him:
“Firstly, the police must collect all evidences against the accused. Then, it should arrest that accused. Our police works just in the direction opposite to this principle. It arrests the criminals first and then starts collecting evidences to grill him. Sometimes, they try to make a mountain of the mole hill and even a mouse is not traced. In search of the mouse, the police prolongs investigation for years together. The person locked up in jail keeps rotting without any reason or rationale. There is another facet to this exercise. Sometimes, the cases are complex beyond compare. The police takes many years to collect evidences. It does not mean that the accused should wait for the filing of the charge-sheet. The law has taken care of such accused as is trapped in the maze of complications. The police has been instructed to complete its investigation within a previously decided time limit and prepare the charge-sheet against criminal and file it in the court within a time-frame. If it cannot do so, the court should release the accused on bail till the verdict of the case is pronounced by it. In the most serious offences, this limit is ninety days. In other criminal cases, this limit is sixty days. Many prisoners do not have the knowledge of this rule. They rot in jail for years together. We have to help prisoners of this genre. We would take the jail warrant of the accused and see the date on which he was arrested. Then, we would see which criminal charge has been imposed on him. The charge-sheet should have been filed within sixty days or ninety. If even a single day is spent beyond the legal limit in jail by the accused, we shall file an application in court within no time. You must understand this thoroughly. After the expiry of the stipulated period, the magistrate cannot keep the accused in jail even for one hour.”
Tara Chand did know about the first legal point but there were some doubts which were removed after briefing.
“Now, the second legal point. Under it, we have to get released those undertrials whose cases have been kept pending for many years. The law has already stipulated maximum sentence for every type of crime. Besides, it has also designed a rule that an accused cannot be kept behind bars beyond the maximum period of sentence that can be declared in his case. We will have to work hard while making the lists of all these court cases. While filing charge-sheet, the police makes serious accusations on the accused. The jail warrant of the accused is made on the very day of his arrest. In that warrant, all those crimes are recorded which are deemed to have been committed by the accused; these crimes are mentioned in the accompanying documentation. After investigation, most of these accusations are not proved. As a result, the charge-sheet is filed for smaller crimes. Sometimes, the court does not agree to the investigation of the police. It further reduces the gravity or seriousness of crime. What should really happen is that after the charges are framed by the court, a fresh warrant should be prepared. However, who cares for others? Due to lack of the tendency to work hard, the old warrant accompanies the old charges. The jail term of the prisoner is decided according to the crimes recorded on this warrant, which is more in most cases. Hence, injustice is done to the accused. We have to forget the list of accusations in the warrant and see the crimes that court is accusing the person of. We have to check how much maximum sentence the accused can get; we have to estimate this period according to the charges framed by the court against the person in question. If the accused has spent even two days over and above the maximum sentence, cannot be detained any more.”
Then, using an example, Hakim clarified the third legal point:
“If a thief steals the belongings of a passenger sitting at the railway station, Section 379 of the IPC is applicable on him. The maximum sentence for this crime is three years. If the thief enters a home or a shop to steal items, the crime becomes serious and the sentence for this crime increases to seven years. If the thief strikes a member of the family while committing the theft, the crime becomes all the more serious and leads to life imprisonment. However, who would call one a thief if one is caught red-handed or leaves a proof of theft behind? The thief is caught after many months with some stolen articles. If the thief keeps the stolen items under his possession, the Section 411 of IPC is applicable on him. The sentence for this crime is three years. The thief does not steal these items in the presence of a witness. That is why Section 452 or 459 of IPC is deleted and the charge-sheet is filed only under Section 411 of IPC. The illiterate criminal, caught in this legal tangle, passes ten years or even more in jail. We have to solve this riddle. We have to get such prisoners released as have been languishing in jail for more than three years.”
“Now, listen carefully to the legal point for those unfortunate people who do not have any kith or kin to take care of them, especially those who are migrants from other states and languishing in jail. The court is worried while releasing them on bail; they would rush to their own state after getting bail and it would be difficult to trace them. Many times, such bail application is not accepted. Even if it is accepted, the court adds twenty odd conditions. For example, the persons guaranteeing bail application must be locals and rich. The migrants are unable to fulfil these terms and conditions. Due to lack of persons guaranteeing bail application, these migrants languish in jails. Some of the supporters of these poor people are occupying seats in higher courts. They have pronounced some decisions in their favour. In some such verdicts, the kind judges have given instructions to lower courts. One such instruction is that these people should be released on the basis of personal bail if their detention has prolonged. These decisions are known neither to lower judges nor to most lawyers. I have found out those decisions. We have to work very hard to get those decisions implemented.”
After hearing the talk of Hakim, Tara Chand felt as if he had been under an illusion of his own knowledge. Till now, he had been misguiding prisoners like a very expert lawyer. The real legal viewpoints were revealed to him now!
He was sure now that Hakim was telling the truth. This way the barracks housing ‘kings’, ‘birds’, and small-time criminals would be cleaned up in days.
Encouraged by the new set of knowledge, Tara Chand got along with his work.
While he was making the first list of the prisoners to be released, a question flashed in his mind: “This way, the professional and most-dreaded criminals would also be released. Is this an objective of the legal cell to get these hardcore criminals released? Perhaps Hakim had forgotten any instruction in this context?”
In order to dispel his doubt, he sought a clarification from Hakim.
“I do not consider that the law of my country is law per se. It has not been drafted for the benefit of the masses. A particular class has made this law to protect its own selfish interests and to keep ordinary people as its slaves. Our law looks at the forehead and then applies the holy mark on it, i.e., it looks at the credentials of the man it wants to save. For rickshaw pullers, it is a crime to play a game of dice worth five rupees but it is legal to play the games of dice worth hundreds of thousand rupees in clubs. It is a crime to sell one’s body in a slum to fill one’s belly but it is legal to have sex in five-star hotels. Tell me, did you commit the crime against which you have been punished? No one becomes criminal due to his own wish. Circumstances make him a criminal. The primary duty of the government is to prevent the bad circumstances from being created. When the government itself deviates from its own duties, people trapped in odd circumstances are forced to tread criminal paths. I don’t consider them as guilty as our law does. I am not demanding that law may be changed at this time. I am trying to implement this law, good or bad it may be. They have already suffered due to their bad deeds. Further, no one has the right to keep them in jail beyond the period of maximum sentence that they can get. They must get their rights.”
After clarifying his doubt, a gladdened Tara Chand started working even harder.

Episode 28

The number of persons to be released from the barracks of the poor prisoners was the highest.
That is why the volunteers of the legal cell had started their work from this very barrack.
Six applications had been written last week. Success had been achieved in five of these cases. It was to be ascertained what had happened to the sixth application.
The volunteers of the legal cell were quite enthusiastic while they were moving towards the barrack of the poor prisoners.
Last time, the first ever application was filed by Nanna. He was a professional knife goon. The owners of Naaz cinema had appointed him to teach a lesson to those who teased girls around their cinema hall. In lieu of his services, they used to give him some tickets which he could sell in black. If the movie being screened was not a good one, or if the number of customers of the cinema hall was too few, Nanna used to pick a few pockets to arrange liquor and other drugs for himself. This time, he had tried to pick the pocket of a boy who had come to watch a movie in the cinema hall. The boy got an inkling that his pocket was being picked. He caught Nanna red-handed. In order to save himself, Nanna struck at the boy’s belly with his knife. The boy courageously stopped the attack with his hands. The police registered the case of attempt to murder and arrested Nanna.
The owners of the cinema hall were very angry with Nanna. He had attacked their client with his knife and hence defamed the cinema owners. Due to such incidents, their clientele was affected. They used their influence and got the offence of ‘attempt to murder’ deleted from Nanna’s case. Even then, the police filed a charge-sheet against him which mentioned his attempt to pick a pocket and injure a person without any reason.
This was the eighth court case of this kind against Nanna. He had completed his sentence in four out of them. In the other four cases, he was attending the court dates. He was simply not afraid of or perturbed by the court and the law. Immediately upon being released on bail, he used to carry out a new criminal action. The miffed judge refused to grant him bail. The doubly miffed owners of the cinema hall stopped giving him legal support in the court.
For two years, the witness did not come to give his statement. Then, the station house officer went abroad. Going through tough times in Jail, Nanna had been waiting for the verdict for three and a half years.
Although five court cases were filed agagainst Nanna, none of these cases could lead to a senetence of more than three years in jail. It was his legal right to get released.
When sections of the criminal code and the verdicts of the Supreme Court were made as a basis and an application was written to get Nanna released, Tara Chand immediately understood that no power on the earth could reject this application.
An application had been filed by Nanna one month ago as well. That application was written by Tara Chand at the intance of the Chief Warder. The same old excuses were used in that application: `I am the only earning hand in my family’, `My parents are very old’, `I remain sick’, etc. Now, Tara Chand understood the entire game. The Chief Warder had got that application written not for the benefit of Nanna but for his own sake. He had taken fifty rupees from Nanna. He had kept forty rupees with himself and given ten rupees to Tara Chand.
That is why last time, Nanna had flown into a rage upon seeing an envelope containing papers in the hand of Tara Chand: “You have brought this teacher once again. I don’t have fifty rupees to give to you. I work very hard and save fifty rupees with great difficulty. You use an alibi and take away those rupees. I know I would not be let out of this Jail. I don’t want to be released.”
Nanna’s left eyeball was of artificial stone. The stone was not affected by Nanna’s anger. His fully-fit right eye started showing deep anger. In a fight, Nanna’s forehead had received some wounds. The stitches put at various spots on the forehead had become permanent wrinkles. Due to the excessive flow of blood, these wrinkles became straight and raised. The trembling of his broken jaw made his face much more dreadful and gory.
“I am finished today,” Tara Chand thought even as his legs trembled due to fear.
“You scoundrel, these people belong to the legal cell. They won’t charge any money. Where were you yesterday when I was talking about these people appointed to help you?” The Warden, irritated by Nanna’s behaviour, started reprimanding him at the pitch of his voice.
“Never mind. He is not to be blamed either. He has lost all faith because his applications are being rejected incessantly. I would handle this case myself,” stating this, Hakim stopped the rod of the Warden from coming towards Nanna’s feet.
Earlier, Tara Chand used to be glad beyond compare upon earning twenty or thirty rupees on a daily basis. From that day onwards, he had started feeling guilty over this earning.
Today, Tara Chand was trembling with fear even as he was heading towards the barrack of the poor prisoners. He was worried about any accidental meeting with another Nanna there. Nevertheless, he had brought some money in his pocket. He had plans to return the money in case he came across a new Nanna.
The second application was from Ramu, the tea vendor, and Lambu, the rickshaw puller who had been dragged into a duel of two powerful groups.
A year ago, the para-medical staff of Rama Nand Hospital had gone on strike. The staff had stated that just like the doctors, they had also contributed equally towards the growth of the hospital. They demanded that they should not be charged rent of their apartments, just like the doctors. They wanted free electricity and water facilities too. They asked for free medical service for their family members. They finally demanded that they should also be paid commission from the income accrued to the hospital through various diagnostic tests.
The management stated that the staff should not forget their status and real place in the hospital. If a dog gets under a bullock cart, it should not visualize that the bullock cart is moving because of it. If patients from far and wide came to get themselves treated in the hospital, it did not mean the abilities of the para-medical staff were the causative factor. Rather, the expertise of doctors was the chief reason behind this phenomenon. The management told the staff to have a look at what the staff cadres were getting in the name of facilities in other private hospitals. Their salaries were half of what they were getting and the duty hours of the staff cadres in those hospitals were one and half times longer than theirs. The staff cadres of other private hospitals were supposed to pay the full price even for a tablet to cure their headache. Hence, said the management, the staff members should keep quiet and enjoy whatever facilities they had been getting.
The conflict increased to such an extent that a strike was declared by the para-medical staff. The impact of this strike showed itself in terms of the reduced earnings of the hospital and its declining fame. The number of new patients fell. The old patients of the hospital thought about shifting to another hospital. In order to save the moment for the sake of its business, the management thought of conceding certain demands. It agreed to consider some of the demands of the para-medical staff. The novice leaders of the union were inflated due to this initial success. They stated that they would withdraw the strike only after all their demands were met by the management.
The management was now worried about what was in store, not about what it had borne till date. That way, the union would become very strong. Hence, it would threaten every now and then. The evil should be nipped in the bud itself. After thinking all this, the management talked to senior police officers and said, “We treat even your pets free of cost. Today, we are in dire need. Please help us.”
In order to prove the worth of its salt, the police acted quickly. A plan was made to forcibly pick the leaders sitting on the dharna and put them behind bars. However, the union cadres somehow learnt about this draconian plan of the police. They decided to fight tooth and nail against the police.
The police was not expecting whatever happened next. A small police team was sent under the leadership of the Deputy Superintent to pick up those who were sitting at the dharna. When the leaders were being manhandled and dragged by the police, the workers of the hospital attacked the police cadres. During this scuffle and chaos, some policemen lost their turbans; some others received minor scratches too. The Deputy Superintendent was trapped in the carpet and fell down on the ground. Because of his heavy frame, it took him sometime to stand up and compose himself. In the meantime, the journalists took his photograph when he was lying on the ground. One nurse caught the mane of a lady constable. A clever cameraman captured that scene in his camera.
The police became more angry because they had to return empty-handed, without arresting any leader sitting on the dharna.
The senior police officers deliberated once again. They decided, “This insult must be avenged quickly. The workers who had attacked the police cadres and the adventurous journalists who had taken photographs should be taught a lesson.”
The police cadres of the entire city were made to gather at one place. The hospital was surrounded from all four sides. Then, the hospital as attacked as if an enemy’s fortress were to be captured. On its way, the police thrashed, abused, and bruised every passerby, student, patient, rickshaw puller, or street vendor. The vending carts, rickshaws, cars, and scooters were badly damaged by the police force during this rampage.
There was chaos among workers when they saw the swarm of police force cadres heading towards them. Someone entered the toilet to protect his life while someone else ducked below the counter. The police broke doors and windows and took out all of them. In order to escape thrashing by the police, some workers went to the roof-top while some others climbed up the trees. When they saw the police coming towards the roof-top, many of them jumped below. Someone was trapped in the maze of electric wires, someone else was trapped in the ventilators near the ceiling. Journalists scored another first here too. They photographed all those who were jumping from roof-tops, trapped in electric wires, and getting the thrashing of police personnel.
The police thrashed the people caught by them at first in the hospital itself . Then, they identified those workers who had offended the police during the last scuffle. They were taken to the police station and thoroughly insulted. Then, they were arrested and sent to jail after accusing them of stopping the police from doing its duty and executing fatal attacks on government employees.
Because of severe injuries, some workers had to be admitted to the hospital. Some others were packed off to jail. The rest went underground due to the gory terror of the police. The strike thus became an unsuccessful venture. The temporary workers started coming back to work in the hospital.
The very next day, the ecstasy of the management was converted into agony. The newspapers spoiled their very well-planned game. The photographs lucidly depicting atrocities being afflicted on the workers by the police were published in the morning newspapers. The entire country cried due to this gory incident. In a photograph, a women worker was shown being stripped off her clothes. In another photograph, a worker was being thrashed by the police with their boots. Journalists also published the names and addresses of the injured people who were neither connected with the staff nor with the management.
When the human rights organizations raised this issue, the management as well as the police became as soft as hot wax. On the instructions of the government, the district administration and some respected citizens and bigwigs of the city interfered in the matter. An accord was arrived at in two meetings. The workers agreed to go back to work in the hospital considering the tenet ‘something is better than nothing’.
The rate of the return of those patients who had stopped patronizing the hospital in the wake of the strike gradually increased. However, the rate of the return of the staff to work remained low. The management was worried how it would run the hospital without the support of the complete staff. The underground leaders of the workers were also worried how they would return to work if their own leaders were rotting in jail.
Another meeting was organized between the management and the workers. The management promised that it would get the jailed leaders and workers released soon.
The police officials were still reeling under the fire of anger. The newspapers had published big photographs of the police cadres being madly thrashed by the workers. The people had not erased those memories from their

minds yet. The police was not ready to let the morale of its cadres go down by allowing the workers to get released so early.
Thus, the police became reluctant to withdraw the case.
A miffed management talked to the Chief Minister of the state.
On the instructions of the Chief Minister, another meeting was organized between the police and the management. The management assured the police, “Naughty elements are a sore of our eyes too. We have to manage the situation. As soon as circumstances take a better turn, we have to deal with all these people. Please put this issue under the carpet for some months. Then, you may prepare the charge-sheet and file it in the court. The management would support you instead of raising any grievance.”
After a lot of deliberation, a way-out was found. The police had arrested some ordinary people by mistake. In order to maintain its dignity, the police would continue to keep them under its lock-up. It would alter the statements of witnesses so that workers might be released from jail.
The management contacted some witnesses in the case. It took statements under oath from each of them: ‘At the time of the incident, I was not present at the site.’
The management instructed its lawyers now: “You should help the lawyers of the workers’ union. Get the maximum number of workers released.”
The plan was executed. The workers were released one by one.
Earlier, the union cadres had assured the affected people that their court cases would be taken up free of cost.
However, under the changed circumstances, the union forgot to take care of the interests of those common people.
The owners or operators of rickshaws and vending carts were not members of the workers union. Lawyers demanded money from them so that their court cases could be contested and they could be got released from jail.
Those, who had enough resources, arranged their own counsels, filled up bail bonds, and got released from jail.
The only ones who were left behind were nomads like Lambu and Ramu.
Ramu was a rickshaw puller. He used to wait for customers outside the hospital. On that fateful day, he had gone inside the hospital to purchase the medicines of a patient. He was thrashed by the police on his way itself.
Lambu used to operate a tea-vending cart outside the hospital under the shade of a tree. The police came as the wave of a river and his tea-vending cart was caught in its fury. The police converted his tea-vending cart into debris; they did the same to his body too.
Curfew-like situation remained for two days. The turbans were strewn all over and kept lying at their places. Shoes remained hung wherever left by the wearers. The photographs of the broken tea-vending cart of Lambu and the mutilated rickshaw of Ramu were published in newspapers. They felt that their things were somewhat secure..
However, after a few days, the corporation staff arrived at the scene and picked up all the unclaimed items.
Ramu had taken the rickshaw on rent. The owner of that rickshaw went to the municipal committee’s office, paid the fine and got his rickshaw released. Then, he came to meet Ramu in jail. Ramu had already deposited five hundred rupees with him as surety money. He deducted that amount. Then, he declared that Ramu was supposed to pay him another five hundred. He got a promissory note signed from Ramu and left.
Lambu was luckier than Ramu. The tea-vending cart belonged to him. He had purchased it after hard labour of eight years. He had purchased a stove, a big cooking pot, and other articles on instalments. Lambu’s friends went to get his tea-vending cart released. The amount of fine to be paid was much more than the debris of the cart. The rest of the items were not deposited at the committee’s office. With a heavy heart, they returned empty-handed.
When Lambu appeared in the court, his financer came to meet him in the court itself. After scrutinizing all his accounts, he debited his account with two thousand rupees and left.
The friends of Ramu and Lambu were just like them. They would take ten or twenty rupees each from other friends and collect nearly three hundred rupees. Then, they used to go to the court. The touts used to catch them on the way. Their collection either used to get into the belly of a clerk or in the hands of a typist. They became paupers by the time the application arrived at the judge’s desk.
A year passed in this tussle and struggle.
The jail authorities had announced last week that the needy prisoners would be given free legal aid by the government.
After hearing this announcement, Ramu and others nurtured a ray of hope in their eyes. But when they learnt that the application sought their release on bail, their last flicker of hope was also put out.
This order had been passed by a noble judge six month ago.
In this court case, the police had arrested twenty-eight persons. By hook or by crook, twenty-six persons had got themselves released from jail. The magistrate took pity on these two persons. He ordered their release on bail without completing any other documentation or formality.
The friends of Ramu went running to the court. When they learnt that the accused migrants must get the sureties from those persons who were essentially locals as well as owners of huge properties, their apple-cart was spoiled. They were working and living in another state and had left their home states for livelihood. Their friends and colleagues were the ones who used to sleep on the roadsides, footpaths, or vending carts. They had never dreamt of owning ten thousand rupees! How could they have become owners of huge properties and land? The local people would never put their own property to risk for their sake. Even after going through the most difficult toil and agonizing circumstances, they were not able to get a person who would help Ramu and Lambu out on bail with the help of acceptable sureties.
Then, someone gave them a piece of advice. He told them that there were many makeshift cabins in the court in which many persons offering sureies used to sit. They also had the copies of registration certificates of big bungalows and revenue record of many land areas. In order to appear as attesting witnesses in the court, several numberdars and members of panchayats were available. Lambu’s friends went to those cabins. Someone asked for ten thousand rupees and someone else demanded eight thousand. When Lambu’s friends offered one thousand or fifteen hundred rupees to them, they used to jump and run away as if a snake had bitten them. Now, all friends were exhausted and stayed at home. Ramu and Lambu did not need the order of release but a guarantor.
“We have got the order. If you can, please give us a guarantor,” refusing to take the application, Ramu stated.
“Why do you lose heart? After reading this application, the magistrate would not ask for a surety from you. He would release you on your personal bond,” stating this, Hakim patted Ramu’s back. Interestingly, instead of the warrants of Lambu and Ramu to make another appearance in the court, the orders of their release were received.
The third application was written for Khushia.
He had been accused of attesting a forged sale-deed. The receipt was obtained by the owner of a plot, Rehman. His crime was that he neither knew the buyer of the plot, Ram Murty, nor had sold the plot to him. Ram Murti made another person stand before the registrar and got the plot registered in his own name. Khushia had played a major role in this conspiracy. He had identified a fake person as Rehman.
Ram Murty had pleaded “not guilty” in this case. He had said that the registration was appropriate and legal. He had further added that Rehman had become greedy because the price of the plot had shot up. Ram Murty made many persons appear in the court as witnesses; they all gave statements in Rehman’s favour. When the investigating officer did not seem to be doing justice and it seemed that a court case would have to be filed, Ram Murty got pre-arrest bail orders against his arrest. Thus, the police could not harm Ram Murty. In order to execute its procedure, it arrested Khushia.
Ram Murty played another card like an ace. He filed a writ petition in the High Court and got the investigation stopped.
Afraid of the High Court, the police neither completed the investigation nor filed the charge-sheet. The judge himself was afraid. He neither accepted the bail application of Khushia nor rejected it.
In this state of confusion and chaos, he had been spending time in jail for four months.
Hakim was surprised over the wisdom of the judge as well as of Khushia’s lawyer. The ban was imposed on further investigation. On the basis of the investigation already completed, an arrested man could not be kept behind bars beyond the stipulated limit of time.
Khushia was assured of getting released from jail on his very next hearing in the court.
Jhalmal was accused of keeping a bagful of poppy husk . He had also been imprisoned for five months. A court case of selling poppy-husk illegally had been filed against the SHO who had arrested him. He himself was absconding with the case file. Since the challan had not been presented for sixty days, it was Jhalamal’s right to get released from jail. It was surprising why Jhalamal’s lawyer was silent over this issue.
The same was the position of Seeta. He was accused of planning a dacoity in collusion with his friends. During the police raid, he was arrested but his friends had managed to escape the scene. Even after six months of hard labour, the police could not arrest even a single fugitive. Totally engrossed in the effort to nab those fugitives, the police had forgotten to file a charge-sheet against Seeta. He did not have enough resources to arrange a lawyer to help him. Hence, he did not know about this right.
The legal cell was monitoring its own performance. The results were encouraging. With complete cooperation by the courts, all applications were being accepted.
Tara Chand was dying to know about the state of affairs of Shibu even as he was moving towards the barrack.
Today, Shibu had gone to appear in the court. Shibu was an old bird of this barrack. He had been accused of stealing the suitcase of a railway passenger in collusion with his friends. The police had also accused that all of them had equally distributed the stolen articles among themselves. Shibu had received five hundred

rupees and a kurta pyjama as his share. Cash and other articles were recovered from his friends by the police.
Shibu agreed that he had stolen the suitcase. However, he had never seen the faces of those persons who had been made co-accused in his case. Nevertheless, all of them were also thieves. They had stolen the belongings of other passengers. The passengers had informed the railway police about the details of stolen articles but had not filed a report with the police fearing that it would lead to hassles and agony. When the police caught them, it had taken possession of all stolen articles. Further, it had shown articles actually recovered from Shibu as recovered from those co-accused.
Sheebus’ cohorts were old and seasoned guys in this trade. The number of their friends was much more than that of Shibu’s friends. They would get themselves released on bail whenever they got a chance. They made appearance in a court twice or four times at the most. The court kept on halting the court case and ordering the police to arrest them and present them in the court. In this cat and mouse game, three years had passed.
When the court hearing re-started after the declaration of his friends as Proclaimed Offenders (POs), the accusation remained the same again.
During this period, Shibu tried his best to get released on bail but he did not have any good contacts in Maya Nagar. The contractor, who used to run a tea-vending cart at the railway station, knew him. Another person who knew Shibu was Lalu who used to wash utensils at the vending cart adjacent to that of the contractor. The contractor had got Shibu arrested. Hence, there was no point in expecting any type of help from him. Lalu had come to the Jail and met Shibu once or twice. He had not been able to help Shibu beyond that.
Languishing in Jail, Shibu always cursed the moment when he had decided to come here. Kalu, a man from Shibu’s village, had come to Maya Nagar many years ago. He had invited Shibu to come to Maya Nagar. However, he had not come to pick Shibu at the railway station according to his promise. The police had arrested a totally lost Shibu. He had neither a ticket nor an address. The address of the place he was carrying with him existed neither as a township nor as a locality in entire Maya Nagar. The police had refrained from implicating him in any case after becoming sure that he was an innocent boy and that he had been inadvertently caught in the web of odd circumstances in this city.
The tea-vending contractor at the railway station got him released by requesting the police. He employed Shibu for washing utensils at the vending cart and gave him food in lieu of the services provided. At that time, Shibu thanked his stars and felt satisfied in whatever he had got.
During the day, scores of trains used to arrive at the railway station of Maya Nagar. There used to be a fair of passengers at all times at the station. As soon as a train arrived at a platform, there used to be hustle and bustle, even chaos, at that platform. During this state of anarchy and hurry, one or two pieces of luggage of passengers used to remain unattended. The contractor used to keep a closer eye on such items of luggage than on the customers.
After passing a year at the railway station, Shibu started picking up the ropes. Instead of wearing underwears and vests, he started wearing pants and shirts taken out of those unattended suitcases. Instead of washing utensils, he started frying pakodas, tasty snacks.
The contractor prospered too. Earlier, he used to pick up luggage inadvertently lost or left by the passengers. Then, he started stealing big suitcases or bags every week. He started giving commission to Shibu out of the loot.
When he started getting share in the stolen goods, Shibu became an adventurist beyond compare. Within days, he developed relations with pick-pockets and thieves operating at the railway station. He started remaining absent from the vending cart for hours together without informing the contractor.
The contractor felt a sense of danger from Shibu, for he could be caught at any time. That way, the secrets of the contractor could be revealed to the police. He thought it better to control the situation.
He informed the police and got Shibu arrested and the stolen luggage with him confiscated.
Because of the perfect move of the contractor, Shibu had been rotting in Jail for four years.
One day, when Shibu was going to the court for appearance, he met Kalu, the man from his own village. He was also handcuffed. That day, Shibu learnt that Kalu was not employed in a mill but was in the same profession as his. A day before Shibu had got down from the train, Kalu was arrested while picking a pocket. That is why Shibu had faced the wrath of the police on that fateful day.
Shibu was an undertrial in police lock-up. He did not get the uniform that jail inmates used to get. The clothes he was caught in had been thoroughly worn out. It had become difficult for him to cover his nakedness. In his barrack, there were half-naked nomads like him. There was no point in earning money by serving someone or by doing the work of another person.
Upon seeing Shibu devastated by poverty, Kalu gave him some money; he gave a piece of advice too.
Kalu said, “At every appearance in the court, give an application to the judge. Always beg for release on bail and early settlement of the court case.”
Shibu did not have the courage to get the application written from the Jail. However, he was not the one to lose hope. He used to go the court and request an educated person there to help him. Sometimes, he used to beg the Munshi to write an application on his behalf. Somehow, he used to get an application written and put it before the judge.
The judge used to pounce upon him literally, “I have four thousand cases. Am I free for you?”
At other times, if the mood of the judge would be fine, he used to give a lullaby, “I shall settle it in the next hearing.”
Shibu was exhausted after presenting so many applications.
He thought that the application of the legal cell would also meet the same fate.
Shibu took the application, tore it into pieces, and went towards his seat even as he threw up paper pieces in the air.
Hakim went to Shibu and told him with affection, “The sentence of the crime committed by you is three years. You have already spent one year extra in jail. Filing an application without any logic does not yield any type of benefit. Keeping you in jail is illegal. Follow my advice. Give an application again.”
“I am poor. No one listens to my woes,” stating this, Shibu cried aloud and stuck to his stubborn stand of refusal.
Nanna, Ramu, and Lambu had been released. What happened to rebel Shibu? Tara Chand was keen to learn this.
As soon as Tara Chand entered the barrack, he asked the Assistant Warden about the whereabouts of Shibu.
The Assistant Warden replied, “That bastard proved to be very swift. After the release of Nanna and others, he realized his mistake. He begged that a new application should be got written for him. I did not oblige him at all. When he went to the court for the next hearing, he got an application written from someone and presented it before the judge. The judge accepted it in a jiffy. Scoundrel! He did not even come to the barrack to pick up his belongings.He returned from the entrance lobby itself.”
“What was there in his belongings?” Thinking about it, Tara Chand walked in sheer ecstasy and looked at Hakim who was seated in a chair.
While looking at Hakim, who was engrossed in the technicalities of the documents he was scanning, Tara Chand recalled Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji who had spent his time in jail working on the flour grinding wheel.
“O Baba Nanak! You are great!. You are not only helping the poor prisoners to get their nights, but also making them take these rights by force.”
Tara Chand bowed before Hakim in his thoughts.

Episode 29

Various kinds of food items used to be served in other barracks. In this barrack of the poor prisoners, the sweetmeats like laddoos had arrived for the first time.
This bagful of happiness was brought by Nand Fauji who had gone to the bank to withdraw money.
Two-third of the barrack had been emptied because of the courage and toil of the volunteers of the legal cell. Those who were left behind were happy to the core. Although they had not been released, they were getting justice.
Today, the legal cell workers were supposed to visit this barrack. Some inmates wanted to tell their tales of woes to the violunteers of the organization. Some others were likely to share their moments of happiness with them.
One of the persons who was supposed to share his happiness was Nand Fauji.
Fauji was a night watchman of a government guest house. He had been accused of raping a young maid who had accompanied an officer. Currently, it was not the issue whether the charge on Fauji was right or wrong. He had been trapped in the problems of the new kind. Two months before being appointed as a night watchman, he had retired from the army. His pension used to be deposited in a bank. He needed money to meet expenses of various types. Last time, he had given a cheque to his lawyer. Nand was supposed to pay the balance of his fee. As such, the lawyer had kept fifteen hundred rupees with himself and given him only five hundred. His sister-in-law (his brother’s wife) was greedier than the lawyer. As soon as she got the news that pension amount had been deposited in the bank, she used to take rounds of the Jail. Sometimes, she needed money to pay the fee of his nephew and at some other time, his niece required a sandal. Since he was a bachelor, Fauji had a soft corner for his sister-in-law. He had never let her go back empty-handed. However, he did nurture a grudge that he had asked for five hundred rupees but she sent only one hundred.
During the course of his service in the army, Fauji had remained posted at the snow-clad mountains most of the time. He was addicted to rum. Sometimes, he used to take opium as well. These things were available in Jail but at whopping prices. Due to the shortage of money, Fauji was quite upset.
Today itself, Fauji had taken a decision that he would not give a dime to anyone. He would get all the pension in the Jail. Then, he would have a whale of a time with that money.
How could he get the entire amount in Jail? This problem had been dogging him for quite some time.
Before suggesting a solution, Hakim had taken a promise from Fauji that he would send half of the amount to his nephew and niece and the remaining half would be brought to Jail.
Fauji wrote an application, “Please give me permission to withdraw my pension money from the bank.” The application was approved.
Fauji had got the opportunity of spending his entire money according to his own will.
He wanted to share this happiness with Hakim and other inmates.
The smell of laddoos had made the atmosphere pleasant in the barrack. Everyone was expecting that he would get a share of the sweetmeats. The inmates were hardly able to control themselves. Like bees, they began to move around the packets of laddoos due to one excuse or the other.
However, Fauji had given a strict order that he had fought this battle with the blessings of his captain, Hakim Singh. The celebration was supposed to begin after Hakim was served sweetmeats.
Dukhu did not have enough money to buy laddoos. Nevertheless, he was much happier than Fauji and wanted to express his happiness with great pomp and show.
Dukhu’s appeal had been accepted. He was supposed to be released the next day. He had been awarded a sentence of one year plus a fine of five thousand rupees since he had kept twenty bottles of illicit liquor.
Coming from Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh in search of a square meal, Dukhu used to work at the farm of Sardars, the big landlords of the village. The elder Sardar had invited his friends at his tube-well to celebrate the birthday of his grandson. He assigned one migrant worker with the task of cooking meat. He sent Dukhu to the neighbouring village to get illicit liquor for the party.
The police raided on the way. Instead of reaching the tube-well, Dukhu was packed off to the police station along with the can of illicit liquor.
If the police catches a culprit on its own, it gives him some tantrums and beatings but releases him later. However, the news of illocit liquor was leaked to the police by the enemies of Sardars. They wanted to spoil the apple-cart of the Sardars; hence this step.
The efforts of the Sardars to get Dukhu released bit dust. The police promised, “We will get this migrant worker released within a month. However, for the time being, let him remain in jail. Then, we shall make him confess to the crime. We would get as much sentence term for him from the court as has already been spent by him in jail and thus bring him to you.” After a month, when Dukhu went for court hearing, the head constable advised him, “If the judge asks you, tell him that illegal liquor was found by the police on your person. The rest would be done by the public prosecutor.”
The public prosecutor spoiled the case instead of giving it a positive push. The head-constable had said, “One bottle of liquor and one chicken would serve the purpose.” But the public prosecutor was not prepared to settle the case for less than a crate of whisky bottles. He said that his boss had demanded whisky bottles.
The Sardars were reluctant to pay this amount. If Dukhu worked hard for one year at their farm, he would not be able to save enough money and pay it back to them. They were also not sure whether he would stay with them or run away to his native state after his release. Alternatively, they feared Dukhu could raise a hue and cry and tell the police that the Sardars ordered him to bring liquor. He could put the demand that the Sardars should spend money on the case.
When the deal did not get through, the public prosecutor went into the retiring room of the judge. God knows what he murmured to him. The judge prounced the sentence of jail for one year and a fine of five thousand rupees.
The Sardars tried to appeal against this verdict. The lawyer said that they would have to pay the fine first. When they realized that five thousand rupees were likely to go down the drain, they dropped the idea of filing an appeal. Then, they forgot Dukhu altogether.
If the Sardars could not fight the legal battle, how could Dukhu do so?
Tired and resigned to his fate, he stopped making efforts.
Dukhu had completed the sentence of eight months in jail. He had also earned a sentence waiver of nearly three months. He visualized that his days of misery were about to come to an end. However, one day, when he got the period of sentence calculated by the Assistant Warden, he learnt that he was supposed to pay a fine of five thousand rupees before getting released. In case he did not pay the fine, he was bound to spend another six months in jail.
From that day onwards, Dukhu’s sadness knew no bounds.
As soon as Hakim’s hand patted his back, his sadness faded into the oblivion. Hakim found many ways for his defence. In the hurry of getting the confessional statement of the accused recorded, the police had forgotten to complete some legal formalities. It should have taken the sample of the illegal liquor recovered from Dukhu. That sample should have been sent to experts for testing. Then only, the liquor recovered from Dukhu could be held as illicit.
The second factor of his safety was that he had confessed to have committed the crime. When one confesses to the crime, one expects mercy from the court. However, it seemed that the magistrate was the hanger-on of the public prosecutor. The verdict smelt of the greed of the magistrate as well as the public prosecutor. The sessions judge was supposed to be careful in the context of the case.
The hearing was completed in the first court appearance itself. The judge declared that he was to be released. But it was the last day of the month. The judge had decided as many cases as he was supposed to decide. With the advent of the new month, the judge was supposed to start his series of verdicts by releasing Dukhu from jail.
Dukhu had packed up his personal belongings. He had completed all tasks but one, i.e., touching the feet of Hakim Singh.
For Sham Lal too, this was an occasion full of happiness and solace. He was capable of bringing barfi, a sweetmeat made from milk, instead of laddoos. He was unable to understand how he should celebrate the occasion. .
Sham Lal had a grievance with his counsel. The latter’s greed was increasing by leaps and bounds. Earlier, he himself had asked for three thousand rupees as fee for the entire case. Then he said, “I have had to file the bail application twice. The first fee has been used up. Give additional two thousand rupees.” He paid two thousand rupees again with great difficulty. Sometimes, he demanded money on behalf of public prosecutors and sometimes, on behalf of the doctor and the witnesses. In the beginning, Sham Lal obeyed what his counsel asked and conceded all his demands. During the last appearance, the cat came out of the bag. The investigating officer knew Sham Lal very well. He was the one who had arrested Sham Lal in this case. Since Sham Lal had stayed under police custody for three days, he had promised to him, “I will help you at the time of recording the statement to the best of my capacity.” Sham Lal had also promised, “You will certainly get what is due to you.” When the moment arrived, the investigating officer reminded Sham Lal of his promise. He was taken aback to listen to what he told him. The counsel had already taken one thousand rupees in his name but he had never received the money. In order to clarify the issue, Sham Lal took the officer to his counsel. The counsel didn’t have words to utter. He got rid of them by giving stupid excuses.
A miffed police officer took Sham Lal to the public prosecutor. The same was the case there; the counsel had not delivered the bribe money to the public prosecutor either.
Sham Lal was in a fix. Both of them started preparing for the case and to teach the counsel a lesson: “It is not easy to gulp down the money taken in the name of government employees.”
A thoroughly ashamed counsel stopped facing Sham Lal. Stealthily, he started making plans to implicate Sham Lal.
Sham Lal’s three-wheeler had already been sold off. He was not in a position to appoint a new counsel for the case.
Sham Lal wanted that his former counsel should at least return the money that he had taken from him in the name of others.
However, the counsel started using new tricks, leave alone return the money. He stopped others from taking up his case. He used to tell the other counsels, “My fee is still due from him.”
Now, he would neither enter the court nor let Sham Lal appoint a new counsel. The witnesses returned unexamined on many hearings due to the absence of the counsel in the court. The judge had warned Sham Lal, “Either persuade your counsel to appear in the case and handle witnesses or appoint a new counsel. I have nothing to do with all this. On the next hearing, start the cross-examination of witnesses, else be prepared for the sentence.”
Before going for the next appearance, he told his tale of woes to Hakim.
“The counsel has got the licence to undertake law practice, not to swindle people. There are guys who can take him task,” stating this, Hakim wrote an application to the judge on behalf of Sham Lal, which read: “The counsel has taken fees from me many times and cheated me. He has taken money from me many times in the name of bribing government officials. Indulging in such acts is a serious crime. Please direct the Police Superintendent to get a criminal case registered against my counsel. He is not performing his duties as a counsel. A recommendation should also be sent to cancel his law practice licence.”
As soon as the judge read this application, he summoned the greedy counsel as well as the President of the Bar Association. Within an hour, the problem was solved. The fee was returned by the counsel; so was the amount given as bribe.
Sham Lal had asked for pardon from the fellow prisoners. He promised, “I would come with a big box full of sweetmeats after my next appearance in the court and let everyone have his fill.”
With the blessings of the workers of the legal cell, Gujarati had got a great relief from the court. However, his economic condition was much worse than that of Dukhu. Today, he could neither offer sweetmeats to anyone nor promise anyone that he would do it positively after the next court appearance.
Haria was a resident of a remote village of Gujarat. He was a truck driver. The truck owner also used to go along with him in the vehicle. They had come to unload some goods at Maya Nagar from Gujarat. Fog had been falling incessantly for the past three days. Nothing was visible beyond three feet. The vehicle had to crawl like an ant. Haria’s master was in a hurry. The transport company was calling time and again, “Take the vehicle to Maya Nagar at your earliest, else we would have to pay a heavy fine.” Both of them were driving the truck in turns.
Upon reaching the toll barrier of Maya Nagar, they heaved a sigh of relief. They were about to succeed in delivering the goods at the destination well in time.
When they had covered two hundred yards, their happiness was converted into sorrow. One country-made motor vehicle that had loaded school children like the husk came under the truck. With a lethal thud, many children were torn into pieces.
At the time of the accident, the owner was driving the truck. His driving licence was not genuine. Some children died on the spot. Some others were breathing their last. The court would give their parents hefty compensation. The owner of the truck would have gone bankrupt paying the amount of compensation. There was only one way out of this calamity. The insurance firm should compensate the parents of the children. This would have been possible only if the licence of the vehicle driver was valid. The owner looked at Haria with pitiful eyes. Haria proved the worth of his salt. He went to the police station in lieu of his master.
In the evening, another problem surrounded Haria. One of the children who had died in the accident was the son of a police officer who was posted in the city. He came to the police station and raised a hue and cry. He complained, “The investigating officer has expressed his sympathy with the truck driver by filing a simple report of ‘rash and negligent driving.’ He has overlooked the feelings of the parents of dead children. The driver knew fully well that the fog was intense. If a driver drives at high speed under these conditions, anyone can come under the wheels of the vehicle and die. By deliberately driving the truck at a fast speed, the

driver has invited death for the children. He must be charged with a serious crime like murder.”
The police expressed solidarity and sympathy with its own community member. It tore all the old papers of the case and lodged a new FIR. Instead of releasing the driver on bail, it put him in the police lock-up.
The police officer’s anger was not yet controlled. He studied the case threadbare. The vehicle turned out to be a stolen one and its papers were forged. Thus, another court case was filed for stealing the vehicle theft and getting forged registration documents made for it.
A terrified truck owner left everything where it was and ran for his life to Gujarat. No one could even get his smell till date.
Haria was in dire straits.
The truck owner had settled with the counsel that he would pay him five thousand rupees to retrieve the truck and fight Haria’s case. The counsel was paid five hundred rupees as advance. The balance amount was supposed to be paid to him after receiving the freight from the party of Maya Nagar.
The counsel was asking for the balance of fee from Haria. The latter did not have money even to buy poison. At the time of his arrest, he had fifty or sixty rupees in his pocket. When he was frisked, the police had taken away that money from him. Later, the police said that the amount had been spent on his food. Greedy about the fee that he could get in the case, Haria’s counsel called up his master many times but there was no reply from the latter’s side.
The counsel sent a letter to Haria’s village.
Haria’s mother was a widow. There was no other person at home. The kitchen fire was burning because Haria was sending money to his mother. As soon as she received the letter, she left for Maya Nagar. She took her brother-in-law (husband’s brother) along with her. They had barely managed to arrange fare of one side after selling all her ornaments. She did not have enough money to give to the Munshi, leave alone pay the fee of Haria’s counsel.
According to rules, two persons could meet an undertrial in one week in a jail. This rule was put into force after the very first audience. Now, the other meeting could be held only next week. The rule could be broken but for doing so, the Munshi had to be bribed. Haria’s uncle had promised that after making arrangements for his release, they would come back to meet him again.
This episode was two years old. Neither was Haria released nor could one find the whereabouts of his mother and uncle. God knows whether they reached their village or settled somewhere on the way. He was deemed dead for his kin and vice versa.
Earlier, the counsel used to meet Haria whenever he went for court appearance. When he lost the hope of getting money from the truck owner or Haria, he stopped meeting Haria.
The witnesses started coming to get their statements recorded. The judge pounced upon Haria, “Bring your lawyer to the court.”
But how could Haria present his lawyer in court?
A Jail inmate advised Haria, “Tell the judge to arrange a lawyer for you at the expense of the government.”
The lawyer appointed by the judge was quite junior and a novice. He did not know how to carry his case file properly. His legs trembled at the sight of witnss. By giving one excuse or the other, he used to avoid entering the court. The few witnesses who recorded their statements before the judge had done so in the absence of the new lawyer.
Haria was in danger. If this continued unabated, he was sure to get the sentence.
Hakim scrutinized the documents of Haria. Thank God, only the doctors who had conducted the post-mortem on the deceased children had appeared in the court as witnesses. The eyewitnesses were yet to be examined in the court. This court case was supposed to be decided on the basis of the statements recorded by the eye-witnesses. The accident had taken place because of the driver of the country-made vehicle, not Haria. Haria should have been released, without any condition.
This could happen only if a good lawyer would conduct the cross examintion.
Using a very harsh language, another application was written from Haria to the judge. It read: “The poor accused persons are not given legal aid by the government just to complete legal formalities; nor is it provided to train novice counsels. Its objective is to protect the legal rights of the accused. In this case, injustice has already been meted out to the applicant because of the personal interest of a police officer. A simple accident case has been converted into a case of murder. Instead of getting a sentence of two years, Haria can get capital punishment. The honourable court is repeating the same injustice. It is resorting to criminal negligence that way. The gravity of the charge put on Haria should be realized. He should be given a counsel who can stand up to the level of this court case.”
As soon as the judge read this application, his hands started trembling.
At first, he removed the previous lawyer. Then, he called a lawyer of high grade. He handed over the court case of Haria to that lawyer. The new lawyer took Haria aside and questioned him for an hour. What was the density of fog? Wherefrom was the truck coming? Where was the country-made vehicle going?
The judge reprimanded the public prosecutor, “This case is four years old. Ensure the presence of all witnesses on the next date of hearing, else take it for granted that recording of statements by witnesses is deemed closed.”
Now, Haria was sure that he would be released and that too quite soon!
Haria was in a hurry to give this news to Hakim.
The other inmates, who were supposed to appear in the court next week had also started nurturing hopes after listening to Haria’s story. The legal cell members were supposed to come to the barrack to scrutinize their cases.
The inmates held in the barrack of the poor prisoners were eagerly waiting for Hakim. They were waiting to give standing ovation to Hakim by performing the bhangra dance in his honour!

Episode 30

“The workers of the legal cell get four or five male prisoners released on a daily basis.” When this news reached the women’s jail, demands were raised for action to be taken for the female inmates too. The inmates demanded, “Send the counsel to us immediately. Our condition is worse than that of male prisoners. We are not tolerated either by our in-laws or by our parents.”
There was no dearth of Shibus and Dukhus in the female ward of the Jail. Now, the process of release of female inmates also started.
Then, the news reached the juvenile jail. Children needed legal aid the most. They were jailed simply because they did not have parents or guardians who could fight for their cause.
Now, these children also started getting relief.
With the initiatives of the Jail administration, the stories of the release of inmates started getting published in newspapers. Instead of indulging in mud-slinging on Jail officials, as some newspapers had done in case of the jail authorities in Bihar, the newspapers of the state started showering praises on the jail officials.
Upon hearing that praise was being showered on the Jail authorities, the sessions judge felt ashamed. It was the duty of the court to protect the rights of prisoners. The courts were meting out injustice, not justice, to prisoners by keeping them in jail for a period that was much more than the maximum sentence stipulated for them. In order to rectify his mistake, the sessions judge got the old records opened and scrutinized. The prisoners of this category started getting released without any application or appearance.
The sessions judge realized his personal negligence. He used to take a round of the Jail every month. He used to comment, ‘Every thing is fine’ and return. Half of the Jail was full of illegally held prisoners and he had never scrutinized this harsh fact.
He announced the appointment of Lok Adalat, people’s court, much before the High Court could pull him up for his negligence of duty. All magistrates were given the order: “During the next three days, the proceedings of cases shall be held in the Jail itself. The cases of the accused apprehended for minor offences shall be heard on the spot and decided immediately.”
In order to make hay while the sun shone, the advocates announced that they would give free legal aid to prisoners.
Within three days, half of the jail was emptied. The state government was praised in the entire country. In order to pay for the encomium bestowed on it, the state government organized a special celebration function. The hard-working Jail officials were honoured by giving them promotions. The High Court also did not lag behind. It sent a letter of commendation to the sessions judge. The dignitaries of the city praised the lawyers with liberal hearts.
However, no one recalled the name of a prisoner, the pioneer of this revolution.

Episode 31

The Samiti had made a strong mass base in the entire area. It had helped every small or big organization operating in the area at one point of time or the other. They could be called for help any time during major struggles.
The elections were near. The government had become absolutely unpopular because of its poor performance. The ruling party’s leaders were finding it difficult to show their faces to the people. They did not have any issue for getting votes in their favour.
The iron was hot. It was the best opportunity to pressurize the government for getting one’s own demands met.
The Sangharsh Samiti had been formed to prove Pala and Meeta innocent and to get the real culprits in the case arrested. It had already identified the actual killers.
However, neither had Pala and Meeta been acquitted nor had the actual murderers been arrested so far.
In order to raise the real issue with full vigour, the Sangharash Samiti planned a one-week programme.
At this point of time, the Samiti had dearth neither of leaders nor of collaborating organizations. Everyone, ranging from Baba Gurdit Singh to the young worker Shamu, had his or her own influence. Now, Gurmeet and Piare Lal had become good lawyers as well as fine spokespersons. When they gave references of the previous court cases and cut a swath through the existing administration, people clapped after every sentence of theirs and made the air echo with the sound of applause. .
The organizations like the Krantikari Front (Revoltionary Front), Bhagat Singh Naujwan Sabha (Bhagat Singh Youth Association), Dhaga Mill Kama Samiti (Spinning Mill Workers Organization), and Lenin Natak Kala Kendra (Lenin Dramatic Arts Club) were the collaborating organizations of the Lok Sangharsh Samiti. Now, the Istri Sabha, Helpline, Class Four Workers Organization, and Palledar Union (Loading Workers Union) were also with it. With the cooperation of all these organizations, an effective mass movement could be built.
The first three gatherings were to be organized in villages. They were supposed to go to each village in the region. In a certain village, the management of the congregation was to be done by the Istri Sabha and in another village, the Helpline cadres were supposed to make all the arrangements. The Palledar Union was supposed to co-operate in a village and the cadres of the Class Four Workers Organization in the other.
The Tractor Union was also not the one to be left behind. Their tractor-trolleys, along with drivers, were supposed to be present to carry people.
The next two congregations were to be organized at the block level. The main speakers of these congregations were Baba Gurdit Singh, Gurmeet, and Piare Lal. The vars (heroic ballads) and plays were to be staged along with the other proceedings.
On the sixth day, a large procession was to be organized in the city.
On the seventh day, a march was to move towards the capital.
Thus, the struggle was supposed to be spread in the entire state.


Episode 32

The state was plagued with the problems of various kinds. The Chief Minister was either stuck up in the state capital or in the country’s capital. He was not getting enough time for taking care of his own constituency.
He had given the task of public relations to some trusted lieutenants. He accepted whatever advice they used to give.
For some time, the worry levels of these advisers had been rising incessantly.
Only a little time was left for elections. For these elections, liquor, poppy- husk, and opium were required in large supply besides huge sums of money.
The main source of income of the party in power was the monthly bribe that it used to get from officials. Liquor was supplied by liquor contractors. The police arranged poppy-husk and opium.
The advisers to the CM felt that during the ensuing elections, there would be shortage of money as well as liquor and opium supplies.
It seemed that the opposition had taken the Sangharsh Samiti on its side. Following the moves of the opposition, the Samiti was hell-bent upon eroding the economic and mass bases of the ruling party.
Since the police arrested the officials of the food supplies department for stealing wheat from government godowns and selling it in markets, the shortage in the funds of the ruling party had started.
Everyone knew that officials of the food supplies department and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) stole foodgrains worth crores of rupees every year and sold them unscrupulously. A big portion of these sale revenues reached the ruling party cadres. In lieu of this, the government protected these officers.
The area police officer was supposed to present himself in the office of the CM. He also needed money on a monthly basis.
Nevertheless, the government would signal the police about whom to nab and whom to spare. Even then, if the police caught such officers red-handed and released them later after taking bribe, this practice was not considered so bad or unusual.
As elections were near, the officials of every department were pressurized to the core. Every minister was in a hurry to collect maximum funds.
This being the constituency of the CM, its officials had to face the wrath of two sides; they were supposed to meet the advisers to the CM as well as the concerned ministers.
Any scheme presented before the minister to enable him to get maximum money as gratification was immediately approved.
The godowns of the food department had thousands of tonnes of foodgrains. By exporting them to other states, all could acquire wealth.
With the intervention of the CM, this scheme was implemented in a jiffy. The vehicles made a beeline in front of the foodgrains godown to load wheat and rice bags.
Besides the officials of the food department, the police also became anxious to earn a few bucks.
Earlier, only one truck of stolen foodgrains used to be caught per month. After exchanging some money under the table, the issue used to be settled.
Since these special vehicles were employed, the raids of the police had increased in terms of number. As soon as the truck set out from the godown, the police jeep started following it. Neither did the officials of the food department refrain from selling the remaining wheat here and there nor did the police refrain from catching these officials.
The Palledar Union was not concerned with what the police or the officials of the food department did. They were also not concerned about whether the truck setting out from the godown was unloaded at the railway station, a flour mill, or a small grinding mill. They were getting fixed labour charges in lieu of the services provided.
If the stolen foodgrains were caught, the palledars ,loading workers, used to help the police to the maximum possible extent. They used to give complete information about the place from where the goods had set out, who had got these loaded, and where these were headed. On the basis of the information provided by them, the police used to carry out raids and arrest people. Deals were struck. The real culprits used to go scot-free.
However, the palledars were not concerned with all this either. The police might arrest or release anyone they deemed fit.
However, the palledars started nurturing a worry of serious kind since the police started branding them as thieves and putting them behind bars. Without any reasons, the palledars had to stay in police lock-up or jail for a month or more. Then, they would face the wrath of court cases for years and the sword of sentence would always hang on their heads.
During the month in which special trucks were loaded with foodgrains from the godown, every small or big employee of the food department had celebrated the riches he had acquired due to this foodgrains theft mission. However, scores of palledars, who had toiled so hard with their sweat and blood to load and unload such foodgrains, had to stay in jail.
The Palledar Union tried to raise a voice to protest against this exploitation. As soon as the police and the officials of the food department got an inkling about their efforts, they started threatening them, “Are you kings out here? If you were put in police lock-up for two days, what did you lose? The police does not torture you. We have spent the bucks. We shall arrange counsels for you. If you have borne loss, we shall make good that loss. We shall give you extra money too.”
That was correct; the food department officials used to spend money on these palledars. They also got them released later.
However, why should these palledars undergo this torture? Why should the real culprits not be caught?
When the Palledar Union did not get support from any other person or organization, it approached the Sangharsh Samiti.
The Tractor Union had also contacted the Samiti cadres. The drivers had also been involved along with palledars in the foodgrain theft scam.
There was another grievance of the cadres of the Tractor Union. The Truck Union was stronger than the Tractor Union in all aspects. The Truck Union would never allow either their driver or their truck caught by the police. However, the drivers as well as tractors of the Tractor Union were being apprehended. If they spent one month in jail, the tractor-owners were not able to pay their monthly loan instalments for their tractors. The financiers used to take away their tractors in case the tractor-owners were unable to pay monthly instalments. Besides, scores of other complications used to raise their ugly heads.
They demanded protection from this exploitation.
The irritated palledars informed the Samiti about those tractors and trucks that the police had impounded and let off during the past three months. They also gave the names of those officers who had sold the trucks full of wheat. They also informed about the sums that the police had received during the course of this fraud.
A plan was chalked out by the Samiti to catch the real culprits red-handed.
The palledars were briefed: “Whenever any truck comes out of the godown, the information about this should be given immediately to the Samiti. The police would catch the truck. The Samiti would catch the police.”
The same thing happened on the third day. The police stopped a tractor that was full of wheat. The Samiti cadres caught the police. The journalists surrounded the Samiti cadres. The palledars quickly gave statements about the place of origin of the goods and the destination thereof.
Now, the tables were turned on the police.
In order to save its skin, the police had to arrest two inspectors and one junior officer.
The Samiti created another problem for the corrupt officers. It handed over the details of the properties of the officers to the police. Wherefrom had the officers of the food department collected crores of rupees? The Samiti demanded a probe into the large fortunes these officers had amassed beyond their known sources of income.
The terrified inspectors named senior officers in the case. The senior officers pointed accusing fingers to those who were at the top positions. Secrets started tumbling out.

The shadow of this fraud started heading towards the bungalow of the CM. Due to this scam, the party in power started incurring damage on two fronts. On the one hand, it was tainted due to the scam and on the other, the officers started raising a low voice of rebellion.
“We are not going to give large sums of money from our own pockets. We have to pay these amounts from our extra earnings. If the government cannot protect us, why should we get beaten up by the police?” said the officers in their defence.
The intermediaries stated their grievances and made announcements: “Till the elections, all illegal activities shall remain suspended. Also, no monthly bribe would be paid till the elections.”
The advisors brought this problem to the notice of the CM. They told him, “The officials of other departments, besides the food supplies department, are terrified. Do something to raise the fallen morale of the officials, else be prepared to face serious fund shortage.”
However, the CM did not seem to be worried. He remained secluded from the problem. Even as this fire had not been put out, flames of scams started appearing at other places. The Samiti cadres started grilling the liquor contractors.
During the last auction, the officials of the excise department had given a valuable advice to the party in power, “The final auction amount of the liquor shops is huge. The liquor shop licence of even a small village is also sold for hundreds of thousand rupees. You should sell the liquor shop licence of a single village. Allow that shop to sell liquor in four villages in its vicinity. Then, divide the amount of the sale of liquor shops in four villages among yourselves.”
This ‘serve-all scheme’ was not objected to by anyone. This scheme was immediately approved. The amount of the liquor shop of one village was deposited in the treasury. The amounts of the other liquor shops were divided equally.
No one knew about this scheme except the liquor contractors and the officials of the excise department. On the first day, a liquor vending shop had been opened in each village. Government sign-boards had been put up on these shops. Who knew whether this was a government liquor vending shop or an illegal one?
However, the Samiti cadres found out the threads of this scam from unknown sources. They went to all villages along with the police and got those liquor vending shops raided.
The police tried its best to put off the Samiti. However, if the storm was brewing up in each village, how could the police face it?
The business of liquor contractors went to the wall. Just like the officers, they also told the advisers, “During the next elections, we would not be able to give even a pint of liquor to you.”
The advisers tried to wake up the CM from his long slumber over the issue. He woke up, took some actions for namesake, and slept once again.
When several villages started following the Samiti’s policies and actions, the CM’s resignation was demanded, processions started going up to the capital, and fear was created that this movement would spread throughout the state. The CM woke up and tried to realized the gravity of the situation.
Now, he thought of his advisors.

Episode 33

Hakim Singh was lying on his bed and tossing from one side to the other. He had been very uneasy and troubled for the past few days.
He had hundreds of prisoners released by fighting many a legal battle. He had dealt with many external threats and exploiting forces and given relief to many persons who had been kept in police lock-ups or jails.
Now, some other prisoners were caught in the vortex of difficulties. The excess was being committed by the Jail staff. The prisoners wanted that Hakim should do a god for them too and take them across these murky and chaotic waters.
Hakim wanted to stand beside them. However, he knew that Jail staff and officials were the birds of the same feather. Nobody would harm the other. For the sake of completing formalities, the concerned officer would be reprimanded to some extent. The concerned prisoner would also get some relief. However, the official would certainly get irritated due to the insult he would receive at the official level and later, he would create a mountain of problems for that prisoner in future. The prisoner would be exhausted because of the simple fact that he had filed a complaint against that official.
Then, whom should Hakim appeal to for seeking justice for such prisoners?
The problems were also of serious nature. Due to a small delay, the results could be horrific. Hakim did not have time to think.
Fifteen days ago, he had received a message from the prisoners who were with Mittho in the female ward. They had pointed out, “Mittho continues to murmur something throughout the day and night. Earlier, she used to abuse the police officer of the Ferozepur jail. Now, she abuses her younger and elder brothers-in-law (her husband’s brothers). She has stopped eating and even ceased speaking with other inmates. If her condition continued to deteriorate like this, she would soon arrive in the cell meant for lunatics.” Her friends had begged Hakim to save Mittho from becoming mad.
Mittho had come from the Ferozepur jail to this Jail eight months ago. It had been mentioned in her history sheet that she had relations with terrorists. While going to the court for appearance, she used to exchange the messages of these terrorists. She had played major roles in executing many acts of terrorism. She also used to persuade other inmates in her prison to take to terrorism. The Jail officials had punished her many times. However, she was not ready to do away with her wily deeds and tendencies. On the contrary, she used to frighten other inmates as well as the lady staff of the Jail by giving them the threats of terrorists. Due to her stay in the Ferozepur jail, the Jail administration was finding it difficult to manage the Jail. Keeping the public welfare in view, an unpleasant decision, i.e., keeping Mittho at a far-off place, was taken.
Mittho totally denied this allegation.
She stated that her beauty was costing her dearly. Upon hearing the list of serious charges framed against her, every man used to consider her a broad. Ranging from a prisoner up to the Jail peon, everyone used to consider passing comments on her, pulling her headgear, and pinching her as she passed by as his legal right.
Mittho had been charged with assassinating a man with whom she had gone to have sex at her own will. Mittho admitted that she had gone to mate with him willingly. However, she had denied the charge that she had killed him for looting that man.
The reality was much different.
She was the daughter of bazigars, wandering acrobats. She was of sound health and her complexion was quite fair. Since childhood, she had done physical labour because of which her body was well-built and agile. A new primary school had been opened at her dera (settlement). She had passed five classes of primary education in that school. Since she had studied a bit, she had learnt the way to talk well and present herself in society.
Earlier, her community had two professions—putting up bazis, acrobatic tricks, and stealing goods. For the past few years, the people of her community had started quitting these two professions. The male members had started doing daily wage labour and pulling rickshaws. The women had started selling vegetables and

datuns, greenwood tooth brushes. The respect of their tribe was thus being restored in society.
The youngman to whom Mittho was married had passed eight classes at school. By the dint of hard work and because of the harsh training given by his teacher, he had become an expert house-painter. He had to work pretty less than the others did; he used to earn more than the others could get.
During the first year of the marriage, Mittho was blessed with a beautiful daughter. In the second one, she was blessed with a handsome son. Then, both of them got operated to avoid family expansion.
When the mourning started at home, the boy was a student of fifth grade and the girl was a student of the sixth grade.
Near Deepawali, the festival of lights, her husband had taken the contract of painting a bungalow. The work had continued for one month. Two months after Deepawali, the house was burgled. The thieves seemed to know about each nook and corner of the house. They had opened the lockers fixed or hidden even at secret places. They had not left a single piece of ornament behind.
“The people having such knowledge of the house can only be house-painters,” propounding this tenet, the police immediately picked up the husband of Mittho.
The bungalow owner was a powerful man. Had Billu stolen the goods, he would have restored the same to bungalow owner. The thief was not giving any secret to the police. The bungalow owner was not prepared to save him from the wrath of the police.
The police thrashed Billu until his each bone was broken and even walking, talking, eating and drinking became very difficult tasks for him. Mittho still begged the police, “I would not resort to any legal course. I would take this incident as the will of God and serve my man. If his luck supported him, he might start walking again, else I would pass my time because of the male protection of my man.”
A terrified police neither made a case against Billu nor released him from custody.
Then, the terrible incident took place about which Mittho used to fear.
One morning, the police informed her, “Your husband has died in an accident after being hit by a truck. The body is lying on the GT road.” The mother-in-law of Mittho lost her eyesight crying over her dead son.
For a year, Mittho remembered her husband and cried.
When the food stocks came near the naught at home, she realized her increased responsibilities.
By cleaning the cattle sheds of people and making cow dung cakes, she continued to keep her kitchen fires burning. She nurtured the hope that her son and daughter would complete ten standards each at school.
The widow was prepared to live through her widowhood but the evil men around her were not allowing her to lead a decent life. Sometimes, the landlord used to catch her by her arm when she went to fields. A rich businessman would look at her with lustful eyes when she used to go to his bungalow to work on the flour-grinding wheel. Sometimes, her younger brother-in-law would offer to marry her. Even the elder brother-in-law, a bachelor, used to release saliva from his mouth as he looked lustfully at her.
When it became difficult to fill the belly with the hard work of hands and lead life with dignity, Mittho gave up.
She collaborated with her widow sister-in-law and adopted her family profession.
The duo would go to a gurudwara during the course of amawas (nil moon) or puranmasi (full moon). They would bow before the Guru and pick up a few pockets in the congregation to fill their own pockets.
When their faces started to be recognized in fairs, they started going to bus stops. When the local police started following them, they started going to far off places.
When it became difficult to conduct business in their own state, they changed their profession.
They used to stand on the cross-roads after wearing good clothes with attractive make-up. They started getting lift from young boys moving in cars. They started going along with them to their bungalows or on long trips. The liquor and meat used to be served. The boys would take liquor and the two women would start cooking meat. When the meat would be cooked, they would mix a sedative in it. By the time, the young men started feeling the need to mate with Mittho and her cohort, they would lose their senses and fall flat. The women would take away the golden ornaments, bangles, and rings of these rich young adventurers and flee from the site.
The males, ashamed of the incident, would never give any news to anyone about the things they had lost.
Once the two women had to face hooligans of the highest order. They took four pegs each while the spice gravy for the meat was getting ready. They were anxious to have sex with Mittho and her sister-in-law even before taking meat. When there was a scuffle and she realized that something might go wrong, Mittho played the last ace up her sleeves. She hit the groin of boy with her knee. The boy died on the spot. Before other drunkards could understand the gravity of the situation, both of them saved their dignity and reached home.
When the murder case was about to be filed against the young men accompanying the deceased, they had to speak the truth before the police.
With light feet, the police reached Mitho’s dera. The drunkards, who were in their senses now, immediately recognized Mittho. Based on this identification, Mittho was given life term by the court.
She had not done away with her habit of decorating herself even now. She used to reap many benefits of this habit. Ranging from the officials in the Jail and the judge in the court to the public prosecutors, everyone used to release saliva on looking at her beautiful body. They used to talk to her politely and chat with her laughingly. In return, they used to give her facilities with an open heart.
This greed cost Mittho dearly. The Deputy Superintendent of the women’s jail informed the Jail Superintendent, “At this time, Mittho is the most beautiful inmate of the women’s jail.”
The Jail Superintendent was himself fond of female beauties. Besides, he was often called upon to supply women for sex. He was not able to fulfil the demand for beautiful women for this purpose.
The Jail Superintendent not find himself in a fix. These were not college days during which one would move around a girl to please her. The body of Mittho was under the control of the government. The Superintendent was a representative of the government. Hence, he had complete right over Mittho’s body! He directly ordered Mittho to be present at his bungalow.
The friends of Mittho in women’s jail started congratulating her, “You are the lucky one. The Superintendent himself has called you. He would be kind to you and the rest of your sentence would be waived. He would also give you all those things that you ever dreamed of. In future, you need not live in these foul-smelling cells; nor would you have to eat dirty food. Now, every night of yours would be colourful.”
However, the very face of the Superintendent somehow irritated Mittho. His belly was like a drum. His lips were thick and ugly. His complexion was just like that of a buffalo. He used to smoke day and night. He used to throw out dirty saliva all times from his lips while chewing betel-leaf. His body would remain soaked in sweat at all times. Mittho hated all these features of the Superintendent.
Mittho became stubborn and refused to go.
The Superintendent cracked her ego within a week.
He put her in a jail that was at a distance of a hundred and twenty five miles from this jail.
The Deputy Superintendent of Maya Nagar’s female jail was his batch mate. He called her up, “We have to decimate her ego. You have to bring her to her knees.”
In the very first week, Mittho felt the heat of jail’s torture.
Her village was at a distance of fifteen miles from the jail in Ferozepur. The vans going from the city to the village used to pass in front of her jail. Someone used to visit her from her village in a day or two. So, she used to get food cooked at home and even some clothes to wear. The news of her children was also received in the jail. She also used to meet her son and daughter occasionally and feel satisfied. Mittho also used to give them assurance, “Study with your heart and soul. I would come in no time.” She used to tell her younger brother-in-law, “This boy and girl belong to you. When I come home, I would get married to you. I have seen it all. A woman cannot survive if she does not have a man whom she can call her mate.”
At times, the rich businessman also used to make trips to the Jail. He accepted Mittho’s request for loan. So, he used to give his nod for giving more loans to her family members.
The Munshi of the lawyer, who had come to meet someone else, used to meet Mittho as well. He gave her the information of proceedings going on in the High Court. He would tell her, “You are going to be released on bail. You are about to go home.” After hearing this good news from Munshi, she would continue to live in the delirium of happiness for days.
This Jail was at a distance of a hundred and twenty-five miles away from her village. First of all, one had to sit in a van and come to the city. Then, one had to change a bus on the way. One had to catch another van from Maya Nagar’s bus stand. Finally, one had to start in the wee hours of the morning from the village and reach the Jail in late afternoon. Further, it was difficult to give bribe to the Jail warders here. The fees of these warders used to be three-times the fee charged by the warders of the earlier jail. They did not allow the person to meet the prisoner for more than five minutes. If the person brought something for the prisoner, they used to raise one alibi or the other to prevent it from reaching the prisoner. Half of the things meant for the prisoner used to be consumed by them. The prisoner would hardly ask about the well-being of his family members when the bell would ring to signal that the meeting time was over. The loaves of bread coming from home used to dry up and the lentil used to degrade due to time and travel conditions.
The boy was a little kid but the girl was young enough to be looked after. Her family members were afraid of sending her alone to Maya Nagar. Mittho was dying to see the faces of her son and daughter.
For the past few months, some bad messages had been pouring in. The rich businessman had learnt that there was no hope of Mittho being released. He had

refused to give loan to her family. He had asked for settling all previous accounts. He was also asking for a guarantor.
The younger brother-in-law had lost the hope of getting married to Mittho. It was getting difficult for him to bear the burden of the entire family. Fed up at the expenses being incurred by him, he withdrew Mittho’s son from school. He said, “The sons of thieves cannot become magistrates. Sooner or later, you will be required to take up the family profession.” Thus, he sent the boy to an Ustad, a teacher, so that he could learn the tricks of the trade.
Mittho’s sister-in-law started taking her daughter to the bus stand. Just like Mittho, her daughter was also a ravishing beauty. Everyone used to become eager to take her along. The sister-in-law did not have to pick pockets. The man in front of Mittho’s daughter used to take out even the last penny before her. The girl was galloping across new horizons of success. If the business continued to be brisk, just as it was now, a good counsel could be arranged from the High Court to get Mittho released from jail.
Mittho cried bitterly when she heard the news about her children. She sent a message back home, “Call back the boy from the place of his Ustad. Stop the girl from going to the city.” However, no one paid heed to her requests.
Now, no person had come to meet her for the past two months.
Mittho said that the root cause of all these agonies and problems was her body. She became an enemy of her body and stopped eating or drinking. Within a few days, her flesh became loose and started hanging, literally! Her face acquired wrinkles. She threw away the comb. Her hair had become a storehouse of dirt. Lice had taken shelter in her hair. There were dark circles under her eyes. She had stopped taking bath. Her clothes were full of dirt and grime. She had her periods a few days ago. The bloodstains due to those periods were clearly visible on her salwar. Within a few days, she had started appearing as if she were a very old woman.
She wrote an application again for her transfer to the Ferozepur jail. She handed it over to the Jail warder. She suspected that the warder did not send her application to her seniors; rather, Mittho suspected, she used to tear it into pieces.
Yesterday, she was about to thrash the Jail warder. The terrified warder had got her packed off into a solitary cell. She lay in the cell, half-conscious, murmuring something all day long.
Yesterday, Hakim had taken a round of the female ward. He had understood that Mittho would not live long.
However, what should Hakim do? Whom could he contact to take her to Ferozepur jail?
Hakim knew very well that the Jail officials of Maya Nagar would support their own community, not a female prisoner.
How would one prisoner give support to a member of one’s own community? This riddle was beyond Hakim. That is why he was worried.

Episode 34

The same was the state of affairs of Kalu, the goon.
He was ready with his country-made knife. At any point of time, news could arrive about piercing of the chest of the doctor or the compounder by him.
Hakim knew that he had been seriously ill for one month. He had lost appetite. His weight had gone down by five kilograms. For the past twenty days, his fever had remained above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He used to cough throughout the day. The lungs created the sound of a blowing machine even as they worked. He used to lose his breath upon doing even a little bit of work. The quantity of blood coming out with sputum was increasing by the day.
It was clear that a deadly disease like TB had made him its victim. He urgently needed treatment as well as complete bed rest. He could take rest only if he was spared from doing hard work under rigorous imprisonment. He could be spared from doing hard work only if the doctor declared that he was seriously ill.
That was the grievance of Kalu. The compounder did not consider him a sick man. He stated, “You have minor fever.” He would not send him to the doctor. He further said, “The doctor is not free for treating fake guys like you. He has to treat one hundred patients in a day. I am more than sufficient to treat you.”
Kalu had shown his medical slip to Dr. Jain who was imprisoned in the bungalow. He had told him after reading the slip, “You are a TB patient. This slip mentions the disease.” Then, the doctor examined the tablets Kalu had received from the hospital. He told him, “These are not the medicines that have been mentioned on this slip. The medicines mentioned on the slip are of a good pharmaceutical firm and they are costly too. The tablets you have are worth five paise each. This is disprin. When one takes it, one sweats. Due to sweating, one’s fever goes down. You feel that after taking disprin, you are getting better. The other one is the Vitamin B tablet. This tablet does the job of giving you some strength. The real ailment is not being treated properly.”


Dr. Jain gave another valuable advice, “According to jail rules, a TB patient must get milk, eggs, and bread. Ask the compounder next time where your entire ration goes?”
When Kalu asked this question from the compounder, the latter was terrified. Out of fear, he gave a slip of half a litre of milk and one egg to Kalu. He also promised to give these items to Kalu in the future. However, after a week, the old status quo was maintained by him, which meant ‘nothing’ for Kalu.
Hakim knew that Kalu used to lie like a dead dog during the night. He used to go to the Jail factory and work for half an hour. However, he would get tired within half an hour and fall on the ground, almost unconscious. The Munshi of the factory wanted to give him relief from his hard duty but for giving that relief, the doctor’s certificate was required.
The compounder was asking for two hundred rupees for giving that certificate. Kalu had told the compounder many times, “I have been in Jail for the last three years. I do not have any kith and kin. I do not have that much of money.”
However, the compounder did not believe him. Kalu did not know who his real parents were. He could faintly recall only this much that he had come to his senses in the slums that were built adjacent to the bus stand. There was a blind old woman in their hut; he used to call her ‘nani,’ just as all others did. There was a stout black man whom he used to call father at home and Ustad at work. There were three more boys and one girl along with them and they used to be called brothers and sisters of Kalu. Their noses were flat and jaws were broken. One of the boys had a broken leg while another had his arm amputated. Their sister was blind. When they were little kids, they used to ask for alms at the bus stand. After they grew a bit, they were taken by their Ustad to crowded places. He used to give them training to pick pockets and snatch chains. They also used to try their hands on knives if a need arose.
Kalu was the most favourite boy of the Ustad. When he grew up to become a man, the Ustad released him from his clutches. He had received three novice trainees as heritage from his Ustad. Within days, Kalu had set up his own gang.

The SHO of the bus stand police station had excessively wronged Kalu. His only fault was that he was not able to pay the monthly bribe at the right time. Kalu was not to be blamed for this default. He had remained in Tihar Jail during that month. Firstly, he had not earned anything. Secondly, he was not supposed to pay for that month. When he had not earned anything, why was he to pay the monthly bribe which was to be paid from the income from the trade itself? However, the SHO remained stubborn. In order to teach a lesson to Kalu and many others like him, he opened an old case of murder.
Six months ago, Kalu’s Ustad had been murdered. His body had been pierced badly with the help of incessant attacks of knives. Till date, Kalu and others did not have any clue about how this fateful incident had happened, leave alone the police.
The SHO killed two birds with one stone.
He made a sworn enemy of Kalu the eyewitness in this case. Based on his recorded statement, the SHO proved that Kalu was the murderer of his Ustad. The reason was that the goods obtained through loot and snatching were to be divided among the culprits and Kalu nurtured a grudge that he had received a smaller share; hence the conflict.
Kalu was more distressed about the fact that he had been declared the murderer of his own Ustad.
Besides others, the friends of Kalu as well as his disciples also started considering Kalu as the assassin of the Ustad. Before the court could deliver its verdict, they delivered their decision. They excommunicated him from the gang.
Living in seclusion for the past two years, Kalu had not even seen money. How could he pay two hundred rupees to the compounder?
Kalu had another grievance. He was asking for the genuine certificate. Then, why should he pay bribe to get it issued?
However, Kalu’s pleas were not being heard by anybody.
A very frustrated Kalu abused the compounder one day. He received many a stick due to the crime of creating bedlam in Jail but he got one relief nevertheless. It was admitted that he was sick. Further, he got relief from work too.
Besides getting relief from work, Kalu also needed the treatment for TB. For this purpose, it was important for him to be admitted to the hospital.
The doctor was using only sweet words to put him off, “The number of patients more serious than you is very high. No bed is available for you. As soon as a bed is made available, you would be admitted.”
Kalu’s age was nearly thirty years. Out of these thirty years, he had spent twelve in jail. He was very well-versed with the rules and regulations of the jail.
He argued with the doctor, “You are lying. I know at least two such prisoners who are not sick but have been admitted to the hospital.”
In Kalu’s barrack, Shinda had been admitted to hospital three days ago. Next week, it was his turn to do extra hard work at the community kitchen. He was not habitual of burning his eyes by sitting before the kitchen fire from three o’ clock in the morning up to eleven o’ clock at the night. In order to ward off this problem, he had come to the hospital.
The niece of Sheru’s Ustad was supposed to get married next month. Sheru had made up his mind to go on a holiday. There was no other alibi for going on holiday. After staying in the hospital for four days, he would file an application in court for getting a long holiday. Based on his illness, his application was likely to be accepted.
Kalu knew that both of them had given hefty amounts of money to the concerned people to succeed in their respective objectives. These facts were told by Shinda and Sheru themselves to him.
However, the doctor was not ready to co-operate.
Kalu was begging, literally! He requested that he be sent to the civil hospital instead of the Jail hospital. There was no dearth of beds in the civil hospital, he had asserted.
The police inspector objected to this application of Kalu. He stated that at least two guards were required to protect a single prisoner. That would mean an additional expense of twenty thousand rupees. The government could not spend this much money to save the life of a murderer. On the contrary, he made fun of

Kalu by saying, “If you die, this earth would become lighter. Society would heave a sigh of relief. The headache of the Jail administration would also be lessened.”
Kalu gave the inspector a piece of his mind and asked him, “Why have you sent Golu Pehelwan to hospital three times within a single month? Is he sick? Everyone knows for which illness he has gone to the hospital.”
The Pehlwan gang had conspired to kidnap the only son of an industrialist of Maya Nagar. According to the plan made by Golu, his four colleagues had already been released on bail. Golu’s friends would kidnap the boy. Pehlwan was supposed to negotiate with the parents of the boy even as he was admitted in the hospital. He was also supposed to negotiate the ransom amount. As soon as the plan was implemented successfully, Golu was supposed to return to Jail. In the first attempt, the boy could not be kidnapped. This time, the task was supposed to be executed without fail.
In order to escape the sentence, this was the only modus operandi adopted by Golu. He was in Jail. How could he kidnap the boy? He had been acquitted in many cases like this earlier as well.
Kalu said that if nothing could be done, he should be given leave for month based on the disease he had acquired. He said that he would go out of Jail, do some work, and get himself treated.
This request of Kalu was not acceptable to the welfare officer. A few strict conditions were to be followed in such cases. Firstly, the report would be taken from the Jail doctor that must state that Kalu’s ailment could not be treated in the Jail hospital and that he should be sent to the civil hospital. Thereafter, a similar report would have to be taken from the civil hospital too. Then, a report would have to be taken from the police station. The police would confirm, “The prisoner is not likely to disrupt peace after coming out of jail.” Then, a file would be made for leave application and sent to the jail department. Kalu would have to struggle from head to toe at each stage. Kalu did not have that much of courage. How could his leave be sanctioned?
Having observed the critical condition of Kalu, Dr. Jain advised him again, “Till proper arrangements are made for your treatment, take these medicines in the meanwhile.. These medicines should be available from the hospital. If they do not provide, get them from outside the Jail.”
The compounder stuck to his old music, “These medicines have been out of stock for the past one month. They will have to be arranged from outside.” When Kalu learnt that ‘jail tax’ was imposed on the medicines coming from outside, he felt giddy. The medicine costing one hundred rupees would become a three hundred rupee medicine upon crossing the Jail’s big entry gate.
Had Kalu got the money, no problem would have arisen at all.
When all paths to his treatment and well-being were closed, Kalu found a new way.
He stole a small ladle from the kitchen and broke its cup. Then, he sharpened its broken edge to convert it into a rough yet sharp knife.
Now, he was telling every one, “Earlier, I was nabbed in a false case. Now, I would be caught in the real one.”
Kalu had begged to Hakim many times, “I want to live. Please arrange for my treatment.”
Hakim was sure that Kalu was fast moving towards his end. If he pierced his makeshift knife into the belly of any Jail employee, the Jail staff would beat him to death. If he could not do so, this growing disease would swallow him.
How could Hakim save Kalu? He was very much distressed because he was unable to find any way out of this riddle.


Episode 35

The next day was the last date for submitting the admission form to the university.
Sital Singh’s all attempts to send the admission form in time had bitten dust.
He was frustrated and agonized beyond compare because his toil of two years was going in vain and his future was in jeopardy.
In the evening today, he had narrated his tale of woes to Hakim and said, “If my admission form did not reach the university, you would find my body hanging from a tree day after tomorrow.”
Sital Singh was a man of great determination. He was broken from deep inner core. Hakim was sure he would prove his words.
How to protect a talented life from going on the path of complete destruction? Hakim Singh was not able to solve this problem.
The crime that Sital Singh had committed to get this punishment was known well to Hakim. He was helping his poor prisoner friends.
Many prisoners in the barrack of Sital Singh were illiterate migrants. Earlier, the task of reading and writing on behalf of these prisoners was done by Baij Nath, the barrack warder. He used to charge fees for the services he provided to inmates. He used to charge two rupees for writing a letter or application and one rupee for reading one. Another rupee was charged for delivering a letter to the post office. If a man did not comply with his rules, he used to tear his letter in his presence. If, by mistake, a money-order arrived for a prisoner, he used to get only one-half of the remitted amount. The rest half of the remitted amount used to be usurped by the postman and Baij Nath.
Only one odd person used to meet these prisoners in a year. Their only support for linking with the external world was a letter.
Sital Singh belonged to an illiterate family. His father was an agricultural labourer in the village. Many people living in his locality were illiterate even today. When he was a small boy, he used to read and write the letters of people living in the locality. That is why he knew the value of money and the curiosity to listen to the message that had arrived.
The migrant prisoners never received a dime from outside. They used to save something from the ration supplies they received and carried out odd errands of their inmates in Jail to collect small amounts of money. The warder used to extract this money with some excuse or the other.
Sital Singh was an undertrial. He used to remain without work throughout the day. In order to pass time and help prisoner friends, he had started the task of writing and reading letters for them.
In the very first month, Baij Nath got quite upset. It became difficult for him to meet the daily expenses of home.
First of all, Baij Nath tried to persuade him by giving some arguments, “We are officers only from the looks. We are all hollow from inside. The salary is meager. With the salary I am getting, I cannot cook meals twice at home. In order to keep the kitchen fires burning, I have to do this extra labour in Jail. Taking money for writing letters or reading them does not amount to taking bribe. It is the compensation for my hard labour. You should not disrupt my plan for eking out a living.”
When Sital Singh showed a deaf ear to the sermons of Baij Nath, the latter threatened him, “The employee is not a mound of clay. I am still a man of flesh and bones, in the khaki uniform.”
When Sital Singh did not rectify himself and continued to help the prisoners by reading and writing their letters, Baij Nath became a rat and started nibbling his degrees.
When Sital Singh was arrested, he was a student of the final year of the B.Sc. course. Only two months were left in the final examinations.
Sital had explained to Preeti, “At this time, showing courage would amount to putting the future at stake.” However, her mind was being fully controlled by the ghost of idealism. She wanted to run away from home at that very moment.

There was no traditional conflict in the love between Sital and Preeti. They both belonged to the same community and caste. The only difference between them was that Preeti’s father had been born twenty-six years before Sital. That is why that son of a cobbler had not taken much time to become a revenue officer first and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) later.
Sital belonged to the next generation. He wanted to become ‘something’ from merely ‘the son of daily wage labourer.’ Sital reminded the SDM of his own background. The SDM had passed BA in third division. Sital had been getting through with first division. Sital’s future was bright too.
However, the SDM was hell-bent upon not agreeing. He said, “Now, these are not the earlier days. I don’t know when you would become an officer. I am not sure whether you would become one or not. Many low-caste boys and girls are roaming around with good degrees. Nowadays, one needs a briefcase full of money along with the degree. I do not have a penny to give you in dowry. I am not prepared to take any risk. Preeti would become the daughter-in-law of an officer and go to a bungalow, not in the backyard of an unemployed youngman.”
Preeti also became stubborn, just like her father. She told Sital, “Before my father ties me up with another man, I want to make my home with you. Give me support.”
Sital did not agree with Preeti. These were not the old times. One could run away from home but could not pass one single week due to lack of money. He told her, “Your father is a big officer. The police would find us out even from the deepest core of the earth.”
However, when Preeti dared him and was stubborn to the core, he gave in to her demand.
They went to participate in the youth festival and from there, they boarded Kalka Mail.
The police covered the sky like vultures to find them out. They were in police lock-up the third day.
Now, he had been in Jail for the past one year.

For the past nine months, the court case had been delayed because the recording of statements by witnesses could not take place. Firstly, Preeti was supposed to get her statement recorded. Sital was informed that the statement of Preeti recorded by the police during investigation was not hers. Rather, it was drafted by the police itself. Preeti was threatened and her signature was obtained on that statement. The SDM wanted Preeti to repeat the same statement in the court. He wanted Preeti to accuse Sital of motivating her to elope with him and hold him guilty for raping her. However, Preeti was not prepared to repeat the same mistake. The SDM was delaying the recording of witness statements till he could fully win his daughter over.
Upon hearing the news that Preeti was loyal to him, Sital’s joy knew no bounds. Now, he did not consider jail as jail.
The first year was lost in running around for the examinations, eloping, getting arrested by the police, staying in the police lock-up, and arriving in Jail. The police had thrashed him so much that his bones started aching and his brain became numb due to the torture.
Sital belonged to the science group. Before eloping, he had already attended all lectures and practical sessions. That is why, he had the full right to appear as a private candidate in the examinations this year. He had already completed the syllabus. After some revision, he would be able to get through.
Within six months, he became accustomed to living in Jail. Because of the support of Preeti, his morale went up and he nurtured good hope of being acquitted.
He started studying hard for appearing in the examinations.
Baij Nath started working hard to demoralize him.
The warder, Baij Nath and the Assistant Warden were like chums. The latter also conducted coal business, besides doing the job in this Jail. He rarely used to attend his office. He had given the entire responsibility to Baij Nath. He used to sign any document on which Baij Nath would tell him to sign.
The warder incited the Assistant Warden against Sital, “If this infectious disease is not controlled now, it would spread like an epidemic.”
The Assistant Warden gave a green signal to prevent the spread of the disease.
There was dearth of staff in the Jail. There was only one clerk made available if five were demanded. The administration always needed educated prisoners. They used to load bagfuls of files on any educated person found by them in Jail premises.
On the recommendation of Baij Nath, Sital was transferred to the accounts branch of the Jail.
Sital did raise a clamour. He said, “I am an undertrial. I cannot be forced to work. I am a student. If you cannot arrange for my studies, never mind. However, let me study myself.”
However, in this building made of thick iron rods and high brick walls, no one was allowed to make a noise; nor would any one listen to this hullabaloo. These cries would strike against the walls of this building and get suppressed automatically.
Like other prisoners, Sital’s noise also lessened with time.
Under the excuse of tallying accounts, Sital was made to sit in the office till late hours. When his brain became numb and eyes started aching, he would be released.
He would not able to do more digging into books under such conditions. Sometimes, he used to read for an hour and sometimes, he used to sleep without studying at all.
When Baij Nath saw that he was not able to achieve his target, he started tightening his grip still further. He instigated one of his loyal undertrials and got Sital’s books stolen and thrown into gutter.
Then, Baij Nath did not allow new books to come inside the Jail for another three months.
When books were inside the jail by the order of the court, Baij Nath sat over the admission form like a snake.
If Sital could not appear in the examination this time, he would lose a lot. Then, he would be required to attend classes in the next academic session. He would be compelled to attend lectures afresh and complete practical sessions, for the syllabus would have been changed. If he sat in Jail, neither could his lecture attendance be completed nor would anyone help him to study according to the new syllabus.
Sital Singh tried all means to solve his problem. However, Baij Nath would not allow him to undertake a single step to come out of this quagmire.
He sent a letter to the Prisoners Welfare Board. He learnt that the members of this Board had other busy schedules to attend. The Board meeting was held twice a year—first time, when the prisoners were pardoned and second time, when the work was to be given on contract. One meeting of the Board was held only a short while ago. The next time when it would be held, the examinations would have been over.
Sometimes, the sessions judge used to take a round of the Jail. Sital tried to give an application to him. During the first round, he went to celebrate the birthday of the son of the Superintendent. During the second round, he went to women’s prison. The likes of Sital just waited in vain.
The date for sending the admission form with ordinary fee had already expired. When he saw that the last date for sending the admission form with late fee was about to pass, Sital’s mind stopped working on his studies. He felt that he was studying without any use or benefit. He realized that no one would allow him to appear in the examinations.
He was not able to sleep for one week. Whenever he slept, he used to see bad dreams. Sometimes, he dreamt that he was trying to escape from the Jail but he was unable to run. Sometimes, he found himself appearing in the examination but was not able to solve a single question. Sometimes, he dreamt of having a mad conflict with Baij Nath and sometimes, having a scuffle with the Assistant Warden. Sometimes, he dreamt that Nidhan Singh was throwing him out of his home and sometimes, he dreamt that Preeti was denouncing him badly, considering that he was unemployed.
Whenever he was awake, he used to be angry with someone or the other. Sometimes, he was angry with Preeti. Because of her stubbornness, he had to see these nightmarish days. Sometimes, he was angry with the police. The investigating officer had built up a mound of lies instead of taking true facts out of Sital’s case and had thus proved him guilty. Sometimes, he wanted to indulge in bloody arguments with the judge. He had refused to accept hundreds of letters written by Preeti as correct. He stated that Preeti had written all these letters under duress. He wanted the judge to invite Preeti at least once to know her version, enquire about the truth or the lie, and accept or reject the bail plea of Sital.
Sital Singh wanted to go on hunger strike and sit on a dharna, sit-in protest. However, not a single prisoner was ready to support him, not even those for whom he had put his hands in this fire.
An exhausted Sital stopped reading and writing letters for prisoners. He also said ‘sorry’ to Baij Nath. However, his status quo did not change.
Sital Singh alone could not have fought against so many people. He had begun to realize that he would come out of these tormenting conditions only after his death.
Today, he had come to meet Hakim for the last time. “Please arrange to send my admission form, else give me the permission to die,” saying this, he returned.
Since then, Hakim was restless. If they complained against Baij Nah and others, would Sital Singh and others stand to benefit or lose? Caught in this fix, Hakim had not been able to arrive at a conclusion.
After the warning given by Sital, he had realized that a decision ought to be taken by the morning of the next day.
Before coming to his office, he had met his former assistant, Tara Chand, to get his opinion.
Tara Chand did not think much over the issue. He gave his decision in a moment, “You are a lawyer. Please talk sensible things. It is hard to live in Rome and fight with the Pope. Further, these prisoners are not friends of anyone. When their objective is achieved, they give you a ditch. The Jail administration has kept us as if we were their sons-in-law. Enjoy the facilities being provided by them.”

At that time, Hakim Singh was irritated beyond compare about the selfish nature of Tara Chand.
After deep thinking and analysis, Hakim understood the principle working behind the thinking of Tara Chand.
Hakim started cogitating. Was he not thinking like Tara Chand at the unconscious level? If the problems of prisoners were not solved, they were bound to suffer. Mittho, who was dying to meet her kith and kin, would certainly become lunatic. Kalu would die because of the lack of treatment for his disease. Sital’s future would become hazy because he would not be able to appear in the examinations. If complaints were filed against Jail employees, what damage could be caused to these prisoners? After the complaint would be filed, the Jail staff would be angry at Hakim. Then, in sheer anger, they would start bothering and torturing Hakim. Plausibly afraid of attracting the wrath of these Jail employees, Hakim was not keen to confront them.
In the light of this new thought, Hakim carried on the process of introspection. The path I have decided to tread is full of thorns. Without caring for the joys or sorrows that are on the way, I should continue moving towards my destination.”
After taking this decision, Hakim stopped tossing in his bed.
He had a deep sleep so that the wait for the morning might not be long.

Episode 36

When the CM learnt about anti-government rallies in his own constituency, he lost the night sleep. A simple organization formed to fight for the protection of the accused in ordinary cases of murder had started expanding its tentacles throughout the state.
It had become difficult for the CM even to set a foot in his own constituency. So much so, he had to think a hundred times before planning a function in his district. The cadres ranging from the workers of the Istri Sabha to Helpline had associated themselves with the Samiti. The voice for justice was also being raised in the rural areas besides the cities. If the conditions continued to deteriorate like this, the CM could find it very difficult to save his constituency seat as well as his party in the ensuing elections.
Many years had passed since Bunty was assassinated. After his murder, hundreds of cases of murder and crime had taken place. People had forgotten Bunty. The Samiti itself had involved itself in many other court cases.
With one clever move or the other, Pala and Meeta should be released from Jail. The carpet must be pulled off the feet of the Samiti and it should be stopped from rising as a force to reckon with.
The snake should be killed without breaking the stick. In order to deliberate on this issue, the CM called a meeting of his officers and advisors.
The chief of the secret services department confirmed that Harmanbir and others were the real murderers of Bunty.
He also clarified why there was negligence in nabbing the real assassins. At that time, the CM had announced that Bunty’s assassins would be arrested before Bunty’s last rites ceremony was held. However, the police could not get any clue about the murderers. It was important to save the dignity of the CM. Caught in a fix, the police had to tell a false tale to the CM. The police did not nurture any rancour so far as implicating Pala and Meeta in this case was concerned.
The police did not find any rationale behind rectifying its mistake at this juncture. If the police arrested the real assassins, the performance of the police as well as the credibility of the government would also face accusing fingers. The personal image of the CM could also take a serious beating.
In order to come out of this quagmire, the advocate-general gave a suggestion, “The government has the right to waive the sentence given to prisoners. The government should use that right. Waive the rest of the sentence of Pala and Meeta and release them. People would say kudos to this open-hearted gesture of the government. If people stop following the Samiti, the latter would automatically lose its steam.”
However, the CM was not ready to accept this suggestion.
Through his well-wishers, he had already sent this suggestion to the Samiti. They had already rejected this suggestion. The Samiti said, “That way, it would be proved that Pala and Meeta were the assassins in Bunty’s murder case. Besides, their release would be deemed to be a favour of the government. The Samiti wants that the government should declare them innocent. Then, it should acquit them honourably. It should also compensate them for the agonies they had gone through in the court and the jail. Finally, the police should catch the real assassins and file a court case against them.”
The advocate-general was asked to keep these views in mind and give another suggestion. He said to the CM, “Both the accused have challenged the sessions court’s verdict in the High Court. The government has the complete power to withdraw the court case at this juncture. By exercising this discretion, Pala and Meeta can be got acquitted. However, it would not be possible to start a new court case on the new accused persons. The court has already declared that Pala and Meeta are the assassins in Bunty murder case. The court does not have any right to cancel the previous court case and start a new one. Both demands of the Samiti cannot be accepted at one time.”
“What a nonsense this law is! It cannot give punishment to the real assassins and acquit the innocent?” The CM quipped.
“No law expert can do anything. The existing law is like that. In fact, it is very old and should have been amended according to the needs of the present times but…,” observed the advocate general.
“But the government does not have the time for this. Do you want to say that?” The CM asked.
The CM understood beforehand what the advocate-general was about to state. Thoroughly irritated by the critique of his own adviser, the CM stopped him from speaking further.
“No Sir, I did not mean that?”
“We shall discuss about the rectifications in the law on some other day. Now, think of the problem which we seek to solve in this meeting.”
“The government is government after all. It need not get approval from anybody. The government should take a unilateral decision and release Pala and Meeta.”
“Do you want to state that the government should cut the branch on which it is sitting? It should withdraw the case on its own and accept that Pala and Meeta are innocent. Won’t the Samiti become more powerful than ever if we took this step? Don’t you think it would get an opportunity to intensify its struggle? They would say that we should catch the real assassins first. On the other hand, you are stating that the court case cannot be started again. How could the government put the dead snake around its neck?”
A silenced advocate–general put a finger in his mouth and started thinking.
“Never mind. If we are unable to find a legal solution, it doesn’t matter. You can leave. We shall find out a political solution,” saying this, the CM relieved the officers from the meeting.
In order to find a political solution to the problem, he started deliberating with his political advisers.

Episode 37

God knows what magic Hakim Singh had done on the Jail Superintendent. He used to make Hakim sit along with him throughout the day. He would sign any order that Hakim would prepare and place on his table.
At the behest of Hakim, the Jail employees were being pulled up for the past few days.
After learning about the condition of a prisoner, the Jail Superintendent sent for the doctor to his office. He got Kalu medically examined from the doctor in this presence. The doctor was forced to give the true medical report to the Superintendent. When the doctor’s tale of deliberate ignorance towards Kalu was revealed, he pointed an accusing finger towards his compounder and said, “I have to attend to hundreds of patients in a day. The preliminary examination is done by the compounder. If the disease is serious, only then he presents the patient before me. The compounder never told me that Kalu was so seriously ill.”
Kalu was immediately admitted to the hospital. The compounder was served a ‘show-cause notice’ because of his gross negligence in the case.
Both the doctor and compounder were angry with the Jail Superintendent for this action.
Milli, the warder of women’s jail, was also given a similar type of treatment. Mittho had handed over several applications to her. She had sat on all of them. Now, Milli begged before the Superintendent, “Mittho has been behaving like lunatics for the past some time. She gave me four applications on a single day. I sent the first few applications to my seniors to get appropriate orders from them. All of them were rejected. When I sent an application of Mittho once again, I was reprimanded by the Deputy Superintendent saying: ‘This inmate is lunatic but you are wise.’ I obeyed the order of the Deputy Superintendent and stopped sending applications of Mittho to the higher-ups.”
However, the Superintendent turned a deaf ear to Milli’s requests. She was also supposed to get punishment.
To top it all, the recommendation of sending Mittho back to Ferozepur jail had been approved at the higher level. Mittho could leave this place for Ferozepur jail any time.
The Warden of Ferozepur jail was also in dire straits besides Milli.
Nattha warder was relieved from the duty of organizing meetings with prisoners’ kin and put on duty at the top of the central tower of the Jail. A prisoner had accused, “He does not allow us to meet our kith and kin without taking money. He decides the meeting duration according to the money we give to him. The more the amount paid, the longer would be the duration of the meeting. If someone gives more money as bribe to him, he brings the prisoner to the office and allows him to sit before the person who has come to meet him. If a woman comes to meet an inmate, he arranges a secluded place for both of them.”
The complainant had the grudge that a person had come to meet him from a far-off place but he had to go back without meeting him. The prisoner was not at all informed about the arrival of the person who had come to call on him. When the person in question came for the third time to meet the inmate, he was made to meet him just for three minutes before the time for meetings was supposed to be over. The inmate had just started asking about the well-being of his family members when the bell rang, signaling that the time for meeting was over. The person, who had come to meet the inmate in question, had to return disappointed. The inmate was very angry because of this exploitation.
Now, Nattha was hanging in the mid-sky, literally; he was deprived of a single penny.
The incharge of farm, Surnider Kumar, had also to face the wrath of the Superintendent. The complaint had mentioned, “He does not allow me to take rest for even a single minute. He gives me the most difficult task to do. If I am about to straighten my back and relax, he thrashes me with his hunter. Those who arrange liquor and money for him keep sitting under the tree shade, chatting and even drinking poppy husk.”
Surinder was taken out of the farm and transferred to the unit that was supposed to guard the outer wall of the Jail. Neither would he deal with any inmate of the Jail nor would a complaint be made against him.
Baij Nath was an active member of the Jail employees union. Instead of changing Baij Nath’s position, the barrack of Sital Singh was changed. A strong reason was given, “The undertrial is of a young age. He has been accused of a crime connected with love. In his present barrack, most of the criminals are hardcore professionals. If he lives among them, Sital is likely to be corrupted in no time. He is a student and preparing for examinations. In the barrack of hardened criminals, there is always fight and hullabaloo all the day long. They hate those who love to study. They snatch his books and throw them in gutter. He is sent to the Braves Barrack so that he may get opportunities of reform and study.”
Baij Nath did not have any objection to the change of Sital’s barrack. However, his anger reached a new high when Sital’s admission form was brought by the Assistant Warden of the Braves Barrack and sent through a special emissary to the university.
Baij Nath was feeling insulted. He felt ashamed even as he went towards his barrack. The inmates were making fun of him. He had lost his influence over the inmates under his control.
Some employees had been pulled up by the administration. Some others were able to see clearly that they would be reprimanded soon.
A feeling of dissent was growing among the employees. The terrified and awe-struck employees met one another to discuss the tale of high-handedness they had been going through.
The employees had more grievances with their officers than with Hakim. If Hakim did not follow the clerks or warders, it was up to him. However, at least, he should obey the instructions of the Assistant Wardens and Deputy Superintendents! Whom was he listening to? A prisoner? If Hakim was a lawyer, let him be. If he had read some books on prison reforms, to hell with it. He too was a prisoner. He ought to be treated like a prisoner. The Jail employees did not tolerate that Hakim should be made an officer and to sit over their heads.
Hakim Singh must have listened to many speeches of political leaders. He was putting forth strange demands by following the footsteps of such leaders. He said, “Arrange for the education and entertainment of prisoners. Give them better health facilities. Give one postal envelope to each inmate so that he or she could keep in touch with his or her family members. Give beedi and cigarettes to inmates. Give them mustard oil for massage. Give them soap for washing their clothes. Give them napkins, headscarfs for women, and underwears. According to the Jail Manual, all prisoners are entitled to such facilities.”
Hakim did not know but the Jail officials knew that leaders were in the habit of making false promises. Whenever they gave speeches, they started making promises without pondering over the consequences. They had never read the Jail Manual. On the basis of their experience of twenty odd years, they could certainly say that these goods had never entered the Jail store. It was just be possible that the goods might have arrived on paper and consumed at the higher levels. The same had happened to the rest of the articles. One-half of the articles were kept by senior officials. They got the receipts and documents signed after threatening the junior staff. Whatever left-over came into the Jail was sent to the homes of the officers at the lower levels. The employees got only empty sacks and prisoners got hunger and deprivation!
Last year, the government had approved two hundred thousand rupees with great difficulty for the purpose of repairing lavatory flushes of prisoners. The Jail Superintendent had said that the drawing room of his bungalow was in bad shape and that he intended to use this money on its decoration. The Deputy Jail Superintendents stated that their kitchens were in a bad shape and it was necessary to effect repairs to please the housewives. During the course of rains, the apartments of jail employees used to leak from roof. They told the authorities to put soil over the rooftops. In this tussle, one month passed. They kept fighting like cats. The fund was diverted by the IG (Prisons) to a more worthy cause! He stated, “The repair of Jail Minister’s bathroom is the top-most priority.”
In this way, the money was used up. The money coming for beedis and cigarettes, women’s headscarfs, shirts, etc., was used for some other good cause but the jail employees did not know anything about it!
True, Hakim was educated but he lacked experience. He wanted facilities for prisoners by giving reference of leaders’ speeches. He should have known that speeches were delivered only for the sake of getting applause from the audiences and making headlines in newspapers, not for implementing their content.
Last year, the Jail Minister, while taking a round of the Jail, gave them a lollypop to lick. He said that sports would be organized in the Jail from the next year onwards. The government would arrange twenty hundred thousand rupees for executing this plan, he had said. Sports material as well coaches would be sent to the Jail. From among the prisoners, hockey, kabaddi, and football teams would be formed. The sports tournament would be organized every year. The members of the winning team would be given a big waiver in their sentences.
When he came to unfurl the national tricolour on the independence day, the Chief Minister of the state declared, “In order to make prisoners good citizens of the country, arrangements would be made to educate them in the prison. From the next academic year, schools would be opened in jails. In order to make prisoners economically self-sufficient, vocational training courses would also be started. Note-books and books would be sent to jails within this month itself. During the course of transfers, teachers would be posted here to teach.”
The Health Minister, who was carrying the suitcase of the CM, also did not remain behind. He said, “The Jail hospital would be upgraded. Arrangements would be made to set up fifty beds in it instead of twenty. Another three expert doctors would be sent to the hospital. The budget of medicines and drugs would be increased. New medical equipment would be sent.”
Everyone knew that the ministers would forget their promises upon arriving in the capital. Only some innocent prisoners and crazy social workers would remember these promises. The prisoners could never meet these ministers. They used to bother the Jail staff a lot day and night because of their demands and complaints. They keep on repeating, ‘Arrange for games and sports’, ‘Arrange for studies’, etc.
Hakim seems to be one of those dreamers.
Their officer is no small dreamer either. He dreams of converting stone-hearted, professional criminals into wax-like ideal citizens within days.

Perhaps the government was more at fault than the officer. He did not become an officer after going through the hard grind; rather, he was appointed directly as Superintendent. That is why he lacks experience.
Ranjodh Singh, the Jail Superintendent, was a nephew of a minister. He had gone to seek an appointment as a revenue officer but that post was not vacant. The minister asked his advisers and friends. He was informed that Ranjodh could be accommodated as Jail Superintendent. The minister’s joy knew no bound. By hook or by crook, he got Ranjodh Singh the post of the Jail Superintendent. Ranjodh Singh was afraid of doing this job. He was a man of soft heart. He could not deal with thieves and cheats. However, the minister did not budge an inch. The minister had visited the jail several times. He had seen how royal Jail Superintendents used to be. He gave a good piece of advice to Ranjodh Singh and got him posted there.
Had Ranjodh Singh become an officer starting as a clerk or warder and gone through the cadres, he would not have been so harsh towards them. He would not assume that taking five rupees amounted to taking bribe.
The officer knew that the monthly salary of a warder was about four thousand rupees. A few years ago, they used to be Class IV employees. The pay commission took pity on them and elevated their status. During this era of high inflation, this meager amount was spent on milk, groceries, electricity, and school fees. If the warder did not earn extra bucks to meet the rest of expenses, how would he run his home? They were not the sons of the Sardars as Ranjodh Singh was. The father of an employee was a farm labourer and the father of another was a cart-puller. Someone else’s father was a cobbler. Someone’s sister was a widow and he had another three sisters to get married off. The warders were supposed to run their families by earning extra bucks and that too by getting ten or twenty rupees from prisoners. They could not capture and eat up the entire godown, just as their seniors did quite often.
The Jail employees nurtured grievance that a clamuor was being raised when they were caught taking bribe of only five or ten rupees from prisoners.


The Jail employees wanted to present their viewpoint. They were sad to learn that their officer had time to listen to the complaints of a prisoner but had no time to listen to the woes of his own juniors.
The officer always remained engrossed in useless activities and formalities throughout the day.
Sometimes, his kin from abroad would come to meet him. Some English friends would accompany such kin. He would take them around the Jail in such a way as if it were a zoo! The English visitors would get themselves photographed by standing along with prisoners. Then, they would publish such photographs in newspapers and magazines and they would write articles on the Indian prisons which were the pictures of hell. The government had pulled up the Superintendent many times but after keeping restraint for some time, he would resort to his old ways.
This time, the prisoners in the unit of Pashmina shawl and carpet weaving unit were airing their grievances. They would work day and night to prepare a shawl or a carpet. Then, they would expect that someone would come to recognize the value their art. When the previous Superintendent was incharge of this Jail, these workers used to earn enough. Now, the Superintendent himself used to visit the weaving unit in place of those who could value their talent. He took their works of art to give to his friends or kin. Since he was an officer, the prisoners could not bargain with him. Hence, they were not able to earn decent daily wages because of him.
Political schedules had made him extremely busy. Sometimes, an MLA and sometimes an MP would be found sitting in his bungalow. He had made a dance troupe from the prisoners of the female prison to please these guests. The mujra, dance show, continued throughout the night.
When would he interact with the Jail employees?
Before Hakim arrived in this Jail, the Jail management had been going on like a happy, satisfied elephant. After Hakim got some prisoners released, the Superintendent had been following his suggestions to a large extent.

The Jail officials had no objection if Hakim gave a speech to the prison inmates.
Now, warders were being forced to listen to his boring speeches.
Hakim would give them strange pieces of advice. He would state, “The responsibility of making all prisoners good citizens of the country lies on the shoulders of warders. Not every criminal is bad; only circumstances make him so. Most prisoners show the possibilities and symptoms of self-rectification. The Jail employees should deal with prisoners with love and empathy to increase such possibilities. They have to understand the physical, mental, and social problems of criminals. You should have adequate knowledge about psychology, biology, and stress management. I would give you elementary knowledge about these topics. Then, experts would be called to deliberate on these topics. You should also know about the Jail Manual and rules.”
In the ensuing speeches, he wanted to give further information on these subjects. The Jail staff wanted to tell their officers, “We are neither highly educated nor intellectually sharp. We have passed class tenth with great difficulty by cheating in examinations. We have got this job by giving bribe or falling on the feet of a relative or friend. During our training, we have been told to do just one job—wield the stick and use it to the hilt. We have been told to remember only one duty—control the prisoner. We have been doing our duty with finesse by keeping the prisoners under our control through harsh means. It is not our duty to understand the mind or the law. The officers would better know about such things.”
Hakim Singh was sitting in Class B which was full of all facilities. That is why he was talking about reforming prisoners. Let him stay in the barrack of the criminals. Then, he himself would state, “There is no possibility of every criminal mending himself.” He would understand that the most prisoners were like animals. They understood only the language of coercion. During the day, the warder had to deal with hundreds of pickpockets and knife-goons. If the Jail staff started becoming soft towards these goons, prisoners would start considering them weak and cowardly. They would pass comments on the Jail staff and give them names of the ridiculous kind. They would stop obeying the Jail staff.
A pickpocket, who had gone for court appearance, had picked the pocket of his own lawyer. That lawyer also belonged to Hakim’s brotherhood. He used to fight cases without taking any fee from those who were poor and downtrodden.

Nattha had given loan to some prisoners due to pity for them. Most of his loans had become bad debts that could not be recovered. One prisoner filed a complaint against Nattha instead of returning the loan that he had taken from him. He said that under the guise of getting his loan back, Nattha was demanding bribe from him. The officers prepared themselves for an investigation. Nattha gave more money to the complainant and somehow got rid of the muddle. There was no use feeding milk to such snakes.
Giving reference of a case decided by the honourable Supreme Court, Hakim said, “Treat prisoners as humans. Deal with them with sympathy.”
What did the judges sitting in air-conditioned rooms know of the fiends the warders had to deal with?
While implementing a decision of this type by the Supreme Court, Baij Nath had to go through a grueling ordeal.
The order was: “The prisoners under police custody should not be chained like cattle and taken to court. This is a tradition of the slave era. Due to this, prisoners’ self-respect is hurt and they start nurturing a feeling of subjugation in their mind.”
Now, who would explain the situation to the Supreme Court that not all prisoners were the likes of the ones presented before it.
Baij Nath had the opportunity to go to the Supreme Court once. The judge’s room was decorated like the diwan-khana of Moti Mahal, the meeting place of the Maharaja of Patiala. The judge was seated on a four-feet-high chair. It looked like Takht-e-Taus, the historical golden peacock throne. His long wig was like that of an Englishmen. In the witness box, there were no people like Mittho, the acrobat woman or Kalu, the goon. There was a billionaire factory owner who had evaded tax. Beside him was a former minister who had taken bribe from that factory owner. There was no need even to handcuff these two persons. Eaten up by a hundred diseases and having become the owners of potbellies, they were not able to run to escape. Nevertheless, where would they go after leaving their property worth billions behind?
Executing the order of the honourable court, Baij Nath was holding the hand of a pick-pocket and taking him to present before the court. The stout pick-pocket got his hand released from that of Baij Nath in just one jerk and took to his heels. Old Baij Nath watched him flee in utter helplessness.
Baij Nath informed the police posted in the court about the escape of the pick-pocket. The police machinery started acting fast. However, the pickpocket ditched them all and evaporated into thin air, literally!
Firstly, Baij Nath was suspended on the charge of doing his duty with utter negligence. Then, a criminal charge-sheet was filed against him.
Baij Nath himself had to toil hard to get the fugitive pick-pocket arrested.
It took him full one year to be reinstated.
That court case was still going on. The witnesses were government employees. They had deposed against Baij Nath in the court. He could also get sentence in the case.
Hakim was stressing that similar other verdicts of the Supreme Court should also be implemented.
Now, should warders save their jobs or the dignity of criminals?
Since they were members of the disciplinary force, they did not have the right to form a recognized union. Still, they had formed a union to get their grievances redressed..
During the locking period of prisoners in the afternoon, the Jail employees organized a meeting of the union.
They unanimously decided, “We shall not listen to the useless chat and sermons of Hakim; nor shall we let officers listen to him.”
Their jobs were nevertheless in danger. Why should they not take risk on their own? If the demands were not met, they could issue a notice to the Jail authorities for going on strike.
The demand letter was written by Baij Nath; he put it in his pocket.
“As soon as I get a chance, I would deliver it to the officers,” Baij Nath assured his colleagues before terminating the meeting.

Episode 38

The Jail Superintendent had called his junior officers to deliberate on two important issues.
In lieu of the work done by Hakim Singh, respect and accolades were being showered by the Jail administration and prisoners on him. This phenomenon had motivated many prisoners jailed in Class B barrack to take up social service.
The name of Class B barrack had literally become Lawyers’ Barrack. Holding documents in their hands, the prisoners used to take rounds of this barrack all day long. Hakim used to remain so much engrossed in his work as if he were the Chief Minister! He was himself undergoing sentence but he had almost forgotten this fact.
The poor prisoners had started considering him their Messiah. He was saluted at all places. The prisoners were prepared to shed their blood for his sweat.
As and when the opportunity arrived, the jail department used to give him a bountiful of sentence waiver. A waiver of two days was granted in one month if the prisoner in question displayed good character and behaviour. This waiver was given to the inmates of Class B barrack without any hard work. Most of the prisoners of the Lawyers’ Barrack used to shirk work. They often got the tough jobs allocated to them done by other prisoners. They did not deserve any waiver but they used to get it because of their money or reference power. The Superintendent had the special power to grant a waiver in sentence for a maximum period of twenty days in a year. The IG (Prisons) had the right to give such waiver for sixty days. There used to be great tussle to get this benefit. Even ministers would be approached to call up for waivers in case of a particular prisoner. Some prisoners had not broken a straw during the year. Then how could their work be rated as of good quality? At this point, a problem also arose there. While others had not been able to get waiver for even a week, the Superintendent gave a good waiver to Hakim. The IG (Prisons) had also given a waiver to Hakim quite cheerfully. Some other rights to grant waivers were vested with the government. The jail department had recommended that such rights be used. There was no one to put any obstruction or objection. Hakim’s work was of excellent quality. The jail department had been put in a respectable position in the entire country.
In all, Hakim’s sentence of six month was being waived in a year.
By considering Hakim a role model for themselves, many prisoners had offered their services.
After the toil and mental grinding of many days, Dr. Jain collected some statistics first. On the basis of those statistics, he presented his case. He told the authorities how many prisoners used to fall sick in a year and how many died due to the lack of medical treatment. He also told them about the number and types of diseases that spread in Jail. He finally informed them how many doctors were required for treating the given number of patients. After making all calculations, he concluded that the Jail hospital needed at least four doctors. However, there was only one doctor in the Jail hospital.
Dr. Jain was an MD in medicine. He had an experience of ten years. He was the top ranking doctor of Maya Nagar. His fee was many times more than that charged by other doctors of Maya Nagar. Even then, patients used make a beeline in front of his clinic. They used to get their turn after waiting for three hours, even more.
Money and fame had turned to his head. He considered his wife as simple, stubborn, and rustic. Dr. Jain fell in love with a nurse who used to work in his clinic. The girl put forth some conditions before getting into lovelock with him. She demanded that Jain should give divorce to his wife. The doctor was unable to look at his wife, leave alone get divorce from her. His wife was a bit ugly but her parents were educated people. Her father was an engineer and mother a professor. One brother was a lawyer in the High Court and the other a sessions judge. Further, her kin were also working at top ranking posts.
The fire of love kindled during the old-age years did not allow the doctor to heave a sigh of relief. His sweetheart was in a hurry to become the owner of a money-making medical clinic. Both of them lost their sanity due to passion. The doctor hired two assassins. He got this wife kidnapped by them even as he was going along with her in the car. He had told the goons to raise the issue of ransom after kidnapping his wife. On the alibi of not being able to satisfy the ransom demand, he got his wife killed by those goons. He got her body thrown at the crossroads in the city. Then he filed an FIR in the police station and slept to his heart’s content.
However, neither the sessions judge nor the lawyer was complacent. They worked day and night and finally got the clues of the assassins. The court made the police knock at the door of the doctor and nab him.
As a result, he was undergoing sentence in Jail.
Like Hakim, he too was prepared to treat prisoners free of cost. Nowadays, he was looking after the mail of the Jail office. This job could be done by any matriculate prisoner.
In no time, two teachers filed an application. They stated, “We have an experience of twenty years of teaching children. We are prepared to teach the inmates. Currently, we are working as the section incharges in the factory. This job can be done by any old prisoner.”
The old love of game in Jarnail Singh, who was driving a tractor in Jail farms, also started rising due to this air of social service blowing across the Jail. During his college days, he had played hockey up to the national level. He had made a hockey team in his village. His team used to win one prize or the other during the annual rural games. If he were given a chance, he could form a hockey team in the Jail.
Neelam, who was imprisoned in the female ward, was not less talented than anyone else. She was an expert in music, singing, and giddha, a Punjbi female folk dance. She was prepared to give her services for the children’s ward and the female inmates. She did not need any tabla (drum) or harmonium. These instruments were acquiring dust at her residence; so she could use the same in the Jail too. They would suffice for the purpose of this social service.
These applications were not of the ordinary kind. They were related to the policies of the jail administration. Hence, the Superintendent alone did not want to take any decision.

The Jail employees had also sent a letter of grievances under the guise of a demand letter. Their demands must be openly discussed, they had demanded. That is why this meeting had been called.
While calling this meeting, the Superintendent had thought that getting the approval of the lower-level officer was just a formality. The officers were likely to accept the applications of prisoners.
Last month, Ranjodh Singh had gone to Mumbai to take part in the conference of Jail Superintendents. During the entire debate, one topic had loomed large. The government somehow wanted to implement the decisions regarding jail reforms that had been taken at the international level. However, the poor economic condition of the government was a hindrance. How could the maximum number of reforms be implemented in the smallest budgets available? Experts had given their suggestions in this context. One expert had averred, “There is every type of talent in Jail. The Jail authorities should identify that talent and utilize it.” Ranjodh Singh had done this earlier. He had taken the work of a complete organization from a single prisoner.
After reading these applications, the Superintendent realized that every type of talent was present in the Jail. A doctor was writing letters. A TV mechanic was making chapatis. A watch mechanic was cleaning utensils. Who would stop these experts from doing the tasks they would love to do? All those present would give their consent to this idea.
In the meeting, the Senior Deputy Superintendent, Ranjit Singh, used to take care of items regarding the Jail administration. The Deputy Superintendent, Dharam pal, was the incharge of the factory. Dr. Shakti Kumar and all the four Assistant Wardens were also present.
Except the doctor, all others were under the command of the Jail Superintendent. They could not express their thoughts freely during the meeting.
The junior officers held a meeting of their own before the meeting with the Jail Superintendent. After a lot of deliberations and exchange, they concluded that the interference of prisoners in Jail administration tasks would lead to erosion of

their rights. For this purpose, they should support the demands of the Jail employees and strongly oppose the demands or applications of prisoners.
The doctor was supposed to bell the cat in the first instance. Then, others would follow suit and handle the situation well.
The doctor was not under the influence or orders of the Jail Superintendent. The Jail hospital was not his favourite place. He was brought here since he had been trapped somehow and posted here. He was given promotion last year. There was no vacant post of senior medical officer in Maya Nagar. The doctor was not in a position to leave Maya Nagar. Due to sheer helplessness, he had to come to the Jail hospital to do his duty. There were no luxuries like the ones he could have in the civil hospital. He had become highly narked after living among prisoners. He had to fight with patients all day long. The extra earning was for namesake.
The doctor knew that Dr. Jain was more competent than he was. Dr. Jain would make himself popular and influential within days in the Jail. Later, no one would even talk about Shakti Kumar. He could not strike his own feet with the axe.
Another problem was likely to arise. Dr. Shakti Kumar would be forced to give the medicines from the Jail medical store that would be recommended by Dr. Jain. Whatever little income he used to have by saving those medicines would come a naught.
Besides, the compounder’s business was also likely to be affected. It would become difficult for the compounder to bring medicines from outside and sell them inside the Jail at exorbitant prices. Besides, his maternal uncle, who was a member of the Prisoner Welfare Board, would be seriously affected due to these changes. He would rent his ire on jail officials.
If Dr. Jain was given the freedom to act, this would open a Pandora’s box.
Giving such pleas, Dr. Shakti Kumar started raising the voice of dissent as per previously defined plan.
In order to confirm his viewpoint, he also put forth an example. Earlier also, a doctor had been given the freedom to give medicines to prisoners. He had started doing private practice in the Jail. He would take exorbitant fee and treat only the patients from affluent families. He never gave attention to the rest of the patients. He had also started giving medicines from his own side. He was released soon. The Jail administration had vowed not to repeat that mistake again. It was therefore improper to repeat the past mistake in view of the previous experience.
The doctor gave another logic. All Jail officials used to meet the demands of high-ups through extra income by foul means. If another doctor interfered in his affairs, Dr. Shakti Kumar’s under-the-table income would dry up. Then, no one in the Jail should expect him to meet any such demands.
Ranjit Singh objected to the opening of another school for the prisoners. He reminded his boss, “The school is already operational on paper. We receive thirty thousand rupees from the government for purchasing books, note-books, and other small items. That entire amount is usurped by us only. If a school were really opened in Jail premises, we would stand to lose that income. On paper, we have shown that five prisoners are doing the tasks of teachers. On this plea, we have given waiver to our five prisoners from rigorous labour. In lieu of this waiver, the Jail administration gets a hefty fee. That fee would no longer come to us. The prisoners, who are social workers and doing teaching jobs, are given special waivers. A hefty amount is separately received from them in lieu of each waiver. That income would also stop. Many literate prisoners are shown as illiterate ones. We show that they are sent to the Jail school for the purpose of getting education. Due to this alibi, they are protected from doing hard labour in the factory. We charge for giving this concession to those prisoners. The intelligent prisoners, who clear their examinations, are given special waivers. How would we make up for such huge losses? Which other losses should I mention to you?”
Ranjit Singh also gave a practical logic for stopping the school from actually being opened: “The people who give suggestions to educate prisoners have never seen even the main gate of the Jail. They should come inside the Jail precincts and see how the brains of these prisoners have become dull like stones because of doing crimes incessantly and getting thrashed perennially by the police. The stone may or may not be given the drip of water; it is not going to be affected in any case. Once, we had had the experience of opening a school in our Jail. A teacher, who used to call himself a social worker, had dreamt of teaching prisoners. He had got himself transferred after a week and ran away from here, literally! The prisoners used to copy his voice and tones and ask him dirty questions. The prisoners go to school classes not for the sake of education but for avoiding hard work. It is better not to take that encumbrance again.”
The views of Dharam Pal coincided with those of the doctor and Ranjit Singh. Dharam Pal added, “The production rate is already very low in the factory. It has become difficult for me to reply to the government. If efforts are made to prepare the hockey, football, and Bhangra teams, the prisoners would rush towards the ground instead of working in the factory. Please let prisoners stick to their jobs. Do not inculcate bad habits among them.”
The meeting was heading towards a direction that was totally opposite to the thoughts of Ranjodh Singh. A bear had come out of the bag, not a cat. Jail reforms were not only being obstructed in hush-hush tones, but also being shown as counter-productive and harmful.
Ranjodh Singh silently kept listening to the viewpoints of his juniors.
The Assistant Warden, Naval Kishore, opened a new Pandora’s box. He stated, “I have collected some sets of information through my spy prisoners. The prisoners of Class B barrack have not given these applications to serve the people but to show their protest against the unmatched facilities that Hakim Singh has been getting.”
“The root cause of the second issue of the meeting is Hakim Singh himself,” Naval Kishore continued even as others were all ears to him, “At this point of time, Hakim Singh is not a precious ornament for the Jail administration that it used to be earlier. Rather, he has become a problem. If we want to get out of this crisis, we should openly discuss the facilities being given to him and his consequent behaviour without any emotional approach.”
Bikram also agreed with him.
Bikram said, “Hakim Singh has started considering himself a Messiah of the prisoners. He has adopted the habit of giving information about new rights to prisoners. Nowadays, he is reading out the Jail Manual to prisoners. He is selling dreams to them all. He is promising that he would get them waivers from sentence, ration and clothes according to jail rules. Now, the prisoners are about to raise the voice of revolt against the Jail administration.”
“Hakim is about to create another trouble. He is likely to raise the demand of putting up complaint boxes at various places in the Jail by giving reference of a decision of the Supreme Court. These boxes would not be like the ordinary ones. These would be opened by the district magistrate or sessions judge only. Then, he would arrange the hearings of the complaints received that way. Only the district magistrate or the sessions judge would decide what punishment should be given to the defaulter Jail employee. The Jail officials would have to appear in the dock as criminals to give answers to the charges levied on them by prisoners. I have arranged a copy of that verdict of the Supreme Court. It had been buried in books of law for twenty years. If this decision were implemented, we would become slaves of prisoners and would have to keep them as if they were our sons-in-law.”
All officers held the viewpoint: “Hakim should be tamed.”
Ranjodh Singh was not a stubborn man by nature. He listened to the viewpoints of his juniors even as he carefully analyzed the situation.
He realized his mistake. He was really soft towards Hakim.
Both sections—jail staff and officers—had stood united against Hakim. They had invented some false charges against Hakim to make their viewpoints clear to Ranjodh Singh. Most of the statements or incidents could be true. Ranjodh Singh had read the verdict of the Supreme Court in the ‘Sunil Batra versus Delhi Administration’ case in which instructions were given by the Supreme Court to keep petition boxes inside the jail. The demand of Hakim Singh to get that verdict implemented in this Jail confirmed his dangerous intentions. Only a good lawyer could search such verdicts of the Supreme Court.
Ranjodh Singh had not exchanged his turban with Hakim Singh; they were not buddies by any norm. Till the time Hakim helped him to become popular among the prisoners, he did well. Now, the dead snake should be taken off the neck. The harried Jail staff might not go on strike. The irate officials may not bring the activities of Hakim to the notice of the government.

The entire Lanka was against Ravana. Ranjodh was not King Ravana. He alone could not set out to achieve the targets set before himself by overlooking the suggestions given by his deputies and commanders; nor had he the courage to stand by the side of truth by doing a Vibhishana by siding with Lord Rama and kicking his own fraternity. He was an ordinary man. He wanted to handle and manage the precarious situation the entire Jail was in.
In order to control the situation, he gave the order, “Hakim is banned from entering the office of the Jail. He is banned from giving speeches to prisoners. The special waivers in sentence bestowed on him are also nullified from now onwards.”
In order to clarify his policy, he told his deputies, “As of now, clipping only these wings would suffice. If I gave him more punishment, his adherents would fly into a rage. At this point of time, it is better to follow the tenet—contentment is happiness.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, his deputies expressed their consent with their boss, Ranjodh Singh.


Episode 39

When the processions and protest rallies did not make the government sit up and analyze the situation, the Sangharash Samiti knocked at the doors of the court.
Through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the Samiti presented a list of demands before the honourable High Court. The PIL said, “The law has lost its sheen because of its old age. The government has no time to remove the dust that has settled on it. The court should assert itself as a public welfare reincarnation and open new avenues for the welfare of the masses by using its special rights.”
“The law gives the permission to acquit the accused on the basis of the benefit of doubt. To a limit, this rule is justified. However, is it justified to put a stop on the next action or proceeding? After the passing of the verdict by a court, neither does the police catch the real assassin nor does the law give permission to do so. Has someone ever thought that due to this phenomenon, what transpires with the kith and kin of the deceased? They say that the people whom the police have caught might be innocent but they have also lost their man. Then, who are his killers? Who would nab them? Who would deliver justice to the family of the deceased?”
“The other side of the coin is equally ugly. Many times, by using many loopholes and weak points present in our law, the strong party gets the weak party sentenced even if the latter is innocent. If the real murderers are caught, the law refuses to acquit the innocent or start the court case against the real culprits. The law states: Good or bad, the previous verdict is the final and binding one. The court cannot give verdicts time and again in one case.”
“Should this type of law be called the law for public welfare? The law is for putting balm on the wounds of those who have been tortured or oppressed, not for aggravating those wounds.”
The Samiti raised many issues like these in its petition.
The Samiti demanded, “If a witness is swayed by his emotions, or if he is under duress and tells a lie in the court and later, he wants to rectify his mistake because of the call of his conscience, the law should not stop that witness from speaking the truth in the court.”
The Samiti was of the opinion that the law makes these mistakes because the institution for carrying out crime investigations is only one. The police is fully under the control of the government. The government has the right to dominate the police and the police, in turn, has the right to dominate and even terrorize people.
The Samiti asked through the petition, “If the citizens of the country have the freedom to study in the school of their choice and get themselves treated in the hospital of their choice, why do they not have the right to get investigation done from the investigating agency of their choice? This supremacy of the government should be ended. Private organizations should be given the freedom to carry out investigations.”
The Samiti also put forth some personal demands, “The Samiti has proved that Pala and Meeta are innocent. This has also been proved that the real killers were Harmanbir and his servants. The court should provide direction and devise a new law. It should acquit the innocent people put in jails or kept under trial. It should instruct the government to arrest the real culprits. Till the court gives its opinion on these legal issues, it should release Pala and Meeta on bail.”
The intelligentsia of society initiated a discussion on the basis of the suggestions given by the Samiti to the court. Research papers were published in favour of or against the reforms in newspapers and magazines. Most legal experts started expressing their consent to the suggestions of the Samiti.
Due to the on-going debate and the likely results of this discussion, the weight of the government’s worry bag increased. It was not in favour of such reforms. The government had only one stick—the police. Through this stick, it used to tame its opponents. If the sole right of investigation were snatched from the police, the government would become eunuch, literally! In that case, the government would neither be able pull up its opponents by making false court cases against them nor be allowed to give freedom to its supporters to commit crimes. The private investigating agencies would bring even the Chief Minister to the dock. The purpose of forming the government was earning money through any means, fair or foul. If the sword of the law started hanging on the minister himself, what would be then the fun of becoming minister?
The ministers cautioned the Chief Minister, “Do anything but stop this amendment by any means.”
The advocate-general started doing his best while obeying government orders.
At personal level, Gurdev Singh agreed to the suggestions given by the Samiti. Due to some of such reforms, the doors of justice could be opened for the people. If they were given the freedom to get investigation done from an organization of their choice, the rest of the demands would be automatically met. Then, there would be no need to bring false witnesses to the court; nor would the witnesses have to change their statements every now and then. In that case, innocent people would not have to appear in the court; nor would there be the need of another hearing if the real assassins were caught and brought to justice.
However, Gurdev Singh was true to his salt as he was a government employee. He was supposed to say only that much which the government would tell him to say. At this point of time, he had no right to express his personal views.
It was getting difficult for Gurdev Singh to defy the logical statements of the Samiti. There were hundreds of public prosecutors in his office to support the government’s viewpoints and policies. Who was the expert in this case? In order to analyze this question, he studied the abilities of each lawyer. They all were ordinary stuff. They had not been appointed on the basis of their abilities but due to their reference power to loot the government exchequer and acquire experience. These white elephants were not supposed to deliver concrete results.
The government had already scanned the abilities of its legal experts. Whenever a case came to the fore, the government had to rush to Delhi to appoint a good counsel.
This was the gravest matter that had been raised during the tenure of this government. If the court agreed to the requests of the Samiti, which was quite possible, the government would become only a harmless snake, nothing else.

The advocate–general advised the CM, “This time, we will have to call lawyers from outside.”
“Do not worry about the expenses. The treasury is open for you. Use all types of modus operandi to protect the rights of the police.”
Thus, the CM gave his approval without any opposition.
The same evening, Gurdev Singh reached Delhi by air. He gave the happy news to his lawyer friends. He gave the advance amount to one lawyer confirming the rate of thousands of rupees per hour and to other, he gave the advance by confirming the rate of hundreds of thousand rupees per hour. He told all of them that their government’s case must not weaken in court. That is why he had not spent the money like a miser.
The CM also cautioned the Public Relations (PR) department. He told its officials that the department should get the services of expert journalists. They should get detailed articles written by such those journalists as supported the viewpoints and policies of the government. The department should get these articles published in all small and big newspapers, ranging from vernacular dailies to English dailies. Besides, the department should get letters written from the common people in the name of the editors of such newspapers. The discussion should become a hot debate. However, the department should ensure that the final verdict should be in favour of the government only. Radio and TV media should also be used for this purpose, the CM advised the officials of the PR department.
The efforts of the government started bearing fruit. The debate became quite hot within days. Every day, new viewpoints started being published both in support of and in opposition to the proposal. The matter crossed the boundaries of the state and arrived at the national level.
The governments of other states also became attentive to the debate that was going on. The fast asleep central government was also woken up.
There were governments of different parties in different states. From the political angle, they were at daggers drawn with one another. However, all parties united on this ‘common issue.’ The opposition party of each state vowed to fully support the party in power. All parties unanimously passed a resolution: “By limiting the rights of the police, there can be total chaos in the entire country. The morale of the police can come down. If the cobra’s venom were taken out, what would be its identity or power? Nobody would be afraid of a small harmless worm! In order to suppress rebellion and deal with bad elements of society, it is important that the police remains powerful. Protection of its rights is the duty of all state governments and political parties.”
The law ministers of states reached the capital and held a meeting with the law minister of the union government. They jointly requested him, “The cobra must be crushed before it raises its fangs.”
The union minister assured them, “So be it. Legal battles would also be fought. Many judges of the Supreme Court are my friends, or you can say that they have arrived at their positions only because of my favours. I would tell them on a personal level. I would persuade them to use their influence to take the government’s ship safely through these choppy waters.”
The state governments announced that they would contribute for the sake of fighting this epic battle. Every state government would constitute a five-member team comprising legal experts at its own expense. That team would argue against the reforms in the High Court.
The central government was also not going to remain behind the state governments. The union minister announced, “Our legal framework was built by the British. Efforts are being made to demolish this framework which is functioning quite well. If we are required to reach the roots of this legal framework to protect it, the union government would invite legal experts from Britain at its own expense.”
The complete co-operation received from the union and state governments relieved the burden of the CM as well as the advocate-general.
After getting over the responsibility of indulging in legal deliberations, Gurdev Singh started focusing on the personal image of the CM.
All state governments were supposed to take part in the discussion. Many organizations had come to help the Samiti as well. They were also supposed to present their viewpoints. The arguments could go on for many months.
Gurdev Singh was worried. On seeing that the arguments were stretching beyond limits and were being discussed on a large scale, the High Court might accept the bail pleas of the accused.
The elections were round the corner. After the release of the accused on bail, how would the CM dare to go amidst the masses?
The debate continued all the same. The advocate–general continued to strive hard and make plans to achieve the objective.
The governments burnt the candle at the both ends. They called the best legal experts for the job without caring for the expenses.
The Samiti had limited resources. Keeping public welfare in full view, many legal experts came to speak in favour of the Samiti at their own expense. Some welfare organizations operating at the national level also helped the Samiti.
Although the Samiti’s viewpoint was favoured during the course of the arguments, the final decision taken by the court was the one that the government wanted.
The High Court rejected the petition of the Samiti on the basis of opposing arguments.
The High Court observed, “The protection of people and property and meting out justice at low price was the primary responsibility of the government. The government can do its duty effectively only if the right of investigation was given to the government alone. If this right were granted to private investigating agencies, the rich people would be at advantage during all investigations. The private investigation firms would speak only those viewpoints for which they have been paid. Under this condition, what would be the fate of the poorest masses?”
“While meting out justice, the courts would have to face a big problem. Every organization would present its own viewpoint and arguments to win a particular case. Whom would the court oblige?” averred the honourable judge while giving the judgement.
The court further observed, “Maintaining law and order is the primary duty of the government. If the court accepts the demands of the Samiti, the rights of the government would be restricted. If that was done, the already defined constitutional framework would be disturbed. In order to implement the decision, the Constitution will have to be amended. This amendment would be done after getting consent from the Parliament and the legislative assemblies of the states. Such vital decisions cannot be taken in a hurry. Long debates must be held on such important issues. At this point of time, it would not be appropriate for the court to interfere in the country’s Constitution.”
“The interests of the entire country are linked with this issue. That is why this issue should be raised in the Supreme Court instead of the High Court,” the honourable judge finally concluded. Thus, the Samiti was directed to knock at the door of the Supreme Court. Other legal issues of minor nature were settled by the High Court itself.
After giving verdict in a case, starting the investigation afresh is not a logical step. If this happened, the court case would never end. Sometimes, the complainant would give a fresh application that he had found new criminals for the same case. Sometimes, the accused would file an application that they were innocent and that the real culprits are some other persons. The court would have to draw a line somewhere. Good or bad, this rule was justified.
Witnesses could not be allowed to change their statements repeatedly. How would the court learn that the witness had told a lie in the court in the first instance or he was telling a lie in the second court appearance? The witness should cogitate well in his mind before giving his statement in the court.
On the basis of this logic, the High Court arrived at the conclusion: “The demands of the Samiti are likely to put the judicial system in a state of utter chaos. These are anti-people, not pro-people.”
While reading out the judgement, the judges also kept the honour of their friend, Gurdev Singh, in mind.
The petition filed by the Samiti was a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The High Court had settled all legal issues raised by the Samiti. The rest of the cases were personal and related to a particular court case.
“The personal issues should be raised during the pertinent court cases,” the High Court advised the Samiti at the end of the case.
Episode 40

The verdict given by the High Court under the pressure of the government did disappoint the Samiti but could not discourage it.
Despite this failure, the Samiti also had some gains.
Some national-level organizations adopted this issue. They decided to continue this discussion further.
The media coverage made the name of the Samiti known in each household of the country. The public opinion started favouring the Samiti. People as well as new organizations started associating themselves with the Samiti.
The real objective of the Samiti was to convince people that the present political infrastructure had rotten beyond compare. It was not pro-people. A clean institution like judiciary was also not aloof from this rot. Happy life could not be lived by the masses without changing the entire infrastructure.
Due to the declaration about elections, it became easy for the Samiti to convey its objective to people.
In order to utilize this golden opportunity, the Samiti started preparing with full vigour.
The resources of the Samiti were limited. After careful deliberation, the Samiti devised new ways of promotion.
Whenever any political party carried out a rally, the Samiti cadres would reach the spot along with their paraphernalia.
The Samiti had one tractor-trolley and a few wooden planks. It had one loud speaker and the music group of Dhaule Wala Jagtar.
If need be, the wooden planks were put on the trolley and a make-shift stage was made.
When people returned after listening to the attractive speeches of leaders, Jagtar used to start playing on the strings of his tumbi, folk music instrument. His heart-piercing notes would chain the feet of the people and bring them towards the make-shift stage. They used to return to that stage because of the sheer magic of Jagtar’s voice and music.
In order to convey its message to people, long speeches were not delivered.
The Samiti used to call the people tortured by the police and the courts and made each one of them tell his or her own tale of woes.
The responsibility of managing the congregation used to fall on the shoulders of Rai Sikh, Bazigar, and Sansi communities led by Shamu, the chairman of the organizing committee.
Sometimes, he would call Karimu on the stage, sometimes Bua Ji, and at some other times Nikko.
Karimu was born in the Rai Sikh community but he had never adopted his family’s profession. His father was against manufacturing illicit liquor and stealing. In order to dissociate him from this family profession, Karimu was admitted to school. Since he used to live on the bank of the river, he already had some experience of swimming. Besides, he developed interests in kabbadi and wrestling. He made a sturdy body by doing sit-ups and exercising with the help of various gadgets. By the time he reached class eight in school, he became the member of the kabaddi team at the district level. He won the junior wrestling championship at the state level. He was also trying in the field of swimming. His physical training teacher expected that he would certainly become a national-level player upon reaching the college. If he got good training and coaching, he could also play at the international level.
The background of Karimu’s father would not leave him. His father would remain out of jail for one month and for the next six months, he would be jailed again. In the absence of his father, it would become difficult to keep kitchen fires burning. His father used to tell him, “Don’t follow the advice of your teacher. Get into the trade and start eking out a living for yourself.”
Even as this tussle was going on between the father and the son, Karimu’s uncle started a new trade. He developed friendly relations with a man who used to smuggle poppy-husk. He used to bring four bags of poppy-husk during the night. By the morning, he used to sell it all by kilograms. Within days, the clothes and looks of his uncle started changing and his home started prospering due to this new earning mode.
Karimu’ uncle advised him to join him in the business. However, Karimu did not like being abused and insulted by the police. He kept on avoiding the offer of his uncle.
One day, the police came to arrest his uncle. His uncle fled from the place. He left the bags full of poppy-husk behind him. Considering him a guarantor, the police took Karimu along with them. His uncle did not bribe the police; so the police did not let off Karimu. The police waited for one week. Exhausted, the police put the confiscated bags of poppy husk in Karimu’ name and registered the case.
After passing three years in jail without any reason, Karimu had been transformed. Upon coming out of jail, he made his own gang. He included twelve-odd youngmen in his gang. They purchased scooters and sharpened their knives and daggers. They also arranged swords. As soon as they received the news of the arrival of a truck full of poppy-husk in their area, they used to ride scooters and set out to collect their share in the goods. If the police dared them on the way, they used to fight back. Sometimes, the buttocks of a police officer would be thrashed and at some others, their own member would break his arm due to the attack of the police. However, they would rarely be caught by the police. Then, the messages of the police started arriving, “Let us work together. You should enjoy yourself and also let us enjoy.” However, Karimu did not like to become a partner with the police since he was full of hatred for them.
A miffed police force planned to decimate his group. He was cheated into arrest by the police. In order to cripple him forever, the police put some chemical in his eyes. Within ten days, he lost his eyesight. He had been sitting at home for the last ten years, unemployed and out of work.
While telling his story, Karimu started shedding tears from his defunct eyes.
Then, he said with a choked throat, “Had the police not made me blind, I would have become world famous player. Then, I would have been leading a life full of happiness and luxuries!”
The people used to cry after listening to his gory tale.
Bua Ji’s story very much resembled that of Karimu.
He was born to the family of Bazigars. His parents used to display acrobatic tricks. The parents of Bua had made his body-parts quite flexible in his childhood itself. By the time he entered his youthful years, he had started running as fast as the train. He was able to jump over ten feet in one go. He used to cross over a twelve-feet-high wall with the help of a pole. He had won many a prize during the rural games that were organized in Kila Raipur every year.
Then, his qualities started creating many enemies. Kaka, the son of Grewals, started fearing that during the next rural games, Bua would snatch away his medal. Kaka gave information to the police, “Bua Ji stands on roadsides during the night. He loots people and flees.”
Believing Kaka’s complaint, they preferred Bua’s old family record of crimes instead of his new record in games. On the basis of Bua’s background, the police arrested him and put him behind bars.
Due to his stint in jail and release after some time, Bua lost touch with sports.
The police did not spare him even after arresting him. In order to reduce his speed, they broke his right leg. Now, he was going through hell after becoming crippled in one leg.
In the end, he would take a deep sigh and say, “After observing how swift I was, the CM had promised that I would be inducted in the police. Had the police not spoiled my record, I would have also become a police officer.”
People listening to his woes would also start crying along with him.
Then, Nikko and Biro of Sansi community would arrive at the make-shift stage. They would show the words ‘thief’ and ‘pick-pocket’ tattooed on their foreheads under police torture. Then, they would tell them that due to these blots, they were unmarried even at the age of thirty-five years.
Upon seeing that the iron was hot, Shamu would take the microphone and ask people, “Can the police, which forces people to take to crime and does not allow them to lead a peaceful life, contribute in any way to the development of society?”
People would chant in one voice, “No! Never!”
In another congregation, Ashok would invite Des Raj, Kamal Prasad, and Radhe Shyam on the make-shift stage; these three had acted as witnesses in the Bunty murder case.
Des Raj would appeal with force and plead his case, “The police and Yuva Sangh have forced me to tell a lie. I do have a utensils shop. However, Pala neither sold the stolen goods to me nor purchased any cans from me. I was a fan of Lala Ji and I was swayed by emotions. That is why I had told a lie in the court. The cadres of the Samiti have made me realize my mistake. There is burden on my soul. The innocent have been sentenced because of me. I have come to this people’s court to cleanse my soul. O people, please forgive me.”
Similarly, Kamal Prasad would plead, “The letter-pad presented in the court was got printed from me by the police. I was told by the police that Pala and Meeta had killed Bunty. The murderers were very clever. They had removed all clues related to this murder. In order to sentence the culprits, the court required evidences. In order to get the right punishment for the assassins, I was told that I would have to tell a lie. In order to satisfy the law, I did tell a lie. I want to give a statement again in the court. However, the court is not allowing me to do so. I am ready to take the punishment for the mistake committed by me.”
Sometimes, Kehar Singh and his farm-worker Nattha, would be made to stand on the make-shift stage.
Kehar Singh was a landlord and Nattha was his farm-worker. The fight between the landlord and the farm-labourer was a common sight. Kehar Singh had reprimanded Nattha many times earlier as well. A disgruntled Nattha had run away from home many times. However, he used to come home after his anger would subside.
Last time, when he left home, he did not return even after ten days. Then, Kehar Singh’s heart started pounding. He looked for Nattha here and there in the immediate vicinity of the place to begin with. When no clues were found about his whereabouts, Kehar Singh got a report filed with the police.

The enemies incited the police when they came for the investigation. They said that Nattha had illicit relations with the wife of Kehar Singh. He had chopped Nattha and thrown his body in the canal. How could the police find out Nattha?
Many others added fuel to the fire.
Someone alleged that he had seen both of them in a compromising position and he had not talked to Kehar Singh about it because he was afraid of him. Someone else said that Kehar Singh had thrashed his wife many times due to this reason. He had seen Kehar Singh thrashing his wife. Someone said that he had seen Kehar Singh grabbing Nattha from his hair and taking him towards the fields. Someone else said that he had seen Kehar Singh washing the blood-stained digging tool near his car. Someone said that Kehar Singh had thrown a blood-stained sack into the canal in front of him.
The police recorded the statements of all these people.
Then, it arrested Kehar Singh, accusing him of killing Nattha. They went to Rajasthan and brought the photographs of a mutilated and decaying body as well as some clothes. The witnesses identified these as the body and clothes of Nattha.
The witnesses gave the previously concocted statements to the court during their appearance. The court deemed this story as true. Kehar Singh received a sentence of ten years for killing Nattha and disposing of his dead body.
One must thank the saint who used to come occasionally in a small hut in the village. He was aware of the rumour that Nattha had been killed and also knew that Kehar Singh had been sentenced on the charge of killing Nattha.
While on a trip to Hardwar on the occasion of the Kumbh Fair, he saw him ploughing the fields at the dera of saints. The saint came quietly to the village and spilled the beans. The relatives of Kehar Singh got Nattha arrested.
The counsel of Kehar Singh presented Nattha in the court. Then, Kehar’s appeal was accepted. Consequently, he was released.
After Kehar Singh, Nattha would tell his tale of woes on the make-shift stage.
Nattha had left for the dera of the village due to sheer anger for Kehar Singh. There, some saints and sadhus had come from Hardwar. He got the sermon of quitting family life which was full of agonies. The sermon struck a chord in his heart. He joined those wandering saints and left for Hardwar. Then, he was informed that a report had been filed because he was missing. Later, he was informed that Kehar Singh had been sentenced. Afraid of Kehar Singh and the police, he settled at the dera itself.
“Look! Nattha is before you; he is alive and well,” Nattha would state before the audience.
Then, Piare Lal would ask politely from the people, “Would this type of blind law solve your issues and problems?”
People would repeat, “No! Never!”
In order to tell the people whether existing reformatories actually reformed prisoners or spoiled them, Tarsem of Helpline would arrive on the make-shift stage. Then he would call Nannu who had spent two years in children’s jail.
Eight-year old Nannu did not know what his background was. May be, he was a bastard and upon his birth, he was dropped on rubble. Alternatively, he might have been kidnapped by a gang of beggars. Perhaps, his parents were too poor to rear him and so, they he may have dropped him at the railway station. He could only recall the fact that his father used to beg all day long at the wooden bridge. He used to sleep at the bridge by taking a blanket over him. He used to pull Nannu in the warmth of that blanket. One day, due to severe winter, his father died. Considering him an orphan, the municipal corporation staff sent his father’s body to the cremation ground and dropped him at the police station. From there, he arrived in the Jail.
Then, he would share his experiences gained in the juvenile prison with the people.
Basu taught him how to pick pockets. Neelu taught him how to smoke. Kalu taught him how to break into houses.
Then, Tarsem would interrupt him and asked people, “Would these supportless people be reformed that way?”
People would put fingers in their mouths and pondered over the answer to this question.
Then, Debu, the rickshaw puller, would start narrating his story.
Earlier, he used to make illicit liquor. Due to the motivation of union members, he bade good-bye to the world of crimes. He started pulling a rickshaw to eke out a living. He was unable to make both ends meet by pulling the rickshaw on hire. More than half of his income used to go to the rickshaw owner. If the rickshaw was to be repaired at any point of time, he would have to sleep with a hungry belly.
In order to save Debu from going back to the world of crime, the union cadres decided that a bank loan should be arranged for him on easy installments. He would easily pay the installments with the money that he used to pay as the rickshaw hire amount. Within a year or so, he would fully own the rickshaw and would be able to make a living with ease.
However, the bank would not approve the loan. They said that Debu had a criminal record and that he had been sentenced many times. The bank did not want to make itself bankrupt by granting loan to people with criminal backgrounds.
Debu used to ask people whether he should go back on the same old track.
Master Om Prakash was also fighting against somewhat similar circumstances. He had been sentenced on the charge of murder. He never explained whether he had killed the man or not. He told the audience that he was a teacher in a government school. Because he was sentenced, he was thrown out of the school. During his tenure in jail, he had taught many prisoners and made them capable of reading and writing. The jail authorities gave him prizes scores of times. He was given sentence waivers as well. When he was released from jail, he was given certificates of good moral character by the jail authorities.
He used to tell his tale and then add that if he had committed any crime, he had completed its sentence. After completing his sentence, he had the right to lead a life full of dignity, just like any ordinary citizen.
During his long tenure in the jail, he had heard the long speeches of people ranging from the Jail Superintendent to the CM of the state. They all used to say that the objective of prisons was to reform prisoners and make them good citizens. Prisoners would become good citizens if they became self-dependent. In order to make them self-dependent, the government was educating them and giving them vocational training.
After his release from jail, Master Om Prakash gave an application for getting back the job he had lost in a bid to rehabilitate himself. The public prosecutor of the same government worked hard to get his application rejected by the court. He said, “People who have been sentenced to jail terms do not have any right to get government jobs.”
Now, Om Prakash did not have any method of eking out a living. He asked whether the government had arranged his rehabilitation or taken away his job from him.
The former jail inmates used to tell about their stories during the congregations of the Samiti. When Beebo heard about this trend, she came to the make-shift stage to narrate her tale.
She used to pick up plants and grass from the fields of Chahals, the land-owners. A son of Chahals had his dirty eyes on her. Using one alibi or the other, he used to follow her and persuade her to agree to his sensuous demands. Beebo had explained to him in clear words that she was not a girl of loose character. She had told him that she would remain the property of the man she had married. However, Kaka had not taken her statement seriously.
He did not stop bothering Beebo and attacked her in a bid to molest her one day. A very irritated Beebo had to use her hands to thrash him. She cut off his nose with a sickle.
Beebo did not repent over whatever she had done to Kaka. She kept undergoing jail sentence quite happily..
In order to save her dignity, Beebo did cut of Kaka’s nose but how could she cut the nose of each prisoner who was trying to do a Kaka to her?
After completing five years in jail, Beebo had returned home along with a two-year–old daughter as well.
That woman of high dignity was not allowed to enter the home of her in-laws or even her parents. She used to ask people where should go along with the gift she had received at the reformatory?
Then, the President of the Istri Sabha would ask people, “Should the reformatories be like the one where Beebo had spent her time in?”
People would shout again, “No! Never!”
At last, Piare Lal would take the microphone and say, “So, this is the type of criminal justice system out here! Is this judicial set-up capable of solving social problems? Had the pioneers of various freedom movements dreamt of this type of Ram Rajya?”
People would state, “No!” Then, they would ask, “How would these problems be solved?”
“By changing the total political structure,” Piare Lal would reply.
After listening to the speeches and sermons of the Samiti cadres, people’s faces would start becoming crimson due to anger. They would start raising their arms and shout slogans in favour of a total change.
“How can we change the old structures? How can we bring a new structure?” they would ask the Samiti cadres.
In order to explain the modus operandi for bringing about change, sometimes, Baba Gurdit Singh would come before the people and at others, Gurmeet would present himself to address the gathering.


Episode 41

Today was the cow-worship festival.
In the Bachelors Barrack, there was a pall of gloom in place of happy chirpings. Prisoners used to wait for this day throughout the year.
Hari Om, the Chief Warder of this barrack, was a devoted cow-worshipper. He used to go to gaushala, the cow stable, first after getting up in the morning. He used to touch the feet of the cows and gave them fodder to eat. Thereafter, he used to go to the temple and pray. Then, he used to come to attend to his work.
A week before this festival, Hari Om would become enthralled with the festive fervour. He used to get the entire barrack cleaned by standing in the barrack himself. He would call a barber and order him to shave and cut the hair of barrack inmates. The priest used to arrive early in the morning. He would carry out the worship. Holy singing and prayers before the holy fire were organized. Then, sweetmeats used to be served among prisoners. They were to be spared from doing hard labour. For all prisoners of the barrack, that day used to be like a marriage ceremony.
This time, when there was no activity till the last day, the prisoners realized that something was fishy. They tried to find out what the problem was.
Gandhi felt that since Modan had arrived in the barrack, Hari Om had been silent and depressed.
In the Bachelors Barrack, the crimes committed by most prisoners were of the same genre. Seeta had raped a four-year old girl. Gandhi had raped a sixty-five year old woman. Deesa had sodomised a twelve-year-old servant in his shop and Hamid had crossed over the wall of the eunuchs.
Although the crime committed by Modan was the goriest of them all, it was not a unique act. The news of people having sex with female calves used to be published in newspapers every now and then.
Modan was sentenced because he had committed sex with the female calf of a buffalo.

Somehow, it was difficult to digest that Hari Om could be angry with Modan because of the latter having sex with an animal.
This was also not acceptable that the owner of the female calf of buffalo had filed a report with the police because his animal was sexually assaulted and that the police had accepted his application and carried out the investigation. It was strange that the judge had given the sentence for Modan over this trifle.
That meant Modan was a riddle. This riddle ought to be solved. In order to find out the truth, he went to Modan.
Modan told his tale without hiding any facts.
He was the thirty-five-year-old son of Nikka, the water carrier. He was the eldest one in his family. His younger brother was a teacher. His brother’s wife was a clerk in the BDO’s office.
Before his senses developed, Modan had fever. Following the advice of a conventional healer, his mother made him take bath in the local pool of the village. By the evening, the fever condition worsened. His left leg was crippled. On his back, a big tumour appeared. Thus, he developed a hunch on his back. Now, he seemed more like an animal and less of a man. Boys started teasing him by calling him ‘Camel.’ Following the boys, the teachers also started calling him by the same name. Slowly, this name of Modan became popular in the entire village. Now, people knew him more as Camel and less as Modan.
Modan’s father was a night watchman of the village. Sometimes, he used to work as a daily wage labourer too. When he was free, his father used to give fodder to the cattle of Sardars, the village landlords. His mother used to pick vegetables and crops from the fields during the day. In the evening, she used to roast foodgrains at the hearth. During the season of marriage, she used to wash utensils at homes where a marriage was organized. Somehow, the family was making its two ends meet.
Like all ordinary fathers, Modan’s father also wanted to educate his son. Somehow, under the fear of rods and reprimands of his teachers, Modan could pass only five grades at school. In grade six, he stopped studying. He was unable to

understand the intricacies of his curriculum. He was not at fault in this case. The high fever had adversely affected his brain, besides his body.
Disappointed at his performance in grade sixth, Modan’s father withdrew him from school. Since he was crippled of one leg, he was not able to do daily wage labour which was a grueling physical job. In any case, he would not have been able to get any job since he had passed only five grades.
Upon the advice of the village revenue official, Modan’s father made him an assistant of Bhola, the tailor. Within a year, he learnt how to make button-holes and put buttons to shirts. After a grind of another two years, he learnt how to sew clothes. However, his brain interfered here too. He could not become a good tailor.
The younger brother of Modan grew up. He had a sturdy body and his brain was sharp too. His father started weaving dreams around his younger son. He started giving more attention to him son instead of Modan.
His younger brother completed the JBT (Junior Basic Training) course for teaching. He also taught in a private school for one year. Then, he got a government job.
Good families started taking round of Modan’s house for the hand of his younger brother.
The father and brother would state, “First of all, we shall solemnize the marriage of the elder one. Then, we would start the procedure for arranging a girl for the younger one.”
By chance, if at all anyone came to see Modan for giving his daughter to him, he would say, “It would be better to throw our girl into a well than marry her off to a boy who is so deformed, just like Ashtavakra.” Stating this, the visiting guests would leave.
The younger brother now started becoming mature in terms of age. People started advising him, “If you continue to be stubborn for another year, you will remain unmarried.”
The father had to convince himself with great difficulty this time. He got the younger son married before the elder one.

Modan was in deep anguish because he would remain a bachelor but he also nurtured one hope. At least one woman had entered their home. Veterans say, “If one brother in the family is married, others are also able to enjoy the sexual bliss.”
Due to the fables popular in the village and on incitement of his friends, Modan tried to court his brother’s wife into a stint of romance. She was not even ready to lift her veil for him, leave alone coming close to him. After amassing great courage one day, he pinched her side with his hand. She immediately attacked him like a she-wolf which had just delivered cubs and gave him a lesson or two. He touched her feet and somehow saved his skin.
That was not the first time he had taken a thrashing from women.
For the first time, he had tried to touch the breasts of Gelo on the alibi of taking her measurements; she had come to get her shirt stitched at his shop. Modan had heard that she was of ‘that sort.’ At one time, he was told she was having affairs with many boys. She also talked laughingly to Modan. He had not even tasted the plumpness of her breasts when a solid slap across his face made his cheek vibrate.
“You scoundrel! Have you seen your Naradmuni-like face in the mirror? Is this face suitable for courtship?”
The last sentence she spoke had torn his heart.
After many years, he had mustered courage again.
There was the house of Fauji, an ex-army man. Fauji used to remain away from home for eleven months in a year. When Fauji came home for a month, his wife used to remain a devoted, noble wife. When he left home, she would open the backdoor for many a lover. The wife of Fauji knew that Modan knew it all. ‘She is corrupt,’ thinking this, Modan used to have some fun with her at times. She also used to reciprocate his funny chat. One night, after finding an apt opportunity, he sneaked into her home. Upon seeing him, she took out her slipper in a jiffy and started hitting him on the back. Add to it the abuses that she gave to him as bonus.
Modan had never dared to look at a woman with lustful eyes again.
He tried to suppress his desire and passed his time somehow.

His brother and brother’s wife used to go for their respective jobs. Modan used to stitch clothes throughout the day.
On that fateful day, just like all other days, he was stitching clothes in the verandah.
On the door of the lobby, a male sparrow and a female one were romancing. The duo attracted his attention. Both the birds were involved in love games of a divine sort. The male had already sat over his partner many times. The female partner would shake her feathers and call him to screw her again. After getting rest for a while, the male partner would again ride her.
Modan left the handle of the sewing machine in sheer excitement upon seeing the sex act of the birds. His brain and body became active all of a sudden. Blood started rushing in his veins. His mind was full of romance. He wanted to become a male sparrow and ride the female one.
Such opportunities had come across him earlier as well. If he saw a male and female dog locked with each other after the completion of sex act, or if he visited a veterinary hospital and saw a cow or a buffalo being screwed by a male, he had to rush home. Sometimes, he would satisfy his sex lust through masturbation by locking himself up in the bathroom. At some other times, he would catch a bitch or a female calf and satisfy his lust. Many times, he had to get the kicks of the she-calf and even the bite of the bitch. However, this agony would be a big naught vis-à-vis the physical and mental satisfaction he used to get through the act.
Earlier, there used to be cattle at home. When his mother left, the cattle also disappeared. Now, the cattle shed was empty.
Modan came out of home and looked in the street. A female calf of a buffalo was rustling her back against the wall of their neighbours. Modan appeased the she-calf by caressing her back and legs and brought her inside home.
Suddenly, Modan felt something, or were his ears simply sensitive? May be, there was something going on in the street as if some people were murmuring in front of his house.

The she-calf was not being controlled. He did not have the time to get information about what was going on outside. He continued to do his ‘job’ on the she-calf.
Modan realized the gravity of the situation when the women from his neighbourhood attacked his home, literally! They did not even allow Modan to wear his brief.
First of all, the bachelor was thrashed with slippers in the yard. Then the panchayat sat to insult him. Later, the police gave him a hefty thrashing for his acts of the romantic kind.
Two days later, the anger of villagers started coming down. The neighbours made him repent by making him scratch his nose on the ground; then they pardoned him. After imposing a fine of five hundred rupees, the panchayat gave him an opportunity to rectify himself.
What fine should the police impose? This issue was being discussed. On the other hand, the newspapers published this news.
After reading the news that was highlighted in the newspapers, an animal loving organization raised hullabaloo over the issue. Its cadres came to the village and staged a dharna in front of Modan’s house. A procession was taken out in the city. A demand letter was presented to the Police Superintendent. A report was filed in the police station. The court proceedings continued for some time. Finally, Modan was sentenced.
The prisoners listening to Modan were also bachelors. They were more experienced than he was. He had not been able to concoct the story well. He was definitely hiding something.
They were absolutely right in thinking that way.
Modan had not done sex with the female calf of a buffalo but the female calf of a cow. The agitation had been started against him by the Shiv Sena cadres. The religious sentiments of people might not be hurt. Due to this fear, the judge had sentenced him.

This lie was not told by Modan on his own. First of all, the old warder of the entrance lobby had told him to do so. Later, when he had gone to the Circle, the Munshi had told him, “You would be sent to the barrack of the bachelors. The Chief Warder of that barrack, Hari Om, is a nice fellow. However, being the cow-worshipper, he can be harsh towards you. If he abuses you, bear with him. If he thrashes you, bear with him again. Slowly, his anger would cool down automatically.”
However, Shiv Sena cadres were after Modan as if they were out t to kill him! They were in touch with Hari Om because he was a cow-worshipper. They approached him and instructed him, “The law has been kind to Modan. What is a sentence of three years? This sinner must be hanged. You set an example before other sinners of his genre by making life hell for him.”
Hari Om decided to obey their instructions.
Modan was supposed to go to the Bachelors Barrack. Hari Om was afraid that Modan might not get any other barrack allotted for himself due to his fear. With this thought in mind, Hari Om himself went to the Circle and got him in his barrack
Before having an encounter with Modan, Hari Om was already in a rage. He had visualized Modan’s face as the one of a hefty, sturdy black demon. He had already applied oil to his ruler in the morning. His intention was to undress Modan at the cross-roads itself. He would break his bones, he had thought. He would drag him to the barrack even as Modan would be crying to save his life. If prisoners asked him, he would tell about the crime Modan had committed.
However, half of his anger vanished into thin air when he saw Modan, cursed by fate and having dry and mangled bone structure. Nevertheless, Modan’s sin was not to be pardoned.
Hari Om brought Modan out of the Circle and took off his clothes. He examined his entire body with his analytical eyes. He could not find a single place on Modan’s body where he could strike his ruler to punish him.
Miffed by the circuitous body of Modan, Hari Om slapped harshly across his face. He crumpled his turban that had fallen on the ground. He thought Modan must be have grown long hair, as the Sikhs do. He had thought that he would pull his hair. However, a lock of small hair appeared when Modan’s turban was removed. Hari Om pulled his lock of hair and beard. He kicked him with his boots. There was no black colour in the immediate vicinity, else Hari Om would have blackened his face.
Modan tolerated the thrashing silently. He himself considered cow as mother. On that day, God knows which demon had overpowered him. He had committed a sin. Howsoever harsh it might be, the punishment for committing this crime was still too less for him.
Upon seeing Modan being thrashed, Munshi and warder came running from the Circle. Hari Om was not the one who would be angry with anyone. What mistake had Modan committed?
“This bastard has raped the cow, our holy mother. I shall kill him,” explained Hari Om while he was still out of breath, and gave them the reason for thrashing Modan. Munshi ran to fetch a glass of water and gave it to Hari Om to drink. Then, Hari Om caught breath and became normal.
“You have to keep my dignity. You do not have to talk about the sin of this sinner to any one else. You have to say that he had had sex with the female calf of a buffalo.”
The staff of the Circle also advised Modan to remain mum.
Modan was already scared. The Shiv Sena cadres had sent him to jail. If anyone from their cadres were in jail, he would take no time packing him off to hell!
He vowed to remain silent.
Modan had altered the story and thus kept that vow.
Because of the presence of the most fallen sinner like Modan, cow-worship ceremony could not take place in the barrack. Having this thought in his mind, Hari Om had decided not to celebrate the festival this time.
In order that the prisoners might not have any doubt or hope, the Munshi had declared in the night itself, “Tomorrow, Jail procedures would be followed as on ordinary days.”

Upon hearing this declaration, the prisoners’ faces became sullen. They feared that the ceremony had not been cancelled without any reason and that something terrible was going to happen soon.
They murmured among themselves and pondered over what was to come next. As the morning arrived, they sat with an eerie silence, waiting for something to happen.
Earlier, Hari Om used to come to the barrack in the wee hours of the morning. His forehead used to have big tilak and his face used to glow due to divinity.
Today, he came in the afternoon, at the time of imprisonment of inmates. His face was drenched with anger. His eyes were red.
He went straight into the barrack. He leapt on Modan, who was taking rest, like a vulture. He picked him up from his lock of hair. Then, he dragged him and took him to the yard. With one stroke, he tore his kurta. Then, he removed his brief.
A half naked Modan started shivering due to fear. He did not have the courage even to ask what his mistake was.
The rest of the prisoners hid themselves and watched the proceedings.
Hari Om shouted loudly, “Come out, all of you! Listen what crime he has committed. Then, watch what punishment he gets for committing that crime.”
Bound by the order, all prisoners came out. They folded their hands and stood still before Hari Om.
“This scum has raped my deity, our holy mother, the cow! He deserves hell. Imprisonment is not the right punishment for his crime. The right punishment of his sin is this!”
Saying this, Hari Om kicked Modan with his boot. Then, he thrashed him with his ruler and made him lie on his belly. Then, he inserted the ruler inside Modan’s anus.
Modan trembled like a fish out of water. He cried at the pitch of his voice. However, no one came to his rescue.
Slowly, Modan became silent.
The ground became red because of the blood.
The redness started diminishing in Hari Om’s eyes. His heartbeat started becoming normal. His mind started getting peace.
Hari Om was relieved.
Hari Om had been feeling irritated due to Modan from day one. He wanted to stifle his neck and kill him. He wanted to cut his body into two parts by slitting him from his middle. He wanted to chop off the penis of this man who had insulted and molested the cow, his holy mother.
Today, his wish had been fulfilled after a long wait.
After fulfilling his wish, he took out the ruler from Modan’s anus, cleaned it with his handkerchief and went out of the barrack while shedding dust of his clothes.



Episode 42

For one week, only one issue was doing rounds in the entire Jail. “Hema, the most beautiful prisoner of the female ward, is pregnant.” It was not difficult to guess who the father of the child in her womb was.
Assistant Warden, Santokh Singh, had been nicknamed “Government Bull” by prisoners. Men were strictly prohibited from going into the female ward. If one was supposed to go there for an urgent piece of work, one had to get permission from scores of officers. One also had to get the signatures of officers at a number of places on documents.
Santokh Singh went there as if he had a permanent pass. He could go to the female ward at any point of time. Santokh Singh declared after every fortnight, “I have hooked this female prisoner. I have hooked that beauty in the female ward.”
After three months, he used to declare, “I have made that Jatt woman, that Bania woman, or that Khatri woman pregnant.”
If his fake claims were to be believed, he should have become the father of hundreds of children.
Whether he was telling a truth or lie, prisoners were not concerned. They were only keen to listen to his talk dipped in the sex sauce. These talks were always missed because of their rarity in the Jail.
Santokh Singh’s height was good and his body was quite sturdy. On the basis of this quality, he had been appointed as a warder immediately after completing his matriculation.
He had interest in studies since his childhood. He continued to study even as he did a job. When he got the BA degree, he was promoted as the chief warder. In order to become Assistant Warden, it was necessary to get the BA degree. Many vacancies for scheduled castes were vacant simply because candidates did not have the requisite qualification. Santokh Singh was the first Dalit (low caste) warder who had fulfilled these two conditions. After three years, he became Assistant Warden. Very soon, he would become Deputy Superintendent. People guessed he would retire after becoming Jail Superintendent.
Santokh Singh had made unequalled progress in all fields. No one could guess from his finely worn clothes and style of speech that once he used to go to fields along with his mother to cut grass.
Santokh Singh forgot every part of his background but one thing always followed him. When his mother was young, she used to be raped in the landlord’s mansion and his sister used to be raped in the fields. When he grew up, he realized that Dalit women were the objects of pleasure and sexual gratification for rich people and landlords. They could have taste of these women whenever they wished to do so.
Santokh Singh always had this fire burning in his chest. He did not go to the female ward for his sexual satisfaction but for the sake of putting out that fire that had been burning since his childhood years.
By playing with the dignity of upper-caste women, he felt as if he were giving peace to the souls of his ancestors!
In the history ticket, Hema’s name had been entered as Hema Malini. Otherwise, she used to call herself Hema Sharma.
Till date, Santokh Singh had made the women of all castes bow before his masculinity. What was left was taking away the dignity of a Brahmin (high caste) woman. After a lot of wait, a Brahim woman had come under his control. He became restless to hook Hema and make her his next prey.
Hema Sharma was sentenced to five years in jail on the charge that she had been running a brothel in Maya Nagar. Her appeal had been pending in the High Court for the last one and a half year. As soon as the court hearing started, she was supposed to be released. Hema had not allowed even a single witness to depose against her in the trial court. She had made all of them turn hostile. However, she judge sitting in his chair thought he was a dharmaputra (god of truth). In every appearance of Hema in the court, he used to give her advice. Hema used to listen to his advice but ignore it later. Hema could also give a good, long speech describing her helplessness. However, she thought it better to keep quiet. There was no use playing flute before the buffalo. When the judge saw that his sermons were falling on deaf ears, he became irritated with Hema. If she could not be held guilty according to legal norms, it did not matter. The eyes and ears of the judge were wide open. The entire Maya Nagar knew that she used to misguide innocent girls and motivate them to indulge in immoral activities. She deserved sentence on moral grounds. He collected evidence and documents from here and there and sentenced Hema to five years in jail. Till the time she was released, she would come to her senses. This sentence was sufficient for her.
Really, Hema had realized what jail term actually was.
Her flesh trade business was in doldrums, given that she was in jail. Other flesh traders had persuaded her girls and put them to work at their own brothels. If Hema had to stay in jail for another year, she would have to ask for alms outside a temple or mosque.
The inmate friends of Hema tried to persuade her, “Santokh Singh is an officer with influence and reference. The son of his aunt is a lawyer in the High Court. He comes to the Jail to procure court cases every week. Santokh helps his brother. The female prisoner who appoints him as her lawyer is released from this hell.”
Hema was nearly forty years of age. Her skin had started sagging. The streaks of white hair had started looking from her head. However, Hema knew how to remain well dressed with fine make-up to hide her real age. She was getting a hefty dividend of this very wisdom. Attracting the Assistant Warden towards her body was a matter of peeling peas for her.
The fire met the oil and both of them burned in the passion so created.
On the alibi of getting the advice of the lawyer, the Assistant Warden used to call Hema to his office every week. From there he used to take her to his apartment.
Hema was adept at doing her job. She had never allowed even a single girl working at her brothel to become pregnant due to her customers.
God knows how she was trapped in this pregnancy.
For four months, she did not let any one know about what had really happened. She was in a fix. Sometimes, she thought of giving birth to the baby. She had not conceived for the first ten years. That way, it could have affected her business. Then, nature turned away from her. For the next ten years, she tried hard but could not become pregnant. If God had blessed her with a child, why should not she accept it as the gift from Him?
This was the best opportunity to deliver a baby. During the course of the jail term, she would deliver the child. No one would ever know about it outside the Jail. After getting released, Hema would become a young “job worthy” girl once again.
Her real name was not Hema. It was her professional name. The girls like Hema used to have twenty-odd names to make fool of people. They would name themselves Hema, Sadhna, or Bobby at different occasions. Her real name was Raj Dulari. According to the jail records, the child would be born to Hema Malini. No body would ever know which Hema Malini had given birth to the child.
However, there was only one hitch. May be there was a girl in her womb. She did not want to put her daughter in her profession. But she could not survive by leaving her profession either. The news of Hema getting pregnant spread throughout the womens’ jail. Hema started getting congratulations from all sides.
Before receiving such greetings, she was ashamed at the first instance. What had she done? Then, her mind was filled with a feeling of satisfaction. She became eager to become a mother. Her wavering mind became stable. Let the people say anything. She would take the Krishna as a gift for her from the Mathura jail as had been the situation in case of Lord Krishna.
When Santokh Singh got the news, he came running to the female ward. Hema confirmed the news.
For many days, Santokh Singh moved around in the Jail like a mad inebriated elephant. He told the prisoners about the spicy tales of how he had made a Brahmin woman pregnant.
Suddenly this state of inebriation started getting converted into grief. A rumour spread, “A complaint has been filed against Santokh. The head office has appointed an investigating officer. The enquiry can start on any day. The DNA test of Hema’s child can be got done.”

Santokh again ran to meet Hema. “Before the investigating officer arrives, you should get the abortion done,” he started giving his order to Hema.
Hema raised a hue and cry. She talked to the child day and night. She was thinking about his or her future at all times. She would never get the abortion done.
She said, “ I shall give a statement to the investigating officer. I will tell him that I have not been misguided by any man and no one has raped me either. I am giving birth to this child due to my sweet will. I would never tell any one that this is your child.”
Santokh Singh did not expect this from Hema. He tried to convince her again, “The investigating officer would ask with whom you had sex even as you were in Jail? People would inform him in a jiffy that it was me. I would be caught in this quagmire.”
However, Hema did not budge an inch from her old stance.
Santokh Singh went to meet the doctor. He took him to the female ward and got Hemna examined. The doctor said, “The foetus is six months old. If abortion is carried out, the mother and child both would be in danger.”
Santokh Singh begged the doctor to undertake the abortion. He gave him a bundle of money too. He reminded him of their old friendship.
He said to the doctor, “We have got many abortions done earlier as well. All of those whose foetuses were aborted are fit as a fiddle. If Hema dies, even then, we stand to gain. The proof of her becoming pregnant would also be destroyed along with her.”
The doctor could not put his own job at risk to save the job of Santokh.
“The informer, who has filed a complaint against you, can also do the same against me if I agree to do the abortion,” saying this, he advised Santokh, “You should take Hema to civil hospital. Every type of expert physician is available there. They would give the cure for your ailment.”
The doctor helped Santokh even further. He declared that Hema was seriously ill due to typhoid fever. He recommended that she should be taken to the civil hospital for the purpose of proper treatment.

Hema resisted this move. She said, “I am all right. Why are you shifting me to the civil hospital?”
When Santokh took her to the civil hospital, the doctors there gave the same advice that had been given by Dr. Shakti Kumar. They said, “We cannot carry out the abortion without the consent of Hema. She has been opposing your move to get the foetus aborted. If we tried to do it by force, she would trap us along with you. The signs of abortion on the mother’s body do not fade so easily.”
Then, they gave another advice. They suggested that Santokh Singh should wait for one month. The child could be delivered in the seventh month itself; Hema could be saved and the child would be done away with.
Santokh found this idea to be practical.
He talked with the head office. The enquiry was deferred for two months.
Now, there was rumour in the Jail, “Next month, Hema would be forcibly taken to civil hospital. The child would be delivered in its seventh month and killed. Then, Santokh would go scot free.”

Episode 43

Hakim and the prisoners of the other barracks were not allowed to meet each other without any purpose. He was allowed neither to write letters nor to say anything in anyone’s support.
Nevertheless, he used to get the news of any good or bad event that might have taken place in the Jail.
Hakim knew the news about the harsh treatment meted out to Modan; all of a sudden, this news had spread in the entire Jail. In order to help Hari Om, the staff ranging from the warders up to the Jail Superintendent had rushed towards the hospital. Everyone was speaking the same dialogue, “Hari Om does not have the courage to kill an ant. As Modan had committed a heinous act because of his sexual starvation, Hari Om had also committed a grave mistake due to his deep religious sentiments. He deserves pardon.”
The marriage of Dr. Shakti Kumar’s sister-in-law was to be held. He was on leave for three days. The doctor who had come to replace him was terrified to the core. He was not ready to temper with the record. The Jail Superintendent wanted that the doctor should show that Modan had fallen from the top of a heap of wooden logs. The doctor was not willing to file this report. The patient was serious. Anything could happen. He was not prepared to take any risk.
The doctor made a report of the injuries received by Modan and sent it to the police station so that the police could take appropriate action. For two days, the patient would not gain consciousness. By the time he gained consciousness, Dr. Shakti Kumar would arrive. Then, Dr. Shakti Kumar and Modan would be left to settle between themselves.
Thus, the doctor took out the dead snake from his neck and put it around the neck of the police.
The Jail staff used their public relations skills to persuade the SHO. Randhir Singh contacted the Police Superintendent and said, “For the sake of a prisoner, no jail employee should suffer.” Further, the Jail Superintendent assured

the Police Superintendent, “As soon as the prisoner acquires consciousness, I would somehow get the matter settled.”
The police and the jail staff are like milk in water. They dealt with each other on a daily basis. The police deferred the case till Modan came to his senses and filed his statement.
The doctor gave costly and strong medicines to Modan and made him fit and healthy. He gave him rest for one month. He got him waiver from hard labour.
Hari Om expressed regrets to Modan with a sullen face. Modan’s anger vanished.
Then, the police came to record Modan’s statement. He deposed, “I went to collect wooden logs for the kitchen. My foot slipped. A standing wooden stick accidentally entered my anus.”
The doctor confirmed Modan’s statement. He wrote, “The injury occurred to the patient since the wooden stick had got inside his anus. This accident has occurred naturally.”
The matter was dismissed.
The Jail activities continued as they used to take place on other normal days.
Locked in his room, Hakim was shaking with anger because of the injustice that had been meted out to Modan.
He thought, “In the eyes of the law, all animals are alike. There is no difference between a female calf of a cow and that of a buffalo. He was undergoing the sentence for the crime he had committed. Hari Om did not have any right to give him extra punishment.”
“Hari Om has committed a crime. He must get the punishment for the same,” concluded Hakim.
He wanted to raise this issue with senior officers. During the circumstances that were prevalent earlier, he would have raised this issue on his own. However, during the present circumstances, the witness could not have become proactive, given that the complainant was reluctant in the matter.
Hakim could only grind his teeth. He used to do that all day long.
Then, he got the clues about the Hema Pregnancy Scam. He was happy on one hand. While trying to reverse the cycle of history and considering woman as a sex toy, Santokh Singh had finally realized what lay ahead of him.
He was sad too. If Hema contacted him, he could save both mother and her child.
Just like Hakim, Hema was locked inside the four walls of the Jail, utterly helpless. Just like Hema, Hakim also could not do anything except take a deep sigh.


Episode 44

The CM was extremely worried. The riddle was getting more convoluted by the day. The intelligence department had started reporting in clear words, “Somehow, tame this Samiti. If it does not bring its activities to zero, it can at least reduce their number and intensity. If it cannot be tamed, the party in power as well as the CM cannot win the ensuing elections.”
During these elections, the CM was incurring double loss. It had been eight years since Bunty had been murdered. The people in favour of Lala Ji had already forgotten Bunty. Lala Ji himself was bed-ridden. The activities of the Yuva Sangh had reduced with time. Since the Samiti had named the real killers in the Bunty murder case and decimated the fake investigation and report of the police, the remaining workers of the Yuva Sangh had stopped supporting the CM.
During the last elections, the issue of nabbing the killers of Bunty and getting them punishment at the hands of the law had worked very well in the favour of the CM. At that time, neither was the Samiti so powerful nor were people agreeing to the contention that Pala and Meeta were innocent.
This time, the same issue had become the sore of the eyes of the party in power.
The election rallies were becoming very useful for the Samiti. By bringing people from diverse backgrounds and criminal history, the Samiti was putting the government to shame in public. The leaders of the ruling party were finding it difficult to face the ordinary masses. If the situation continued till the day of voting, the results would be the ones that the intelligence department had already predicted.
The political advisers of the CM advised him, “We must identify the mood of the masses. Earlier, they were demanding the arrest and hanging of the real killers of Bunty through a legal course. We gave in to their demand. We won with huge margins in the previous elections. Now, if people want these killers to be released, we should release them. Win the hearts of people once again and you would win elections. The supporters of Bunty are too few to be counted now. There is sheer gain in going ahead with this deal.”
Agreeing to the suggestion of his advisers, the CM contacted the Samiti and sent his proposals to it. The CM proposed, “All your demands are justified. After coming back to power, I would present the very first bill in the state assembly to effect law reforms. Pala and Meeta would be declared innocent. Strict action would be taken against those police officers who had made false case against them. They would be adequately compensated for the defamation that they had faced due to the case. Besides, both of them would get government jobs.”
The CM further added, “For getting interim relief, the Samiti should file the bail applications of the accused in the High Court. The government would instruct the public prosecutor not to oppose that application. Rather, it would tell him to assist the accused in the process of getting bail.”
The Samiti was fully aware of these foxy moves of the CM. Once the CM and his party would come back to power, they would refuse to recognize the Samiti or Pala and Meeta’s case.
Besides, the struggle of the Samiti was not against a particular person. The Samiti cadres knew that if the people sitting at the top of administration were changed, the entire structure was not going to be transformed forever. Their struggle would continue till the achievement of the final objective.
The Samiti hit back with a reply, “If the CM is so much positive and willing from his heart about the demands of the Samiti, he should release Pala and Meeta with immediate effect. The government should arrest the real killers before the voting day.”
However, the CM was not ready to swap his horses in the battlefield, given that elections were on the anvil.
When the opposition saw that the Samiti and CM had locked their horns over the issue, it contacted the Samiti cadres.
They said to the Samiti cadres, “Your struggle has been in our favour. If you join hands with us and support us openly, we would definitely succeed in winning the state elections.”
They also offered lucrative deals in lieu of the support the Samiti would give to them. They stated that the representatives of the Samiti would be included in the law reforms committee. The Samiti cadres would have complete supremacy in all jail welfare boards. Pala and Meeta would be released as soon as the government would take oath for the next term in office.
The Samiti cadres told the opposition cadres, “We are not participating in elections. You have to fight this battle on your own.”
During the election days, the objectives of the Samiti began to be achieved. The issue of outdated laws and of making them people-oriented became a hotly debated issue. Every political party started adopting this issue to woo the voters.
Everyday, during election rallies, every party started making promises that law reforms would be effected if they were brought to power. These promises started occupying important places in election manifestos of all parties.
On the final day of the election campaign, the opposition party announced, “Upon coming to power, we shall release Pala and Meeta first. We shall present the law reform bill during the very first session in the legislative assembly.”
The Samiti cadres kept doing their work, without being affected by these fascinating yet misleading promises.


Episode 45

The CM lost miserably in the elections; so did his party.
Some organizations associated with the Samiti were quite close to the party of the new CM. During the election days, some leaders of Istri Sabha and Helpline had suggested to the Samiti, “The Samiti should support the opposition party. In lieu of this support, the opposition party would agree to the demands of the Samiti after coming to power.” However, the Samiti had somehow made them understand that it was not appropriate for them to support a single party.
Although these organizations had not openly supported the new CM, their sympathies were certainly with him. They expected that the new CM would fulfil his promises after coming to power.
These supporters watched the oath taking ceremony of the CM holding their breath They were expecting that after taking oath, the new CM would announce the release of Pala and Meeta.
When this expectation did not come true, they were rather disappointed. Baba Gurdit Singh told them, “My dear friends! During the election days, the CM had participated in election campaigns in more than one hundred constituencies. Every election constituency has its own problems. He had to repeat the same sentence at all places that he would meet their demands immediately after taking oath. ‘Meeting demands immediately after taking oath’ is an idiom for the political people. You should wait. The CM is supposed to implement many promises he has made. As these promises come to his mind, he would continue to execute them in that order.”
Then, another news began to be published in newspapers.
The newspapers reported, “The MLAs of the new CM are a disgruntled lot. The number of ministerial berths is much smaller than the number of claimant MLAs. How would the CM distribute too few portfolios among so many MLAs?”
The CM took one month in resolving these issues.


When the ministry was constituted, there was a hue and cry once again. Every minister was asking for a department that would help him earn enough under the table. Another month was spent in resolving this issue.
His supporters started watching TV to see the coverage of the CM’s programmes. They started reading each word being published in newspapers. All problems of the CM had been solved. Now, he could announce the release of Pala and Meeta and start the law reform process at any point of time.
These innocent people did not know that the previous government had focused on filling its own coffers rather than adding more revenues to the state exchequer. The new government had acquired losses and loans worth crores of rupees as a legacy from the previous government. The first challenge before the new government was to fill the state exchequer with funds. If one had money in one’s pocket, one could think of solving issues. Then, the government would be able to think about development as well.
The CM was busy collecting suggestions about the types of new taxes that could be imposed on people. Currently, he did not have time to waste on useless issues like law or prisoners.
Nevertheless, he had not forgotten the promises he had made. He also wanted to fulfil those promises. However, there is appropriate time to do every task. People’s memory is very weak. If he fulfilled all the promises he had made, people would forget them by the next elections. If the government made a single mistake, people would certainly remember it. He would fulfil all the promises he had made at a time when the next elections would be round the corner; that way he would earn the kudos from people too. He would encash that encomium bestowed upon him during the next elections. In any case, one gets the full value of the work done by going through the hard grind.
The CM was looking for an opportune moment.
When the CM’s supporters saw that the promises were not being fulfilled, they gave in. The Samiti stepped up its activities as well rhetoric against the CM and the government.

The Samiti got the promises made by CM printed on big posters. It pasted them on walls of all villages, town, and cities so that people might be able to recall the promises made.
The Samiti had good knowledge of the stay of the CM in jail. He had written a book about his experiences in jail. In that book, he had described in detail the pitiable condition of prisoners. God knows why he had stopped considering that life not uncomfortable now.
The Samiti got the special portions of the book published and started distributing them during congregations and rallies.
The Samiti cadres started writing articles in newspapers. Citing references from the CM’s book, they asked him why he did not take any step to introduce jail reforms.
The CM was not ignorant of the activities of the Samiti.
When he noticed that the Samiti was stepping up its activities, he made a plan to cut down their enthusiasm.
The party in power organized a rally in the city in which the Samiti had its headquarters. Through the newspaper advertisements, people were informed, “During the course of the rally, the CM would make some major announcements.”
The representatives of the CM contacted the Samiti and told them, “The CM is about to frame a new policy about legal reforms. The Samiti should give in writing what it really wants. Committees would be formed to suggest legal reforms. The Samiti should give a list of its cadres who would be the representatives of the Samiti in such committees.”
The Samiti saw through the trick of the CM. He was making the Samiti beat the air. The government wanted to linger on the issue and pass time by appointing committees.
The Samiti suggested, “There is no need to form new committees. We had many committees earlier too. Take the dust off the reports made by the previous committees. Do not waste time. Do quickly whatever is to be done.”


The CM did not accept this suggestion. Why should he acknowledge the work by the previous governments? He wanted to take credit for the work to be done by himself.
“If the Samiti does not co-operate, it doesn’t matter. I have made promises to the people, not to the leaders of the Samiti,” stating this, the CM ignored the Samiti.
According to the plan, a large congregation was organized in the city. The law minister delivered a long speech regarding the need to reform laws.
Amidst the applause of people, the CM made some announcements. He told people, “It is not so easy to bring about law reforms. When the British had made laws for the Indians, they had taken twenty years in deliberating about such laws. Most laws have been passed by the union government. Only the union government can amend those laws. Before reforming laws, it is very important to get the advice of legal experts.”
Thus, keeping that need of legal experts in view, the government declared that a new law commission would be constituted. A retired judge of the High Court was made the chairman of that commission. It was declared that he would get facilities that were available to a cabinet minister. The names of other members of the commission were also announced. The commission was directed to submit its report within one year.
An advisory committee was constituted to advise the government. For this committee, the representatives of political and social service organizations were nominated besides the government officials. It was declared that these members would get the same facilities as the government officers used to get; this was done to prove how much important these members were. A cabinet committee was constituted to deliberate over the suggestions received from the commission and the secretary of the advisory committee.
It was also announced that all laws would be reformed within a period of three years.
The CM felt sorry for not releasing Pala and Meeta. Then, he explained his helplessness, “The sessions court has declared that they are guilty of murder. The case is subjudice and under the consideration of the High Court. Interfering in the court matters is beyond the government’s jurisdiction.”

Nevertheless, a special team was constituted to investigate the Bunty murder case once again under the supervision of IG (Crime). The team was directed that it should complete the investigation within three months.
The Samiti was asked to present the evidences of the innocence of Pala and Meeta and the guilt of Harmanbir before the team.
The CM once again repeated his statement, “The recommendation of this team would be implemented immediately. This case would not be prolonged as the previous CM had done.”


Episode 46

Gurnam’s men had spread a vast network in the Jail. Many of his men worked in the kitchen. They used to get pouches of drugs along with the big teapots. These drugs would be handed over to Jail warders. The warder used to send the entire consignment to each head of the barrack appointed by Gurnam. The head of barrack would deliver the goods to prisoners of that barrack. By the time tea was served, the cook and the warder would settle the accounts. The warder would give the earnings of the previous day to the Munshi. The Munshi would, in turn, take out the shares of the officials from that amount and send the rest of the amount to the drug supplier. The business as well as the accounting had been going on with perfect honesty.
The Jail rules provided that every month, each barrack was to be searched. That way, the erring prisoners would always remain alert.
Searching the barrack of opium addicts was an act full of danger. From here, the search team could find quintals of poppy-husk, many kilograms of opium, and scores of boxes full of drug tablets. Due to this, both the prisoners and the officials could be defamed.
In order to save both the sides from utter disgrace, Gurnam and Jail administration had reached an agreement that the administration would give prior information about the search to Gurnam well in advance. Gurnam would alert his men. The men would save opium addicts. If something incriminating was recovered on any one’s person, he would be responsible for the consequences.
Today, the drug and opium pouches had not arrived along with tea kettles. The message was clear—the barrack could be searched at any point of time.
The addicts got the hint and started making efforts to save their skin.
Sadhu Singh used to keep big quantities of drugs with him. He did not know how to keep account on a daily basis. Every week, his wife used to pay him a visit. She used to give him many things as well as a five-hundred rupee note. He used to buy poppy-husk in bulk with this money. He used to consume it in small quantities. He had purchased some poppy-husk yesterday only. He had ample surplus poppy-husk stock. Sadhu became anxious to do away with this material. He thought that if he gave it to his fellow inmates, they would not pay for the material. If he gave it to the warder, he would never return it. If he threw it in the gutter, he would waste the entire money. He contacted four opium addicts like Nandu and sold the entire material at whatever price he could get.
Nandu was a hard opium addict. He used to consume whatever quantities he could lay his hands on. Miffed by his habit, his family members had fixed a quota for him. According to his fixed quota, he used to get his bag in the morning. He used to finish the bag by the night. He would pass the night with great difficulty due to the lack of material. The day of search would prove to be the most difficult one for him. If he did not take his drug along with tea, his heart would start sinking and his stomach would start having cramps. He would start yawning miserably. His heart would start pounding at a fast rate. He would not be able to complete the tasks allocated to him. When he did not complete his labour job properly, he would get thrashing from the Jail staff. The danger of getting imprisoned in the reclusive cell would loom large over him. There would be so many complications due to this addiction. When he heard the fateful news that search was about to be undertaken, he started making efforts. He begged the fellow inmates, “Please give me the material for just one day. Charge whatever rate you wish to—double or triple.” Sadhu solved his problem. Nandu bought his material. He put one half of it in his mouth and the other half in his pocket. He thought that as soon as the raiding party would enter the barrack compound, he would put the rest of the material lying in his pocket into his mouth. That way, he would be saved from the agony of frisking. He would also not remain without the drug he badly missed during the raids.
The gang of Dravid had an understanding with the warder. They put their drug tablets and injections in a sack, wrote their names on it and handed over the sack to the warder. They thought they would take the sack from the warder after the search party had left.
Those, who could not sell their material or hide it, took big doses of the drug in one go. “If the drug is taken in small quantities, the kick is not felt,” they said while consuming the entire stock. Today, they would remain on the seventh heaven throughout the day and have a link-up with the Almighty!
Within two hours, the entire barrack was cleaned of drugs and other intoxicants.
All inmates and employees of the Jail knew that Basant was not a drug addict. Even then, his heart was pumping at the fastest pace. He was feeling as if the search party were going to victimize an innocent person.
Basant had been sentenced to ten years in jail due to the crime of transporting poppy-husk in his truck. He had already passed seven years of sentence. Because of his good moral character and good nature, his sentence of three years had been waived. He could be released on any day. An order to this effect was awaited from the top authorities.
Instead of getting that order, he started receiving the messages of the office clerks, “Tell Basant to send the bribe money quickly.”
The clerks argued, “A prisoner sees the day of release only after praying for it a hundred times and making promises to the Almighty. We also want to take part in these celebrations of release. Send five thousand rupees for our cocktail party.”
The Deputy Superintendent would sometimes convey this message to Basant and at some other times, he would remain quiet.
Ranjit Singh knew Basant in and out. There was no one in the name of his kin. No one had come to meet him for the past three years. He was unable to give this much amount to Jail staff.
Basant was not ignorant of the Jail traditions. He knew about the need to arrange money during the last days of the sentence period. He had been saving money for the past many years to foot that bill at the right time. However, it was jail. Here, one would not make money; rather, one would spend it.
Basant was blessed with a small skill. During his youth, he had learnt to massage people’s bodies. He had pleased his teacher a lot with this skill. He had learnt this skill in just three years which would otherwise take ten years to master. He had pleased many an employee of the Jail by massaging their bodies. Because

of their permission, he would go to Class B Barrack and earn some money due to his skill. He would spend a part of the money earned and save the rest.
After using all austerity measures, he had saved eighteen hundred rupees. He had put all the money in front of the Deputy Superintendent. However, the clerks refused to accept this meager amount.
According to jail rules, the prisoner had to be released within one month of the date on which the case of the release reached the head office. The clerks scanned the file with their thick spectacles. Basant’s record in jail was absolutely clean like glass. Red ink was not used even once on his history ticket. Despite all efforts of the clerks, the release order had crossed all hurdles and reached the table of IG (Prisons). The IG would not use any alibis. He would sign the order and send it back. That way, the prisoner would be released without giving any bribe to clerks. The clerks were worried about the long-term implications of this event, not the free-of-cost release of Basant. If the prisoners started getting released without giving them bribe, who would come to pay them in future? They would starve to death in this era of high inflation!
The clerks made a plan. They resolved, “In order to protect our earnings, we must put some hindrance in the release process.”
In order to give Basant a last chance, the clerical staff contacted the Deputy Superintendent. Earlier, the release order used to arrive late but the kin of the prisoner contacted them much earlier. In most cases, the exchange of the bribe amount used to be done through the Deputy Superintendent. He collected the money from the kin of the prisoner or from the prisoner himself and deliver it to the clerks. This time, he was a silent spectator.
The Deputy Superintendent took the side of the prisoner. He told the clerks that Basant had given all that he had. He told them, “Even the satan spares a few of his would-be victims. Have pity on this cow-like person. In the next two months, two rich prison inmates would be released. I would get you compensated from them.”
However, the clerks refused to budge an inch from their previous stand.

“Let the clerks and the prisoner settle on their own,” thinking so, the Deputy Superintendent kept mum over the episode.
Ranjit Singh wanted from the core of his heart that Basant ought to be released. He had given many pardons and waivers to Basant. He had also recommended for his early release to his own seniors. He wished that Basant’s release should not face any obstacle at least due to lack of funds on his part.
Ranjit Singh could not keep quiet. Day in or night out, he would call Basant and tell him, “These clerks are a very spoiled lot. They might create any obstacle in your release order.”
Basant would agree with him. He wanted to pay the money. But wherefrom could he arrange it?
Once, Basant had asked him with tearful eyes, “Can I sell my kidney or an eye?”
Unable to answer this question, the Deputy Superintendent had also become tearful.
From that day onwards, both of them left everything to the will of Almighty.
When Ranjit Singh also distanced himself from the issue, the clerks organized a meeting among themselves.
The administrative officer of the Jail office was a veteran and most experienced man. After a lot of thinking, he gave the suggestion, “There is only one way to make Basant complete the full sentence period. Involve him in a new court case. He is not a man who would fight and engage in conflict. Hence, it is difficult for us to make one of our loyal prisoners fight with him. Drugs are commonly sold in the jail. Somehow, get some opium transplanted in his pocket. If this happens, we would be able to kill two birds with one stone. Bringing drugs into the jail premises is a crime. Hence, the waivers and pardons granted to the prisoner can be cancelled. Having drugs and sedatives on one’s person is another offence. Under the law dealing with drug smuggling, Basant can be sentenced yet again.”
Ranjit Singh was again selected to implement the plan of clerks.
“He is a domineering officer. A prisoner like Basant becomes the object of his attention only once in many years. He is cruel towards most prisoners. His complaints reach the head office every now and then. If we do not favour him, can lose his job and go home forever by the evening. He should be ordered to pay for what we have done for him till date,” the clerks’ congregation decided with one voice.
First of all, Ranjit Singh remained in the denial mode. Since the clerks were too stubborn to be persuaded, Ranjit Singh had to bow before their demands. “The clerks are right. I am stable at my post in the most profitable jail of the state for illegal earnings only because of the blessings of these clerks. How long would the goats mother remain safe from the butcher? The clerks are hell-bent upon going their way. Basant would certainly be axed. If I will not take this step, someone else would do it. I will have to eat this bitter pill. If one’s own dear one strikes, he will have some safety consideration somehow,” thinking this, Ranjit Singh decided to implement the clerks’ plan.
In order to implement the clerk’s resolve, a plan was made to search the barrack of addicts.
Basant closed his eyes and started waiting for the raiding officials.
During the afternoon, the expected raiding took place.
Five warders, two Assistant Wardens, and the Deputy Superintendent stormed into the barrack. As soon as they arrived, the prisoners were ordered, “Stay where you are and raise your hands.”
The prisoners stood up and raised their hands.
The warders entered into the barrack. They opened all trunks, cans, bags and sacks. They found nothing from any spot they searched.
They found a round mirror from the person of a prisoner. The chief warder confiscated the same. “The mirror can be broken and a prisoner can use it to hurt other prisoners,” he gave the rationale against keeping the mirror with him.
One prisoner had a long pin for setting the hair under the turban. “This pin can be used to cut the belly of some one,” stating this, the second warder confiscated that pin.
The search went on for one hour. When no objectionable item was recovered, they found their mission to be failing.
Angry with the lower-level staff, the Deputy Superintendent started abusing them and began to search the belongings of prisoners himself.
The prey was nabbed in the very first raid by him.
Basant had put a long fiber tube in the passage for passing girdle cord through his pyjamas. The tube was searched. It contained opium.
“Lo! The informer was not lying. Here is the opium!” stating this, Ranjit Singh caught Basant from his neck and took him towards the gallery.
“I am innocent. You know I do not take drugs. It is very costly. It is beyond my reach,” Basant pleaded.
However, no one was supposed to pay heed to his cries, so no one did.
“Every criminal says that after he is caught,” stating this, the Deputy Superintendent started dialing the telephone to call the police.
Before leaving with the police, Basant begged the Deputy Superintendent by lying on his feet, “You know why I am being implicated in this. Please have mercy on me.”
“I know that but what can I do? I am bound by the orders,” stating this, Ranjit Singh’s throat was choked due to emotion and so he could not speak further. Other employees might not find out his weakness; so he covered his face with a handkerchief on the alibi of coughing.
Basant fumed throughout the night in the police lock-up. “What did you earn by becoming noble?” he asked himself time and again.
Basant was born in the river-bed region of Punjab. By killing hundreds of snakes and making dams on the river bank, his father had been able to make four acres of land worthy of ploughing. If Indra, the god of rains, blessed his land, he would produce nearly two hundred kilograms of foodgrains. If the rain god was angry and brought excessive rain, the entire crop would be washed away in the deluge waters.


The Rai Sikhs were changing their professions due to this unpredictable weather. Basant made friends with drivers. When there used to be no work at home, he would go out with drivers.
He revered his Ustad, teacher, from the core of his heart. Pleased with Basant’s work, his teacher made him a driver from a labourer within three years. He also got Basant a permanent driving licence. Then, he arranged a job for him.
Basant continued to save drops which eventually became an ocean. One day, he brought his own truck and parked it at the truck union.
With the ownership of the truck, he got a good matrimonial offer and was soon married. Within a year, he became the father of a son.
He also adopted the habit of taking opium and drinking Poppy-husk, just like other truck drivers. His driver colleagues told him, “Now, you own a truck. The owners never take drugs in small quantities. Whenever you go on a trip, bring one bagful along with you.” Besides, they also told him the addresses of the places where the profitable drugs could be procured.
The owner of a Punjabi dhaba (roadside eatery), gave him yet another piece of advice, “Whenever you go to Rajasthan, bring one bagful of puppy-husk as extra. Drop it at my dhaba later. You will get five hundred rupees per bag.”
During the fourth trip, Basant was arrested.
Basant learnt in jail how harsh the law dealing with drug dealers was. He rotted for one year in the jail; the truck rotted at the police station for the same duration. There was no hope of his release on bail. Hundreds of problems were faced even when the truck was to be released by the police. The enforcement officers of law wanted the bad elements making people drug addicts to die in the jail after a painful stint in it. They also wanted the vehicles carrying such drugs to decay in police stations in sun and rain.
Basant was worried equally about his truck which he had managed to buy with his sweat and blood. Besides, his wife was also to be saved, for she was forced to look towards the people in his neighbourhood.
Besides the law, his real brothers also became revengeful towards him.

Firstly, his elder brother got a power of attorney executed in his own name and met Basant. He said, “I have talked to the police and the judge. We would pay some bribe to them and get the vehicle released. The running vehicle would remain maintained and safe. Besides, your wife would be able to earn something.”
The younger brother got the power of attorney for land made in his own name and met Basant. He stated, “We are short of money. That is why we have not been able to get you released on bail. I have talked to a lawyer of the High Court. He would get you released on bail. He would also get you acquitted from this case. If we have enough money, we can help you come out of jail.”
After six months, the attitudes of both brothers started changing. When his wife would come to see him in Jail, she would cry, “The elder one does not give a penny to me out of the earnings accruing from the truck. If I ask him, he says that the expenses incurred on repair have not been compensated yet. The police had taken out many parts of the truck. Sometimes, he would say that when the truck was got released from the police, he had to spend a lot of money on its repair. He would also plead that he had to pay the interest on loan taken from the money-lender.”
When Basant questioned his elder brother, the latter would become angry. Due to this irritation, he stopped coming to meet Basant. He got the truck transferred in his own name. He got his name painted on it in large letters.
The younger brother put his land on mortgage first. Sometimes, he would say that the fee of the lawyer had to be paid. Sometimes, he would state that the witnesses had to be made hostile. Then, he would state that more funds could not be arranged from the mortgage account. He would also say that the interest on mortgage had increased. Then, he sold off the land without the consent of Basant.
Basant raised grudge against this act of his younger brother. He felt bad about it and also stopped coming to meet him.
If any person used to come from the village to meet him, he would give him grief in place of happiness. Someone said “Your wife is going through a very bad patch. She washes utensils at the homes of neighbours.” Someone else would

say, “It seems she has lost courage. Nowadays, she is seen moving about in the city, sitting behind her brother-in-law’s bicycle.”
Basant quarreled with his wife. She also gave him a piece of her mind. Then, she also stopped coming to the Jail.
For the past three years, no one from his family had come to meet him. That was the price of Basant’s nobleness!
Basant remembered Bholu Pehalwan who had been released only recently. He started thinking that he should have worked openly, just like Bholu Pehalwan. He should have brought one truck full of poppy-husk, not just four or five bagfuls. Instead of hiding from the police, he should have shared the earnings of drug pedaling with them. Then, he would have become the owner of twenty trucks, bungalows, many cars, and scores of farms. His children would have also studied in English schools. His wife would wear black glasses and go to clubs along with him, instead of eloping with his brother. The police officials would have stood outside his bungalow’s gate to get their share from the illegal earnings. Neither could a police officer dare to register a case against him, nor would any judge have the courage to pass sentence on him.
What reward did the Jail staff give him for his noble character? He got the waiver but it was of no use. Had he indulged in hooliganism in Jail like others and sold drugs, he would have enjoyed his Jail life to the hilt. Instead of remaining a meek fellow, he would have become the disciple of a popular jail goon or even the teacher of a novice. First, he would have become the member of a gang and later, he would have risen to become its top man. There would have been no need to tolerate hunger and penury. His disciples would take him out of Jail on bail. Then, they would have arranged expert counsels to get him acquitted. They would have taken care of the business that had been held up because of his stay in jail.
Basant felt that it was a good thing that his release had been delayed. Had he gone to his village, people would have passed comments on him and drowned him under the sea of their satirical remarks. He had neither land nor home nor wife at the village.

“Enough of nobility!” concluded Basant after deliberating all plus and minus points throughout the night, “Now, I would have to go to jail once again due to this new case. This time, a new Basant would go to jail. A transformed personality of Basant would come out.”
Taking out the old covering like a snake, Basant became a new man. He started preparing how he should present himself before the magistrate.
This time, before making a request, Basant neither caught his muffler to swear nor folded his hands before the magistrate. He expanded his chest and spoke in a loud, domineering voice, “Sir, I want to make a request.”
“Proceed,” the magistrate, who was surprised because of the confiscation of opium in the Jail, gave him the permission to speak.
“Sir, I have been in prison for the past seven years. I was convicted four years ago. Since the day of judgement, I did not go out of Jail for even a single day. For the past three years, no one came to meet me either. Then, wherefrom could opium come into this high security Jail?”
“You should tell me where it came from,” asked the magistrate, for he too was looking for an answer to this question.
A totally brave Basant told the black deeds of whatever was happening inside the Jail.
“I have another request, your honour.”
“Go ahead.”
“I want that a high-level enquiry should be held to find out how drugs and other such materials are sold inside the Jail premises. I should also be included in that investigation.”
That is what the magistrate desired.
He got the statement of Basant recorded and got it signed by him. Then, he wrote his remarks on it, “This is a very serious matter. It must be investigated at a high level. The matter is hereby referred to the honourable Sessions Judge for taking appropriate action in this regard.”


Now, the Jail was agog with discussions regarding the smuggling of drugs besides the cases of Modan and Hema. Prisoners said, “This matter is going to be investigated by the Sessions Judge at a very high level.”



Episode 47

This was the third letter that had come in the name of the sessions judge within a week. In the first two letters, the prisoners had described their agonies. In the third one, they had indulged in mud-slinging on Hirdaypal.
The prisoners were not at fault in doing so. Due to his love for his friend, the sessions judge had ignored his duties.
Confiscation of drugs, opium and other intoxicants was a common thing in Jail. The court cases used to filed and dismissed later.
This was the first time when a prisoner was hell-bent upon getting the entire scam investigated. He said, “There are security guards in every nook and corner of the Jail. Without the wish of the Jail officials, not even a sparrow can come inside the jail premises. Then, how could the opium consignment reach this Jail?”
When Hirdaypal, the sessions judge of Maya Nagar, had taken up this case, his objective was to save his friend, the Jail Superintendent, from any crisis that could arise due to this investigation.
Ranjodh Singh and he were close friends. Both of them were fond of hunting. Both used to go hunting for weeks together. Family relationships had been established. Both families used to dine together either at Hirdaypal’s residence or at Ranjodh’s bungalow at least once a month.
Hirdaypal knew that the Jail Superintendent had no role to play in this scam. Even then, his administrative ability must not invite a blot due to the stupidity of his juniors.
Fed up with the system, Basant was demanding an enquiry. The session judge had to investigate. If the investigations were carried out in a proper manner, the officials would not be able to save their skin. In order to solve this problem, Hirdaypal had warned the Jail administration well in advance and told them, “The matter is serious. Handle it with wisdom.”
The Jail Superintendent asked for a week’s time to resolve the issue. Besides, he convinced Hirdaypal, “I would get Basant’s release order approved within a week. I would persuade him somehow and tell him to withdraw the complaint.”
In order to pass a week, the Sessions Judge issue a ‘show cause’ notice to the Jail administration. He gave them ten days’ time to give a clarification about the issue.
Hirdaypal had thought that by doing so, he was relieved from the legal and moral duties that he was supposed to perform.
But another problem arose for him the next day.
Another application was dropped in the complaint box kept outside the court room of the session judge. It stated, “The incharge warder of the Bachelors’ Barrack has committed another major crime. Instead of punishing the guilty person (Hari Om), the Jail Superintendent, the Jail doctor, and the police have worked in collusion and got statements recorded in his favour. On the basis of those false statements, the police has dismissed the case. The Sessions Judge is requested to intervene. A court case should be filed against Hari Om. He must get punishment according to the law.”
Out of his sincerity for him, Hirdaypal told his friend about this complaint as well. Then, he advised him, “There is a man from your cadres who is trying his best to dethrone you. Try to identify that Vibhishana, the secret agent from inside, at the earliest, else both Lanka and Lankesh are bound to be doomed.”
Ranjodh Singh was not worried about this complaint. Modan had already resigned himself to fate. He had never complained to him about Hari Om. This complaint had been filed by a naughty prisoner, or it had been filed by a member of the Jail staff who was jealous of Hari Om.
“You can enquire into the matter pertaining to this complaint at any point of time. Nothing would come out of it.”
He thought, “I shall go to take a round in the Jail next week. I shall carry out investigation for namesake, sign some documents, and come back. I would escape the chaos and headache of court cases on that day. I shall stay in the Jail and enjoy to my heart’s content.”

Before the date for the Jail visit could be finalised, the postman handed over a registered letter to Hirdaypal.
This complaint was from Hema, the female prisoner jailed in the female ward.
She stated in the application, “Promising me my release, the Assistant Warden, Santokh Singh, called me. He had had sex with me. He made me pregnant that way. He defamed me throughout the Jail. I wanted to give birth to the child. But he wanted me to abort it. I requested the district magistrate through an application about this case. As soon as Santokh Singh got an inkling about that application, he colluded with the doctors of the civil hospital. He got the child delivered through those doctors in its seventh month. Later, he got the child killed. After the stay of three days in the civil hospital, he got me discharged and threw me in the dark dungeon in the jail. My wounds have not healed. Blood is oozing out from my womb. Flies, mosquitoes, and other insects do not let me heave a sigh of relief. Medicines are not being given to me. First of all, the proof of my pregnancy was destroyed. Now, efforts are being made to kill me. The Assistant Warden says that if Hema dies, all evidences would die along with her. Please save my life.”
Upon reading the application, Hirdaypal made up his mind, “Regarding this complaint, it is not appropriate either to inform Jail officials or to delay the investigation.”
He was just thinking about taking an action when a new snake emerged out of the complaint box.
Some unidentified prisoners had written a letter to the judge. It said, “A criminal is sent to jail because of the crimes he has committed and he is supposed to reform himself. The criminal does not become a slave of the government after he is put in prison. During the course of his stay in jail, only a few of his fundamental rights are taken away from him. His discretion is lost. His relations and linkages with society and family are also severed. He has no right to do whatever he wishes to. Despite all this, the rights to read, write, express himself or herself, acquire vocational ability, meditate, pray, and carry out religious rituals remain secure. It is the duty of the government to protect all these rights of prisoners. Unfortunately, the Jail officials, who are the representatives of the government, curb these rights of prisoners. The courts should not watch these proceedings as silent spectators. They should interfere in jail administration. The tenet that ‘the jail administration can handle the prisoner according to its own will and there can be no external interference’ has become obsolete since long. The courts have the right to pull up guilty jail officials. The governments, which have been in deep sleep over such issues, do not have the time to ask about the well-being of prisoners and to change the rules. However, the courts must recognize and do their duties. According to the requirements of the present times, they must explain old rules in the new perspective and contribute towards the creation of a new society. Jails have been the silence zones that are covered by high, thick walls and iron bars. Neither can anyone look outside from their interiors nor can he cry and tell about his tale of woes to those who are outside. Most prisoners are illiterate, poor, and tortured by the vagaries of time. The courts must listen to these deaf, dumb, and meek prisoners. If you do not want to convert a prisoner into a gentleman, it doesn’t matter. But do not make him a beast at least.”
“We expect that you must be having deep knowledge of international law, resolutions passed in favour of prisoners during international conventions, and the principles put forward by social reformers and crime scientists. If you cannot implement these reforms, it does not matter. At least, read the laws and the Jail Manual that were made by the British a hundred and twenty-five years ago to control the slaves and take care of their own interests.”
“The visit to the Jail is not a picnic occasion for the Sessions Judge. He is supposed to examine the barracks, food, clothes, and work places of prisoners. He has to redress the excesses being meted out to them and the bias that they may be facing at the hands of the Jail staff,” the letter continued.
The complainant further stated, “During the Jail visits conducted by you till date, you have never fulfilled even a single duty out of the ones mentioned above. The Jail officials know in advance the date of your visit. A week before that date, the Jail is decorated like a bride. Disinfectants are used. Lime powder is spread at important sites. Latrines are cleaned. Insecticides are scattered at dirty places. Tents are put up in the yard. You are made to sit like a maharaja (king) on a big chair. The officers keep a close vigil around you, as if they were your courtiers! If a prisoner wants to make a request, how could he do so? You are allowed to meet only those prisoners whom the officials want you to meet. You are taken to that very barrack where they want your presence. Only those inmates are presented before you for whom the Jail officials want waivers and pardons. You accept all those suggestions that they give to you.”
“During your very first trip to the Jail, you were taken to the dining hall and served finest varieties of food. You took that food and were pleased with the cooks. So, you accepted the bail applications of cooks. The food being served to you was not the food that is being served to prisoners. One half of the meal had come from a hotel and the other half from the bungalow of the Jail Superintendent. The cooks presented before you were not the prisoners who were bending their back at the Jail kitchen to cook food for prisoners. One of them was a travel agent who had made twelve-odd youths totally paupers by giving them the dream of going abroad. The second person was a pimp who had given dreams of becoming actresses to scores of girls but had landed them in brothels. Keeping in view the background and deeds of these criminals, even the Supreme Court had not accepted their bail applications. The Jail officials had taken a hefty amount for getting them released on bail. Only you know how much share you got,” the application was getting bitter by the word.
“If you want to find out the reality, go into the Jail kitchen. Meet the workers who have been working on the kitchen furnace for years. Analyze their skin that has blackened due to the heat. Check their eyes that have become weak due to the smoke billowing out of the furnace. Check a sample of wheat flour. Taste the lentil that is served for twelve months a year and for thirty days a month. If you want to find out more of truth, go to the foodgrains godown. Rotting wheat is brought from the government godowns at minimal prices. Potatoes are cooked only once a week. Look at their shape; they are as small as peas and are totally black and rotten. Check the spices. See the foul-smelling meat; ask the Jail officials whether it is that of the buffalo’s calf or of the cow’s calf,” the complaint took a dangerous turn now.
“Then, match the diet being given to prisoners with the ration mentioned in the Jail Manual. The cat would automatically come out of the bag,” the complaint continued.
“In the visit after the first one, you were shown the showroom of the factory. You were made to meet two workers of that factory. The shawls, carpets, and tables made by them were praised before you. Those artistic creations had pleased as well as surprised you. Keeping your liking in full view, all those things were packed for you. Probably, you do not know that those prisoners have never seen even the required hand-tools ever since they came to this Jail. You were pleased with these prisoners, so you accepted their appeals and waived their remaining sentences. One of them was Deepa who is the leader of the gang that captures things and property through illegal means. The other one was Nand Lal, the man who had printed fake lottery tickets and caused heavy loses to the state exchequer. The shawls and carpets had been brought from the market outside. The bills for the same were footed by Deepa and Nand Lal. After getting released, they spread their networks once again. They are busy hooking on new customers now,” the anonymous writer continued with vengeance.
“If you want to do your duty with honesty and finesse, go to the wood-saw machine of the Jail. Meet those prisoners who have worn out their shoulders lifting heavy wooden planks over so many years. Listen to their woes. Meet the old women who are weaving carpets and other items in jail. If you want to give them some relief, please do give them in the real sense. Go to the shed where wood items are manufactured. Put some balm on the fingers of those prisoners who have cut their fingers due to handsaws or planes,” the complaint was going on relentlessly.
“During the course of your last trip, you had expressed the desire to visit the female ward. May be, you had thought that the call girls wearing jeans and T-shirts would be imprisoned there. You thought you would go there as if Lord Krishna were going to play the flute amidst the Gopis! Upon finding out your real intention, the Jail Superintendent had become worried. Out of the hundred and twenty-five odd female prisoners, he had been able to pick only six or seven like Hema. They were told to dress up bewitchingly. In the morning, they were bathed with plenty of water. Their hair was done nicely with comb. They were given bindis (forehead spots) and lipsticks to wear. You were purposely not taken to the barrack. They were called in the office itself.”
“The powder and mascara frozen on their faces could not hide the worries residing on their faces. You were satisfied in a jiffy and left after five minutes of audience with those female prisoners.”
“Have a look at the rest of the female prisoners. Someone would have her back protruded and someone else would have her stomach distended. Someone’s face would have dark circles under eyes and some one’s face would be black at eye-pits. Someone’s mouth would be very foul-smelling and someone else would be having teeth covered with yellow grime. Someone’s body would be full of itching germs and someone else would be having itching in her hair. Someone would be a patient of TB and someone else of asthma. Someone would be crying like a lunatic and someone else would be abusing a person. Someone would explain the grief that her daughter had run away from home and someone else would mourn the murder of her young son.”
“Go inside the barrack. Shake the female prisoners who are just like dead bodies. Look into the dungeons in which they live. Look into their life and agonies.”
“There is one more request. Please go to the secluded cells constructed in one corner of the Jail. Meet prisoners who have been locked up there with handcuffs and legcuffs on.”
“Analyze the history tickets of these prisoners. Examine for which crimes they have come to Jail. Ask them for what crimes they have got this imprisonment with handcuffs on?”
“For your information, we shall introduce you to some prisoners locked up in those secluded cells.”

“Amarnath has been kept in cell number one by declaring a sentence of fifteen days in isolation for him. He has been proved guilty of getting a loan approved on fake court papers, getting the loan from a bank, and usurping that loan. His wife is also guilty in this case. She has been imprisoned in the female ward. Before getting retirement, Amarnath was a primary school teacher. He could not construct even a simple house after the toil of lifetime. He was barely able to eke out a living. Fed up with the shortages due to the job, Amarnath had decided to put his son in a business. He did not have much capital. Whatever pension and gratuity amounts he had received were spent on his daughter’s marriage. Upon getting the advice of his friends and reading advertisements in newspapers about the grant of loan at low interest rates, he got a loan approved in his favour. Thus, with that loan amount, he got a soap factory built for his son. Due to lack of experience and capital shortage, the factory had to be closed before it could produce anything. Thus, the loan instalments could not be paid in time. Fed up with the chaos and fuss created by the creditors, his son threw himself under the train and ended his life. When the bank officials saw that they would not be able to get even the principle amount, they filed a case against Amarnath and his wife, accusing them of committing fraud with the bank. Now, both husband and wife are in Jail. Both of them have been totally surrounded by scores of diseases. Add to it, the death of their young son and the hard life of jail; it is miserable life for the couple! They also cannot meet each other to share their sorrows or sufferings. Both of them are becoming half-mad.”
“Amarnath filed an application with the Jail authorities that he should be shifted to the ward adjacent to the female ward. He requested them further to allow the husband and wife to meet for one hour daily. Earlier, many prisoner couples had been granted this facility. The Assistant Warden put scores of demands to accept his term. Had he that much of money, he would not have seen such times. The bank had sealed his house. His daughter and son-in-law used to give some support. But their economic condition was just like that of Amarnath. After all, they were his daughter and son-in-law. Even otherwise, Amarnath was not prepared to use the money provided by the in-laws of his daughter. Tired of all that was going on, Amarnath filed an application before the judge during his last court hearing. The judge accepted the application. Both of them got the permission to meet for two hours on a daily basis. The Assistant Warden became angry over this decision of the court. Who would obey his orders if they started meeting according to the order passed by the court? He devised a plan in a jiffy. On the fourth day, Amarnath was accused of conveying the messages of male prisoners to fermale prisoners through his wife. The charge was proved too. Many witnesses gave statements against Amarnath. First of all, their meetings were cancelled. He opposed the charges framed on him. Then, he was accused of misbehaving with the Jail staff and inciting other prisoners of initiating a riot in the jail. He was thus put in this solitary cell as a punishment of these two offences.”
“After two days, strange voices started emanating from the dungeon of Amarnath. Earlier, he used to remember his dead son and wailed. Now, he abused himself. He would say, ‘I committed a crime by dreaming of making my son wealthy. I am responsible for the death of my son.’ Sometimes, he abused the Assistant Warden. Sometimes, he would start calling his wife. Then, he would abuse her by saying, ‘You do not obey me or listen to me.’ For the past three days, he has been in this state. The Sessions Judge can easily imagine what would come out of that dungeon after fifteen days.”
“Mothu had been put in a secluded dungeon for ten days because of the serious charge that he had tried to escape from the Jail. A week ago, the chief warder had confiscated one screwdriver and a blade for cutting iron from his trunk during a search exercise.”
“Everyone knew what the real crime of Mothu was. He was forced to lift load much more than his capacity at the wood-saw mill. As a result, his knees had become weak. The lubricant of the joints of his shoulders and knees was depleting at a fast pace. The capsules the doctor had recommended for his treatment were very costly. One capsule costs seventeen rupees; he was supposed to take three capsules on a daily basis. He was able to arrange money for the rest of the medicines. However, it was getting difficult for him to arrange money for these capsules.”
“He pleaded, ‘Getting medical treatment for the prisoner is the responsibility of the government. These capsules must be provided to me from the hospital. If at all, they have to be brought from outside, they must be purchased at a reasonable price for me.’ His demand was quite genuine.”
“During the last trip of the Sessions Judge, he had written an application for getting justice. The compounder had got an inkling of that application. He had immediately contacted Dr. Shakti Kumar. He had suggested that this complaint must be withheld. In addition, he called up his maternal uncle, Sardari Lal. He told his uncle that he must use his position as the member of the Prisoner Welfare Board. Mothu should not be allowed to come out of the barrack on the plea that he wants to have a particular medicine. Sardari Lal acted immediately. He warned the Jail officials that if his business suffered, he would not let them fill their coffers either. The Jail administration became active. A message was sent to the incharge of the barrack where Mothu was imprisoned, ‘Before noon, the Sessions Judge would listen to the complaints of prisoners of the first three barracks. The turn of the prisoners of this barrack would come in the afternoon.’ In the afternoon, another announcement was made, ‘The Sessions Judge has to attend an urgent piece of work. He would come again next week. He would then listen to the complaints of the remaining prisoners.’ Mothu smelled a rat in the entire episode. He raised a hue and cry.”
“He complained that he was being purposely stopped from meeting the sessions judge. He also threatened that he would file a complaint about it. The Deputy Superintendent pacified Sardari Lal. He told him that Mothu would cool down automatically within a day or two. However, Sardari Lal’s heart was skipping beats. He could not sleep during the nights. He wanted to crush the seed of revolt before it could grow into a serious trouble tree for him. He thrust his decision upon the Jail administration, ‘Mothu must be taught a lesson. The punishment should be so harsh that others should be dissuaded from resorting to this type of revolt.’ In order to please the member of the board, a plan was made. During the course of the search, the tools needed for breaking out of jail were recovered from the trunk of Mothu.”
“No voice emanates from the dungeon of Mothu, contrary to the voices coming out of Amarnath’s cell. Any one can guess the secret behind this lull that is present before the arrival of a storm.”
“Bant Singh has been charged with the crime of killing a person. After fifteen days, witnesses would file their statements in the court in his case. In order to deliberate with Bant Singh, his counsel used to come to jail. The counsel wanted to meet him in privacy. It was his legal right to talk to his counsel in private. If the talks between Bant Singh and his lawyer were overheard by any third person, they could prove to be suicidal in his case. The warder posted at the lobby meant for these meetings was not ready for giving privacy to both of them. He used to put his chair behind them and sit on it. He would try to overhear their tête-à-tête’. Bant Singh did offer a heavy bribe amount but he turned a deaf ear to his offer. Bant Singh was doubtful that he was a man from the enemy’s camp. Even otherwise, that warder used to be harsh on him every now and then. If his lawyer wanted, he could get a court order for arranging a meeting with his client in private. However, he did not want his client to get into extra trouble in the Jail. If he did so, an angry warder would bother Bant Singh with more vigour and vengeance. The lawyer of Bant Singh kept going back from Jail without talking to Bant Singh. He thought that after some days, the duty of this warder would be changed and he would not be able to bother Bant Singh and him. He thought that he would prepare the case only after this warder was transferred from the lobby. But when the court date came near and that warder did not let Bant Singh and him talk in private, the counsel had to knock at the door of the court. With the intervention of the court, the purpose of the counsel was served but the Jail officials flew into a rage. The warder incited the Assistant Warden and he in turn incited the Deputy Superintendent. The Deputy Superintendent complained to the Superintendent, ‘This time, during court appearance, Bant Singh would not return. He is trying to escape from the court itself.’ The Superintendent gave a solution of the problem, He passed an order that Bant Singh be handcuffed and legcuffed. The man who is handcuffed as well as legcuffed is in a pitiable condition.”
“Whose tale of woes would you like to listen to further?”
“May be these agonies would not affect you. Your orientation is more towards your friends instead of your duties. You would inform those friends about these applications and requests that have reached you. They would, in turn, be more harsh on the concerned prisoners. The Jail officials are alert now. Hari Om has got an affidavit signed from Modan and kept it with himself. The hospital record has been changed. Hema is about to die. What would you do by coming to the Jail after her death? Basant is being given lucrative offers. Are you waiting for him to turn hostile?”
“Please recognize your duties. Cut down the agonies of the dumb prisoners who have been going thorough the hell of agonies.”
Hirdaypal scrutinized the letter many times. The name and address of the sender were not mentioned anywhere.
At least once, he thought that a prisoner had written this letter to excite him and incite him against the Jail officials. The prisoners cannot be meted out this hellish treatment.
Then, he changed the course of his thoughts. In the letter, the complete details of all prisoners, the crimes committed by them, and the sentences passed on them by courts had been listed. All the comments about his own trips to the Jail were correct. Hirdaypal could scrutinize the facts before taking any action. He was being invited to scrutinize those facts only.
Then, he understood the situation. The writer had purposely kept his name a secret. That means he was a prisoner. He could not declare his identity lest he himself should be deluged by a sea of problems in the jail.
Hirdaypal understood one more thing—whosoever the writer of this letter was, he certainly was a well-wisher of people.
After reading the letter, Hirdaypal felt ashamed of his ignorance and inefficiency. He had become a Sessions Judge. He had visited the Jail many times. He did not know what the real purpose of these jail visits was. He had never read the Jail manual, leave alone take up serious research and fact-finding to understand the problems of the prisoners as well as the intricacies of jail management.

“I don’t not know much about the life of ordinary people,” he realized his weak point.
He was born to a rich family. As soon as he became conscious of his surroundings, he was sent to the Sanawar Public School. He completed the rest of his studies at Delhi. He did his law practice at Chandigarh. His maternal uncle was a judge in the High Court. He gave the post of magistrate on a platter to his nephew. Till date, he was surrounded by rich and smart boys and beautiful dames. For him, everything was all right around him. He had never faced difficulties in his life till date. That is why he was not aware of the problems others had been facing. He had never lived in villages; nor had he seen a farmer toiling hard and mixing his sweat and blood with soil to produce crops.
Probably, the Jail officials had made full use of his ignorance. They had kept him in dark and did whatever they wished to do in the Jail.
Hirdaypal decided that he would go to Jail the next day. He would not go like a sessions judge of the previous kind but in a new reincarnation.
Then, Hirdaypal called the office superintendent and ordered him, “Go to the library at once. Get all the books about jail reforms besides the Jail Manual from the library and bring them to me.”
Then, he rang up his friend, the Jail Superintendent. , “Tomorrow is Sunday. Please keep your entire day free for my sake. Have breakfast with me. Then, we would move out on a mission.”
Thereafter, he started preparing for the proceedings of the next day.


Episode 48

The Jail Superintendent had been in the sessions house for the past one hour. The breakfast was over. During this period, Hirdaypal had kept quiet. He had not laughed even once with an open heart. Ranjodh Singh smelled the rat.
‘What is cooking now?’ giving one alibi or the other, he asked his friend about the programme that would follow next. However, he could not get any clue. It was evident that he was not taking Ranjodh home. The car with red beacon on its top, the official car of the Sessions Judge, had also not been taken out. The driver was missing too.
“Where are we going today?” Ranjodh Singh’s patience gave way, and he asked directly.
When his friend insisted, Hirdaypal disclosed the secret, “Today, we would take a visit to your Jail on an informal basis. I want to know what happens inside it. Help me in this search process. Make a promise to me that you would not inform your Jail staff about this visit. You would not prepare for it either. You would also answer all the questions that I would ask from you.”
“Is there a new development?” Ranjodh Singh asked for clarification to remove the doubts that had cropped up in his mind.
“No, nothing of that sort. Yesterday, I came across a book about life in jail. In that book, the gory truth that delves in jails was depicted with lucidity and finesse. I did not believe in whatever I had read. I want to test whether this condition actually exists. Further, I would attend to the complaints that I have received till date.”
Ranjodh Singh could do nothing, except promising to do whatever Hirdaypal wanted. He shook hands with his friend in utter helplessness.
They entered the Jail premises like ordinary persons.
At that time, breakfast was being taken for the prisoners. For this purpose, bicycle carts were being used.
The Jail Superintendent got a cart stopped on the instruction of the Sessions Judge.
In the cart, there were drums full of lentil; the capacity of each drum was forty litres. There were two iron pails in the cart. There were a few ladles along with these pails. In the yard, the lentil of these drums was supposed to be poured into these two iron pails. Then, the lentil was supposed to be distributed among the prisoners with the help of ladles. Along with the drums, there were big baskets that were kept over them. There were small baskets as well.
Earlier, when Hirdaypal used to come for Jail visit, the food being served to prisoners used to be examined in a different way. A large table used to be arranged in the Jail yard. On the table, large steel bowls used to be neatly arranged. There would be lentil in one bowl and vegetable in the other. The loaves of bread would be packed in neat and clean cotton napkins along with these bowls. There would be a weighing scale near the bowls. In one pan of the scale, there would be weights. This used to be a hint for the officer on the Jail visit that he could weigh the loaves of bread if he was in doubt. Prisoners would get four loaves each. The weight of each loaf used to be one hundred grams.
During the last visit to the Jail, the Jail Superintendent had put lentil and vegetable in Hirdaypal’s plate with his own hands. Ranjodh had taken one loaf of bread himself and given the other to Hirdaypal.
The colour of the lentil and vegetable, the ghee floating in bowls, and the aroma of the spices were sufficient to tell about the taste of these two menu items. The loaves were properly baked and clean. The weight of all loaves was also correct.
Hirdaypal wanted to pass the sample without tasting it. However, there is a myth popular among people, ‘If you get a chance, eat the loaf of bread in jail. By doing so, the number of loaves to be eaten by one in jail would be reduced.’
When Hirdaypal was about to take a second bite from the loaf he was eating, Ranjodh Singh had stopped him from doing so and said, “Leave this. A separate arrangement has been made for your meal.”
Today, the situation was entirely different. The scene of the food being served, as described in that letter, was in his mind.
The loaves lying before him had been wrapped in a dirty, old cloth that had been badly battered by the drops of lentil. There were many flies on that cloth piece ready to sit on uncovered food.
In order to uncover the truth, Hirdaypal removed the cloth lying on the loaves. He picked up the loaves and examined them on both sides. One loaf was half-cooked and the second one was totally burnt. The weight was about half of the stipulated norm of one hundred grams. The fourth one weighed three-fourth of the stipulated weight limit. The sides of many loaves were hard as if they were stale!
“Show me the lentil please.”
A reluctant prisoner opened the cover of the lentil drum. Yellow water was lying in the drum.
“Take out the lentil.”
The prisoner searched for lentil till the bottom of the lentil drum. He could fetch only half a ladle of lentil out of the drum.
“What is in the second drum?”
“That is lentil too.”
“Have you not prepared vegetable?”
“No Sir, only lentil is prepared here.”
“OK then,” saying this, the judge ordered the prisoner to take the cart ahead.
“I could not find lentil in the lentil gravy. Is only lentil cooked throughout the year? Don’t you cook green vegetables here? The Jail Manual has provided that one green vegetable should be cooked in jail every day.”
“This routine has been in vogue since inception.”
“Where do the vegetables grown in the Jail farm go?”
“I have promised to you that I shall speak the truth. That is why I shall not tell a lie. One half of the vegetables go to the homes of Jail employees. The other half is sent to the vegetable market. The earnings so obtained are distributed among the Jail staff.”
“Very good!” A highly irritated Hirdaypal congratulated the Jail Superintendent for managing the Jail with such finesse.

A bird is known from its feathers. Hirdaypal had easily visualized what was being cooked in the kitchen. Even then, he wanted to see everything with his own eyes.
“Let us go to the kitchen first.”
Ranjodh Singh was feeling very sad and sans energy because of the ill omen that had taken place. He knew what was in store next. He wanted to run away from the Jail on one alibi or the other. However, that was not possible as of now.
With lazy steps, he took Hirdaypal towards the kitchen area.
On the side of a big verandah made under tin sheets, a board was hanging; it read ‘Kitchen’. The colour of the board had become yellow because of the smoke. The sessions judge comprehended the word hidden by the black soot with great difficulty.
There were four walls with cement grills around the verandah; the height of each wall was four feet. Another wall had been erected in the middle of the verandah to divide the area into two parts. On the left side, a floor had been made but its cement plaster had come off. Four large tubs were lying on the floor. In every tub, there were nearly forty kilograms of wheat flour. In the fifth tub, the wheat flour was being kneaded. Two prisoners were inside that tub; they were kneading the flour with the help of their feet. These prisoners had dirty, soiled underwears on their bodies. They were wearing vests that were full of grime and sweat. Due to the heat of the furnaces and their hard work, they were sweating profusely from their foreheads up to waists. Sometimes, the drops of sweat used to fall down and mix up with the wheat flour being kneaded. In one pail, water was lying; it was being used to knead the flour. This water had been brought from the tank that was located in a corner of the kitchen area. Hirdaypal looked at the tank. The walls of the tank were black because dirty hands had touched them too often. It seemed that the tank had not been cleaned for ages. The green algae at various spots inside the tank was confirming this guess of the sessions judge. A squirrel had just taken bath in the tank and left it.
Wheat flour was being poured in a small tub.
Hirdaypal went forward and took a handful of wheat flour from the small tub. He spread the flour on his palm. A wheat-bug came out of the flour and after riding his wrist, it started its journey towards his elbow. Hirdaypal searched the wheat flour by tossing the powder on his palm. The droppings started identifying themselves. A foul smell was coming out of the flour. Whose smell was this? In order to find it out, Hirdaypal took the wheat flour towards his nose. He got two reasons behind that foul smell. The first reason was the use of rotten wheat to make the wheat flour. The second reason was the use of insecticides. The wheat was neither washed nor cleaned before converting it into flour.
After taking a look on the left side, Hirdaypal turned towards his right side.
On two furnaces, there were two big cooking cauldrons; a quintal of lentil was being cooked in each one of them. Due to the black soot and the spillover of lentil on the cauldrons, he was unable to guess whether these were made of brass or iron. It seemed that they had been lying on the furnaces since the time they had been manufactured. On the next two furnaces, there were two hot plates made of iron. Loaves of breads were being baked on them. There were four persons to make the raw loaves but only one to bake them. The man who was baking the raw loaves, was not able to do so because he had to match his speed with those of the four persons who were putting the raw loaves on hot plates. In this hurry, he used to throw the raw loaves in the tub. Sometimes, the loaves used to remain unbaked or got burnt because of the diversion of his attention. The prisoner was not worried whether the loaf remained raw or burnt completely. He was worried about only one thing—the tub must be filled up with loaves at the earliest possible moment.
Hirdaypal closely observed the faces of the convicts who were working at the kitchen. Truly, they resembled the descriptions that had been conveyed to him through that anonymous letter.
There was a foodgrains godown adjacent to the kitchen. Hirdaypal thought it better to visit that as well.
As soon as the lock of the godown was opened, scores of rats welcomed Hirdaypal. A rat was busy nibbling a sack full of foodgrains. Another was busy enjoying the wheat that had come out of a sack.
The condition of the lentil lying in the godown was the same as had been described in that letter.
“Show me the spices that are added to lentils.”
Hirdaypal had learnt after reading the letter that only salt, turmeric powder, and chillies were being used in the name of spices. There would be no trace of coriander, cumin, and other important spices.
“Sir, they were used up today itself,” the Munshi of the godown gave a previously concocted answer.
“Where are jaggery and roasted black grams?”
“I have never seen them in this godown,” said the Munshi who had been on the duty of this godown for the past one year. He had been in the Jail for the past three years. He was hearing for the first time that prisoners were given jaggery and roasted black grams to eat.
“What does he say?” a surprised Hirdaypal asked the Jail Superintendent.
“He is right. Jaggery and black grams are selling at the same rate as that of almonds. I do not know since when they were stopped being purchased for the Jail. However, I do know the fact that during my job tenure in this Jail, these were never provided here.”
“Jaggery and black grams give energy to prisoners and remove their hunger that may crop up in their belly at odd hours. You must have made an alternative arrangement.”
“None in my knowledge.”
“All right,” stating this, Hirdaypal came to the kitchen once again.
“Since how long have you been here?” He asked a young prisoner who was kneading wheat flour.
“Sir, for the past one year.”
“When do you come here to do this duty?”
“Sir, I come at four o’clock in the morning and leave at eleven o’clock in the night. That is because the cooking continues throughout the day.”
“How many classes have you passed?”
“Sir, I have passed BA.”
“Why don’t you get any other work done from him? Why have you put a graduate on the furnace job?” asked Hirdaypal with great disappointment; he was unable to hide his irritation and that is why he had used a miffed tone to ask the Jail Superintendent.
Hidaypal recalled the agony of the young man who had been described in that anonymous letter. After working at the kitchen furnace, that man had requested that his duty be changed. That request was deemed an offence by the Jail administration and as a punishment for this, he was handcuffed. That young man was an MA and he was not used to working so hard.
“We shall replace him now,” Ranjodh answered, although he had no appropriate reply for this question. In order to get rid of the enquiry, he thought it better to give up.
“Why do you purchase rotten foodgrains? Where does the foodgrain grown in the Jail farm go?”
“To the homes of ministers and high officers,” a highly irritated Ranjodh Singh started telling the truth.
“If you cannot give anything else, at least give neat and clean foodgrains,” disappointed by the kitchen management, the session judge expressed his anger.
“My hands are tied. I can serve only those items that I receive,” Ranjodh Singh tried to explain while coming out of the kitchen.


Episode 49

“Now show me a barrack.”
“Tell me which barrack would you like to visit?”
“Let us go to the barrack of the bachelors. Besides, we would take Modan’s statement.”
“As you please.”
From the kitchen site, the barrack of the bachelors was half a kilometer away. The Jail Superintendent wanted to take the sessions judge in his jeep. Hirdaypal wanted to go on foot. If he boarded the jeep, the news of his arrival in the Jail could spread like a wild fire. While going on foot, he would be able to see and learn a lot on his way to the bachelor’s barrack.
Ranjodh Singh’s heartbeat increased due to worry. It was a holiday because of Sunday. It was daytime. The prisoners would be enjoying their time while sitting in yards. He wanted to run and ring the bell that used to signify that an officer was on tour of the Jail. He wanted to alert the warders and Munshis. He wanted to get the barracks ‘cleaned up.’ In a jiffy, the thoughts of the Jail Superintendent turned towards a positive side, ‘What is there to fear about in this episode? A similar environment prevails in every jail of the state. I am not personally responsible for this negligence. If a sessions judge wants to know the truth, it must completely come out before him. There is welfare of all in this action.’
Ranjodh Singh had served the jail department for twelve years. He had also not studied the Jail Manual. Whenever he used to have a round of the Jail, he would order that the Jail bells be rung so that all necessary arrangements were made by his deputies. Whatever he used to see during the trip used to be previously planned or windowdressed by the staff under him. He had to work in this government job for many more years to come. He ought to know the truth too.
After thinking this, the Jail Superintendent started supporting the sessions judge with his body and soul.

When they reached the main gate of the ward, the sessions judge gave instruction, “Do not let the gate be opened now. For some time, let us hide ourselves behind the gate and observe the activities going on there.”
The Jail Superintendent immediately agreed to the proposal. The prisoners had taken their meals. Only a little time was left for the locking up of prisoners. This was the time when the prisoners were in a naughty mood. They were doing precisely those things.
There was a hustle and bustle in the yard. The prisoners were doing their activities by dividing themselves in small groups.
The group of Ninda, the numberdar, was playing cards. They were gambling too. The bundle of currency notes was clearly visible from a distance. Some notes were pressed under the feet of players or under their knees. Their supporters were silently standing over them, leaning to find out what the status of the game was. The attention of all the members of that group was on the next move of the game.
“According to the Jail Manual, cash cannot be brought inside the jail. It seems that there is no dearth of cash here. How could cash enter the Jail?” The judge asked the first meaningful question from the Jail Superintendent.
“Many of the rules framed by the government are illogical. This rule is one of them. How does it matter whether cash or the coupons come into the jail?”
The Sessions Judge became silent.
The head of the second group was Sadhu Panja. He had boiled poppy-husk in a big vessel which was lying in the centre. Bara Singh had put his hand on his left ear and singing at the pitch of his voice; he was singing Mirza, the famous folklore. The other members of the group were enjoying his song as well as the poppy-husk.
Chacha Raunaki had set up his pleasure shop at another spot. He used to take a ball of opium along with the cup of morning tea. As the kick of the drug became more prominent, he would start talking like a parrot. He was making his group members laugh to their heart’s content by narrating funny tales.

Near the water tank, Dheera Pehalwan was lying on a carpet. He was getting his body massaged by his disciples.
Near him, a prisoner was sitting with a radio stuck to his ear. He was listening either to songs or to commentary. Nevertheless, his face was flushing due to the happiness so obtained.
The group of Chhajju was cutting tomatoes and onions. Today, they had purchased meat from their friends in the Class B barrack. A bottle of liquor had been arranged too. The Munshi and warder of the barrack were dropping saliva from their mouths, literally. They were trying to appease Chhajju through their psycophantic tactics and get their shares booked in the party that was about to take place.
The next scene started shaking the Sessions Judge.
A sturdy prisoner had caught a meek little boy in his strong arms. The boy was trembling like a rat trapped in the mousetrap. The sturdy prisoner was getting excited due to this helplessness of the boy. He was acting lecherously with to the young boy.
Hirdaypal was surprised. No prisoner was taking this shameful act seriously. The warder looked up once and then, he began to look downwards.
“What is this? Why have you put this young boy along with professional criminals? Why don’t you classify these prisoners properly?” Hirdaypal was getting angry over this negligence of the Jail administration.
“We are not at fault in this case. The number of prisoners here is double the number this Jail can accommodate. The additional prisoners are likely to be put only in this barrack. The number of prisoners of this young age is less. We have to keep them in one barrack or the other. These young boys would be attacked in every barrack.”
“This problem can be solved easily. Put the boys and veterans in one barrack. Both groups would help each other. Further, these boys would escape sexual exploitation too.”
“You are right. I would implement this suggestion with immediate effect.”

Ranjodh was amazed at hearing this suggestion of Hirdaypal. The sessions judge had become wise overnight!
The lecherous prisoner was going to prevail upon the tender body. Two responsible officers could not see the goat being cut into pieces for their own benefit.
Before the boy could be dragged into the barrack, the Superintendent gave the information about his round of the Jail. Then, he ordered the sentry to open the gate.
The prisoners were taken by surprise. In this hullabaloo, they left whatever they were carrying and ran towards their respective barracks.
What was left behind? There were many articles—a utensil full of boiled poppy-husk, tobacco powder, small bags full of opium, knives, playing cards, and the opium addict who lay unconscious under the margosa tree.
The warder collected all the left-over items and decorated the same on a table. The session judge ordered that the barrack be searched. The barrack was searched. Within minutes, all drugs and associated paraphernalia came out of the barrack.
“How does this much quantity of banned items enter the Jail?” Hirdaypal asked the second meaningful question.
“Please do not ask about it. The smugglers here are very well-connected. They have access to the CM. Any officer who would try to eliminate this vice is packed off by these smugglers. We have to close our eyes and let the status quo be maintained, just like the pigeon closes his eyes upon the sight of the cat,” about to cry, Ranjodh Singh was ashamed even as he gave explanation for whatever had happened.
“Then, why have you involved poor Basant in the false court case? I have completed my investigation. His protests are justified and he is innocent too.”
“I have admitted my mistake. My staff members have behaved in an irresponsible manner. I have recommended that Basant be released. The guilty Jail employees would be punished.”

“Call Basant. I would like to tell him about the result of my enquiry. I would also tell him that I am recommending that the court case registered against him be dismissed.”
“Would our boys not be pulled up?”
“No. I have thought about the solution for that. I would constitute a three-member committee for the purpose of investigation. One of the members would be one of my magistrates. We would get another member nominated from the DC. You would be the third member. You have to complete the enquiry within a week. Then, arrive at this conclusion that a man under police custody had gone to appear in the court. Upon his return, he had brought opium from outside. He was at daggers drawn with Basant. He hid the opium in the belongings of Basant to stop his early release. Then, he himself informed the Jail staff that he had hidden the opium in Basant’s articles. You have to declare Basant innocent. You can make a professional criminal as the scapegoat. I would agree with your report. Then, I would recommend to the Police Superintendent to cancel the case registered against Basant. Everyone would save his skin that way.”
Till now, Ranjodh Singh was thinking that Hirdaypal was being harsh to him. For the first time, he seemed to be his well-wisher.
“Punish this beast for trying to sodomize that young boy and send the report of the action taken to me.”
“I would put that swine in the secluded dungeon right away. Within a week, the sex devil would get off his head. He would not be able to look at a women for sex in his life. Let us forget the boys.”
After hearing the punishment of jail in a secluded dungeon, Hirdaypal recalled the statement mentioned in that anonymous letter.
“How many prisoners are undergoing sentence in isolated dungeons?”
“There must be four or five, all like this hefty goon.”
“Do you know that the Supreme Court has declared this sentence as illegal? Even then, you are punishing the prisoners!”
Hirdaypal had read this SC verdict last night only. He wanted to let every Jail official know about this verdict.
“It is not in my knowledge. I shall read that verdict. Then, I shall follow it.”
Release all those prisoners that have been locked up in isolated dungeons. Then, send the report about it to me.”
“All right.”
“Now, call Modan. Let us record his statement.”
Modan started speaking like a parrot; the statement as taught by the Jail staff was repeated by him.
After coming out of the bachelors’ barrack, Ranjodh Singh started feeling lighter. He started supporting his department, “Some social service organizations are excessively propping up prisoners. This is true that there are chances of reforming some prisoners. However, most prisoners are professional criminals. They start sighing lecherously upon seeing women. They pick up fights with jail employees over trifles. Even if they are put in isolated dungeons, they come out of them like healthy and stout horses. If there is one such criminal in one barrack, the Jail employees remain at the razor’s edge due to the terror unleashed by him. People like these always remain angry. Should the Jail employee save his dignity or remove the agonies of criminals? The government should properly categorize the criminals in jails. The professional criminals should be separated from ordinary ones and kept in different barracks. Then, some reforms may be possible.”
“Would you gibe to your heart’s content, or would you order some tea?”
Hirdaypal did not like that Ranjodh Singh was unduly supporting his own Jail employees. He changed the course of discussion lest the Sessions Judge should start feeling irritated again.
In any case, the afternoon was being converted into evening. They had not taken even a drop of water since they were on the trip to the Jail.
Both of them were at fault in this case.
Hirdaypal was in a hurry to complete his piece of work. He had become successful to a large extent in his mission. Now, there was no harm in taking a nap for a while.
Earlier, there was tension in the mind of Ranjodh Singh. His heart was skipping beats. Serious allegations had been levelled at the Jail administration during this visit of the sessions judge. The judge was investigating all issues under the cover of secrecy. When Ranjodh had tried to dig into his mind, he had not given any clue. Ranjodh Singh was worried about the storm of adversities that was about to hit him and his cohorts.
Now, he was fully convinced that the sessions judge was really adding to his information. From the core of his heart, Ranjodh thought, Hirdaypal was a supporter of the Jail administration.
After overcoming all his worries, Rannjodh Singh recalled his duties as a host.
“Let us move to the Jail bungalow. We shall have some beer there. The chairman remembers you quite often. We shall have a tête-à-tête with him too.”
Nowadays, the chairman of an organization and Mr. Chattha were imprisoned in the bungalow.
The liquor shops of entire Maya Nagar had been under the possession and control of the Chattha group for the past ten years. This year, at the time of liquor shop auction, a new group had taken birth. That group had snatched one-half of the liquor shops of the city from the Chattha group. The new group had the support of the excise minister of the state. Mr. Chattha, on the contrary, was the right hand man of the CM. Small conflicts used to continue between the two groups. Sometimes, they also used to have small fights. Last month, the employees of Chattha attacked the liquor shop of the other group. They had to fire though they did not want to. Two men of the rival group were killed. Chattha was not present at the spot of crime. Still, his name was included in the FIR. In order to encourage his employees, he went to jail instead of getting himself out on bail. Chattha was in Jail out of his own will. By the way, getting himself released on bail was like peeling peas for him.
Nirmal Singh had got thousands of trees felled by colluding with the contractor during his tenure. Hence, he had earned crores of rupees under the table due to this tree-felling spree. The new government had collected all evidences through its vigilance department. On the charges of illegal felling of trees, a court case had been going on against him.
The inmates of the bungalow used to be changed with speed. The culture of the bungalow was the same as it used to be earlier.
Even today, the refrigerators used to remain stocked with cold beer and sodawater. The kitchen used to churn out non-vegetarian dishes as before. Guests were served just as they were treated earlier.
During his last trip to the Jail, the sessions judge had taken food at the bungalow itself. The gathering had continued to enjoy the luxuries of the bungalow till late evening. He had fully enjoyed the hospitality of the bungalow staff.
The Jail Superintendent wanted to enjoy all those luxuries once again.
The Superintendent might or might not have learnt any lessons from history, the Sessions Judge had already learnt all lessons. He had realized his first mistake. He had already decided in his mind that in the future, the visits to Jail would be conducted not for the sake of entertainment but for the sake of doing duties.
“No! A cup of tea and some cookies would suffice.”
While taking tea, the Sessions Judge did not ask about the beautiful prisoners of the female jail. Instead, he started enquiring about those female prisoners whose hands or legs had been put in chains. He also asked the Jail Superintendent what crimes they had committed for which they had been given such a sentence. He also asked who had recommended such a sentence and if the prisoners were allowed to present their explanations or not.
After learning every minute detail of what had happened, he asked with utter surprise, “This Jail is as strong as a fort. The walls are high and the gates have been made of heavy, strong iron bars. Armed security guards are combing each and every corner of the jail. How can anyone cross all these hurdles and run away? I cannot understand why they were handcuffed or chained at their legs.”
“Please occupy my chair for one day. We have to deal with the most discourteous prisoners. We have to chain them to teach them a lesson.”
“Do one thing. Also send the list of all these prisoners to me. I would meet them during my next visit to Jail. Let us go towards the female ward.”

A refreshed Hirdaypal became anxious to reach the next stage of his mission.
“What is there to see? Hema is sick.”
Ranjodh was totally exhausted because of the surprise trip of the judge and a high level of tension that had been bothering him since early morning. He wanted to avoid more of this grind. So, he had given an alibi to avoid the trip to the female ward.
“I have to enquire about her health.”
Without waiting for his reply, the sessions judge stood on the side of the road that led to the female ward.
“He wants to enquire about Hema’s disease? This means he knew she was sick. Then, he would also be knowing why she was sick,” thinking this, Ranjodh Singh became restless once again.
“We are tired now. Now, we shall go by the vehicle. Call your gypsy.”
Hiordaypal knew that the female ward was half a kilometer away from this place. They would have taken an hour to reach there. He was not in a mood to waste one hour.
‘Scoundrel! He is playing games with me. Tell straight that you are going to raid the female ward,’ Ranjodh Singh mused in deep silence.
“Today, there is going to be some ghastly incident,” thinking about some ill omen and weeping from the core of his heart, Ranjodh sat on the driver’s seat in the gypsy.
“I have heard that an advocate was in this prison at one point of time. It is said that he had got many prisoners released. Where is he nowadays?” the sessions judge asked.
The Sessions Judge had guessed after reading that anonymous letter that it must have been penned down by a legal expert. Further, the writer was also well-versed with all the events happening in the Jail. His sixth sense was telling him that the anonymous letter had been written by an advocate. In order to remove his doubt, he had enquired of the Jail Superintendent.

“Now, he comes to the point! Now, he would tell me to call Hakim. Then, a new chaos would begin. He would take out all the skeletons of the Jail officials’ cupboard,” thinking all this, Ranjodh’s heart started pounding vigorously.
“He has gone on parole,” Ranjodh Singh thought it better to tell a lie than invite another problem. The Sessions Judge was not sincere either about the advocate.
Hirdaypal felt relieved upon hearing the news that Hakim was out of jail.
After carrying out the investigation, he would give the report in favour of his friend. In order to do so, he was supposed to tell a lie. He was afraid that Hakim would call him biased and file a complaint against him too.
After getting relieved from Hakim’s side, the sessions judge started inspecting the female ward.
The foul smell coming out of the drum filled up to the brim and lying in one corner of the yard welcomed the Sessions Judge. The torn paper sheets and dry leaves touched his feet as if they were welcoming him to the female ward!
Some crows were doing their daily chores. They were busy looking for food from that drum. They were also facing tough times filling their belly, just like the female prisoners of this ward. The crows were taking out bandages soiled with blood, urine and stool and spreading them here and there in the yard.
Lentil was spread on the ground near the drum. Flies were hanging over the lentil. Some sparrows were eating dry pieces of bread lying in the yard.
Ahead, fifteen or twenty female prisoners were standing, surrounding a water tap. There were dirty utensils in the hands of a woman and a bundle of soiled clothes in the hands of another. Water was coming out of the tap drop by drop. How it would serve so many prisoners, Hirdaypal thought.
Whenever a male was supposed to enter a female ward of the prison, a bell used to be rung and so, all female prisoiners used to be informed well in advance. However, they were senior officers. They had entered the ward all of a sudden.
Till now, the women had been roaming around in the prison with freedom. Someone had worn only a petticoat and someone else a shalwar. Someone’s hair

was loose, someone else’s blouse was not buttoned. The female prisoners were not given a chance to compose themselves for being presentable.
In any case, what they had to hide? They had either skeletons or sagging flesh in the name of their bodies. Only the shame factor was prominent for hiding their bodies.
The Sessions Judge carefully observed the bodies of female prisoners. He did not look at them for the sake of his sexual gratification but for the sake of confirming the facts mentioned in that anonymous letter. The female bodies displayed before him were not eligible to be called women.
Hirdaypal felt sick because of the conditions of those bodies. However, he was hell-bent upon sticking to his decision. He continued his analysis and investigation.
The number of women roaming around in the yard was pretty less. Most of the women were lying in the barrack.
The Sessions Judge expressed his desire to go inside the barrack.
Ranjodh Singh immediately stopped him, “Sir, please do not be too idealistic. More than half of these prisoners are the victims of contagious diseases. Many of them have venereal disease. It is just possible that someone out of them may be a victim of AIDS too. If we catch any one of these diseases, whom would we blame? Many of them are half-mad. Someone can abuse us, someone else can catch us from the collar. Please save your dignity. Many have been made to sleep after giving them injections. If they get up, they would create hellish chaos throughout the night. You can see them through the windows. That is why we have kept big windows here.”
The Sessions Judge was shocked to hear the warning of the Jail Superintendent.
He started observing the interiors of the barrack by peeping through the steel mesh.
Hirdaypal felt as if he were standing in hell! There was foul smell all around. There were cries and moans coming from all the corners of the barrack. There were signs of disease and starvation.
“Why don’t you get them treated properly?”
“There is one doctor but fifteen hundred patients. Even if the doctor remains on duty for twelve hours, he would have to examine two patients in one minute. The budget for medicines is almost a naught. A patient can get a medicine of one rupee per month. How can we treat so many patients?”
The Jail Superintendent out his mind spoke, for it was the best moment for him to tell his tale of difficulties. So, he started utilizing the opportunity provided to him.
“There is dirt and filth all around the barrack. At least, it can be kept clean.”
“The sweepers are government employees. These employees have their off days on Saturdays and Sundays. The rules do not allow us to employ the prisoners for cleaning jobs. They say that if they do such jobs, the chances of their getting other jobs are diminished. There is also a ban by the government on getting such jobs done by the prisoners. We do not have the money to pay the remuneration for overtime.”
“The clothes of one-half of the women here have been soaked with blood. Don’t you give them cotton, etc., during the days of their menstrual cycle?”
“The same problem is present here too. We do not have the money to buy even poison.”
“If anything else is not possible, you can arrange at least old and worn out clothes for the women. You can get a bagful of rags just for five rupees from a person dealing with rags and waste material.”
“The Jail Superintendent does not have the permission to spend even a single rupee of his own will. There are myriad of things that cost one hundred rupees each and are badly needed. How can we get a bagful of rags?”
“Motivate a social service organization to give these items as charity.”
“No one even looks at these prisoners. All people outside the Jail consider these prisoners a blot on society. Nevertheless, this is a good suggestion. We shall try.”

“You have put the prisoners packed up in this barrack. At least give some open space to women prisoners.”
“Let us go to the office. I shall show you my file. We write to the government every week. We also give suggestions during the course of meetings. We tell the senior officers that if they cannot construct new jails, they should make new barracks in the existing ones. The government makes the oft-repeated statement—shortage of funds to get all this done.”
“Nevertheless, the courts are also responsible for this problem besides the government.”
Ranjodh Singh had become tired listening to the comments being passed by the Sessions Judge. He fired a volley as soon as he got an opportunity, “The court cases linger on for twenty years, even more. The criminals keep going through hell in jails. The prison barracks are filled up every day. The law dealing with the smuggling of drugs has made the situation even worse. The persons bringing trucks full of poppy-husk are not caught. The police’s wrath falls on the opium addicts. Neither is the man taking one kilogram of poppy-husk released on bail nor is the man taking one hundred grams of opium set free by the court on bail. Every month, three opium addicts die because they are unable to get their opium dose. We are answerable to our seniors and the court for all this. We get rid of this mess with great difficulty. We ourselves have to arrange the drugs for these prisoners, lest we should be held guilty of their death on account of lack of drug doses for them.”
“It is not your fault but the fault of the entire legal system. Delay is caused while obeying rules.”
“We are also helpless on many accounts. Neither are you at fault nor are we to blame for all this. We all know who is actually guilty.”
“We shall talk about it later. Please tell me which dungeon Hema has been locked up in.”
The sun was about to set. Hirdaypal was in a hurry to complete his piece of work.
“You know where she is and what has happened to her. Please save my deputy. Order me what I am supposed to do.”
“Do you know what kind of serious crime has your Assistant Warden committed? Making a woman pregnant in Jail is a heinous crime. Delivering a child at seven months and killing him is treated a murder. Not giving medicines and medical aid to a critically ill person again amounts to committing murder. In the last two crimes, you were an equal partner. Do you know what is the punishment for these two offences?”
“I admit I made a mistake. Please tell me how I would get out of this crisis.”
“I have already told you that someone is after you. He has been keeping a watchful eye over every criminal activity being undertaken by you and your staff. First of all, identify that bad element. Get rid of him. If you cannot do this, my help will not be able to save your skin. Rather, it would also draw me into this trap.”
“I fully understand your advice. The thorn has been identified. We are making arrangements to decimate it.”
“I feel that you depend too much upon your deputies. You do whatever they tell you to. That is why you invite troubles for yourself. Analyze each step before actually taking it,” the Sessions Judge advised, even as he was patting the back of his friend who was nervous beyond compare.
“There are fifteen hundred prisoners in this Jail. Every prisoner is a problem in itself. Deep investigation cannot be conducted. We have to trust our Jail staff. These Jail employees roam around the Jail under very dangerous circumstances. They have to keep their life on stake at every moment during the duty hours. God knows wherefrom a knife may strike them! God knows when a prisoner might escape the Jail. In order to boost the morale of the Jail employees and maintain their supremacy over prisoners, we have to accept the good or bad advice of these employees. Even then, I would be more careful in future.”
“Okay then, call the ambulance. Get Hema admitted to the hospital. Tell the doctors to give her good medical treatment. Also let me meet her. I would also give her some advice now; the rest of the advice would be given by me in the hospital. Then, I would get her statement that would be in your favour. I would help you to get rid of this trouble.”

The Jail Superintendent, visibly pleased by the proposal of the Sessions Judge, began thinking of making arrangements to send Hema to hospital.
The Sessions Judge listened carefully to the agony saga of Hema.
Both friends were happy; how deeply they were helping each other!

Episode 50

In order to deliberate over some crucial issues, an emergency meeting of his deputies was called by the Jail Superintendent.
First of all, a motion of thanks was passed for the Sessions Judge. Every one knew that had Hirdaypal not been a buddy of the Jail Superintendent and not helped him by putting his integrity at stake, all the Jail employees would certainly have been crushed by a mountain of troubles by now.
First of all, the Jail Superintendent made an enquiry committee for looking into the complaint filed by Basant. He nominated his own people to this committee. He told its members how the matter would be dealt with. Then, he expressed his consent over the report. Later, he recommended that the court case against Basant be withdrawn. He told the Police Superintendent and got the case against Basant dismissed. He wrote a letter to the Inspector General first lest the jail department should interfere in it as it had done before. He recommended to the Inspector General that Basant be released from the Jail with immediate effect. The terrified Jail clerks made this file move from one table to another without taking an ounce of bribe. Before going home, Basant went to meet the Jail Superintendent at the latter’s residence. He touched the feet of the Jail Superintendent and requested for forgiveness. All his grievances and complaints were thus removed.
The Sessions Judge did not take rest after getting Hema admitted to the civil hospital. He also pulled up the civil surgeon. He continued to ask for the medical report of the patient on a daily basis. He went to enquire about her health twice. He talked to Hema for at least one hour during this meeting. He advised her, “God does good to all of us at all times. After coming to Jail, the defect of your uterus was removed. Now, you are able to deliver children in the future. Why should you give birth to an illicit child? Get released from the jail and get married to a man of your choice. Get the blessing of a new child from the Almighty.”
Hema got the gist of the advice of the Sessions Judge. In a fit of ecstasy, she forgave the crimes done by all people to her.

Hirdaypal wrote a letter to the High Court, lest any one else should incite Hema. He wrote in the letter, “Hema is seriously ill. She wants to get herself treated at the civil hospital of her own will. She must get the permission to do so. She should be released on bail till the next hearing for her appeal.”
The recommendation of the Sessions Judge was accepted. Hema flew from the Jail, dreaming of starting a new, fresh life.
There was no rationale in the complaint filed by Modan. The doctor had removed all the shortcomings of the record. He put the case correctly in the newly made registers of the Jail, lest someone should find a skeleton in the cupboard and point to the defect in old record.
On the advice of the Sessions Judge, the handcuffed and leg-cuffed prisoners wrote applications seeking pardon. The Superintendent gave them a warning and then got their handcuffs and leg-cuffs removed. The rest of the sentence of the prisoners dumped in secluded dungeon was waived and they were also called back to the barracks.
That way, the Sessions Judge had got Jail Superintendent relieved of all the difficulties and thus, done his bit for their friendship. He was, therefore, offered special thanks by the Jail administration.
Now, it was the turn of the Jail administration to honour the advice given by the Sessions Judge.
No one was ignorant of the fact that Hakim Singh had filed all the complaints. It was necessary to dispose of the bad egg to avoid the problems in future.
How could Hakim be tamed? This was the second issue being considered in the meeting.
The officers deliberated together and started finding out a solution for this problem.
In this chain of events, Santokh Singh had earned bad reputation to the maximum extent. Someone had told his wife that he had had sex with many female prisoners in the Jail. She had been at daggers drawn with Santokh since that day onwards. She used to sleep with her back towards him. She used to find an alibi to

have a quarrel with him. Santokh was lucky to have economically weak in-laws, else she would have gone to her parent’s home much earlier.
He was very keen to remove this poisonous weed, Hakim. He gave a suggestion in the meeting, “Why not dispose him of like Nimma.”
A few years ago, Nimma had also acquired the disease that Hakim was having right now. He had got the devilish habit of becoming the don of all prisoners. He used to beat up weak prisoners without any reason. He used to misbehave with the warder too. Once he caught the collar of the Deputy Superintendent of Jail to establish his leadership. At that time, Santokh was the chief warder. He could not tolerate the insult of his boss. He made arrangements overnight to avenge that insult.
In the morning, the body of Nimma was found hanging from the margosa tree outside the kitchen.
Everyone knew why Nimma had committed ‘suicide.’ However, no one dared to speak up.
For nearly one month, the kith and kin of Nimma raised a hullabaloo. They got an enquiry officer appointed to look into the case. The investigating officer took rounds of the jail for a few days. When he could not find a clue, he filed a report, “Nimma has committed suicide. There is no hand of any one behind this death.”
Then, the Jail remained peaceful for many years.
In order to re-establish peace in the Jail, he was prepared to take the initiative.
“I have already made preparations. Neeta, the man from the barrack of the goons, would accomplish this task. As soon as they get an opportunity, they would surround Hakim, start a row with him on one alibi or the other, and crush his head into pieces. I am waiting only for a nod from my seniors,” an angry Santokh Singh presented his plan.
Ranjodh Singh was not in favour of taking this type of harsh step as yet.
For the past many years, Hakim had been moving among prisoners like an ordinary prisoner. New prisoners did not even know his name. His old friends had also forgotten him. That is why there was no danger of the raising of any voice in favour of Hakim in the Jail.
However, those prisoners for whom he had got waivers and pardons, used to come and meet him in Jail at some points of time. They knew the inner secrets of the Jail. They could create a big trouble if Hakim was seriously hurt or killed.
Hence, Ranjodh Singh did not want to fall into the fire after falling from the pan.
He gave a suggestion, “He is an educated prisoner. Shake his mental balance. Use the formula `preserve the body, crush the mind’ as it was used by the British too. The result would be achieved automatically even if we achieve it slowly.”
Then, he started explaining how they could succeed in achieving this objective.
He said, “Hakim Singh is fond of giving references from the Jail Manual. Giving a reference of the same Jail Manual, let us restrict the number of persons coming to meet him in the Jail. His friends or kin do not come to meet him; rather only thieves, goons, and criminals come to pay him a visit. The former prisoners of this Jail should not be allowed to meet him. The permission to meet should be cancelled on the plea, ‘The motives of these people are dangerous. They come here to make the plan to break the Jail and take prisoners along with them.’ On this ground, the permission of these meetings should be cancelled. After waiting outside the Jail and going through this grind, the people coming to meet him would stop coming to the Jail. Then, he would have the feeling of loneliness to the most. The devil of public welfare would automatically get off his head that way.”
“He has received many letters of those prisoners who have been released. They worship him like their god. He is motivated to take up new social service projects after reading such letters. Censor all his letters. Send only two letters per month to him. This would also be a very good way of making him feel lonely. This would lower his morale and spirit to fight.”

“Give a piece of advice to Class B prisoners. They should start ignoring him on one alibi or the other. They should stop talking to him, eating with him, or loitering around with him. Then he would talk only with walls and would automatically go mad.”
“This shall happen from tomorrow onwards,” his deputies spoke in the same tone as he.
“Somehow, snatch Class B status from him. He enjoys himself there and dominates with his knowledge,” said the Deputy Superintendent who had an objection to Hakim living in Class B barrack despite the fact that so much had happened.
“It is much more important to throw him out of office. During the entire day, he does not write even four words. On the contrary, he remains free, so he keeps a vigil over our activities. As soon as he gets an opportunity, he fires his salvo,” so said the Assistant Warden who had an objection to Hakim working in the Jail office.
“Send him to the factory for a few days. If I did not set him straight, do not call me a man. He would forget his naughtiness within a couple of days in the factory,” said the factory in-charge, Dharampal, who was in a hurry to teach Hakim a lesson of his choice.
“What is the problem in this? First of all, level a serious charge against him. Then, we should investigate the matter. We will hold him guilty in that enquiry. We shall kill many a bird with a single stone that way. We shall also take away Class B from him and throw him out of the Jail office,” the Jail Superintendent encouraged his juniors.
Then, they started deliberating over what charges should be levelled against Hakim Singh.
Many suggestions were put forth. The proposal of Kishore Kumar, Assistant Warden, got the approval.
Kishore had suggested that some prisoners had not paid the complete bribe amount to Jail officials for recommendation to higher authorities for their premature release. Due to this reason, the Jail administration did not want their early release to transpire. Kishore said that such prisoners should be identified. The applications of these prisoners should be collected and put in a bundle. This bundle should be thrown in a corner. These concerned prisoners would raise a hue and cry because of the delay as a result of misplaced applications. The report of the lost applications should be filed in the police station. After some days, the same bundle of applications should be got recovered from the dustbin of the Class B barrack. The blame of this theft should be put on Hakim Singh. A prisoner should charge that Hakim had asked for money in lieu of writing an application on his behalf. Another prisoner should state, ‘I have seen Hakim dumping applications of prisoners in the dust bin.’
As soon as this proposal was approved, the Jail officials started offering their services to implement it.
It was decided that Kishore Kumar would mark all applications in the name of Hakim Singh; then, he would ensure that they were lost.
Santokh Singh would arrange for the dumping of the applications in the dustbin. Then, he would take Ranjit Singh along with him and get all applications recovered from the same dustbin.
The Jail Superintendent would make a committee for investigating this incident. The committee would be headed by Ranjit Singh. Kishore Kumar would arrange witnesses for the case.
Within a week, the report would be presented to the Jail Superintendent.
The Jail Superintendent would express his agreement with the filed report. He would throw Hakim out of the Jail office and order him to work in the Jail factory.
Only after that, the process of teaching Hakim a lesson would actually commence.







Episode 51

Dharampal welcomed Hakim, who was dressed in a light-blue uniform of a factory worker, with great warmth and enthusiasm.
There was a table in front of the chair of the Deputy Superintendent. Hakim was standing on the other side of the table. There was neither a chair nor a bench for him to sit on.
Dharampal opened the drawer. He took out the Jail Manual from it and kept it on the table. Then, he said to Hakim, “You would state by giving reference to the Jail Manual that work should be got done from a prisoner according to his physical capacity. You would state that you are a Class B prisoner. You would tell me to give you light work. The Jail administration has followed these rules for complete seven years. You were made an officer in the Jail office. All your demands were fulfilled. However, you have proved that you are not worth your salt. You started insulting us and putting our jobs in danger!”
Thereafter, Dharampal opened the Manual. He showed one page to Haikm and said, “This manual was made by the British to deal with rebels like you. Here, read the clauses written under this rule. It has been mentioned in this rule that if a Class B prisoner, like you, goes berserk, Class B status can be withdrawn from him. As on date, Class B has not been taken away from you. You have been transferred to the Jail factory to give you the taste of hard labour. You would come to your senses within a few days.”
“You are physically fit. You are capable of doing all types of work. Keeping jail rules in full view, you are hereby sent to the wood saw-mill. There are ten or twelve prisoners there. They would help you form a union.”
“Sometimes, grandpa rules and sometimes grandson rules the roost,” thinking thus, Hakim continued to listen to Dharampal’s sarcastic remarks.
Dharampal rang the bell and called the incharge of the wood saw-mill through a helper.


“He is Hakim Singh, the lawyer. At one point of time, he used to be very popular in the Jail. Now, his stars are not supporting him. Get work out him with delicacy and warmth.”
Dharampal handed over Hakim to a middle-aged foreman winking at him that he should be dealt with harshly.
The Jail factory was not new to Hakim. He had come here many times. During that time, the local prisoners used to be only far and few between. Most of the prisoners were migrants from other states. Their hard-earned money, which they collected by doing labour jobs, used to be snatched by the police after their arrest or by the counsel and the Munshi during the court case. These prisoners, who would come to the Jail in vests and shorts, had nothing to give to Jail employees. They used to be despatched to the wood saw-mill. The Jail employees were also helpless. Furniture was manufactured in the Jail. The wooden logs were cut on the wood saw-machine to make wooden planks that would be used to make furniture. If there was a wood saw-machine, there was also the need to operate and maintain it; so the machine operator and labourers were required. These requirements were fulfilled by the migrant prisoners. They were not much affected if they worked at the wood saw-machine. They were habitual of doing hard labour. Even outside the Jail, they used to carry twenty-five odd bricks up to three or four storeys of buildings.
‘I have never done hard labour. How would I lift heavy wooden planks?’ Moving towards the wood saw-mill, Hakim was rather worried.
Confronted with a difficult situation, he started cursing Hirdaypal, the Sessions Judge, in his mind.
Justice Krishna Aiyyar, the people-oriented judge of the honourable Supreme Court, used to give guidance and instructions to lower courts through his verdicts. In one such verdict, he observed , “The government is not keen to reform laws. However, the judiciary must remain fully alert towards its duties. The courts must come up to the expectations of the masses. The judges must open the closed gates of jails and send the fresh air of justice inside them. They have to protect prisoners from breaking down mentally. When the fundamental rights of prisoners are in danger, the court must interfere in jail administration and pull up the guilty jail officials.”
Hakim had thought that the Sessions Judge of Maya Nagar must have read those SC verdicts. Just as the heart of Justice Krishna Aiyyar was shaken after reading the letters sent by the prisoners imprisoned in Tihar jail, Hirdaypal’s heart must have also been moved. He would tighten the reins of the Jail administration in a jiffy. That is what Hakim had visualized.
However, the opposite happened.
The Sessions Judge should have kept the name of the anonymous letter writer a secret. He should have guessed that the letter writer was fully in the grip of the Jail officials. If the name of the complainant was revealed, they could harm the letter writer. He should have fully scrutinized and analyzed the facts mentioned in that letter. He should have met the prisoners who were direly waiting for justice. He should have redressed their problems. He should have booked the guilty Jail officials.
Instead of taking the side of prisoners, he supported the Jail officials. Instead of keeping that letter a secret, he got it photocopied and distributed its copies among the Jail officials. These officials were also helped in identifying that complainant. He gave relief to Hema and Basant; it was not because he was sympathetic towards prisoners but he did so to save the skin of erring Jail officials. Imprisoned in jail, Modan could give only such statement as the Jail officials wanted him to give. How could he have his own way in the presence of the jail officials? It was the duty of the Sessions Judge to carry out secret investigation. He should have met each prisoner separately. He should have asked for the true facts in each case. He would have done it only if he had really been sympathetic towards the prisoners.
He never went to the secluded dungeons; nor did he meet those prisoners who were handcuffed and legcuffed. He gave a suggestion to the Jail officials to teach a lesson to Hakim so that no prisoner should dare to raise his rebellious voice in the future.

Hakim had mustered some courage in the name of the judiciary and justice. If the fence started eating the crop, who would take care of the field? The prisoners who were as meek as cows in the Jail were helpless.
While moving towards the wood saw-mill, Hakim was nurturing another worry—the Jats would support only the Jats. Hirdaypal and Ranjodh Singh had joined hands due to this factor, which was not a matter of great surprise. No wonder, the attitude of the Sessions Judge towards other castes was rather lukewarm.
Hakim was not fighting this battle for getting facilities for himself. He had been given every type of necessary facility. He was fighting for common welfare. During the investigation, three or four prisoners had filed statements against Hakim. They told lies in the matter. Hakim had done many favours on Munshi Musaddi Lal, the office assistant. He had brought him from the cloth colouring furnace to the Jail office. Then, he motivated him to study. He made the Munshi pass class eleven and class twelve examinations. Now, he was teaching him so that he could appear in BA examinations. On the instigation of the Warden, Musaddi first marked applications in the name of Hakim. Then, he cheated Hakim and made him sign the register. Further, he himself misplaced the applications and put the blame on Hakim Singh. So, he proved to be instrumental in getting Hakim Singh punished in the case.
Hema and Basant also did not bother about Hakim. They went home and relaxed there. They never came to meet Hakim. They did not write any letter either.
However, he thought that they might have come to call on him but were sent back from outside the Jail. They may have sent him letters which may have been torn. Hakim had got the information that all this was happening to him under a plan these days.
After some time, Hakim’s attitude towards Musaddi and others started getting soft. They were also helpless. They were puppets in the hands of the Jail officials. They did whatever the Jail officials told them to do.

Hakim pardoned the prisoners but began to curse the officers. He thought, “What have I done to harm these officials? I had asked for all facilities as per the law. I had asked for the facilities for those who could not speak on their own behalf. I fought for the rights of those who did not know what their rights were. The officers consider my actions as crimes. They are hell-bent upon teaching me a lesson. The law says that the jail officials must be soft-hearted and mass-oriented. They must understand the physical, psychological, and social problems of prisoners and give support to them in solving such problems. On the contrary, these officials are complicating the problems of prisoners.”
Dharampal had gestured to Meeta how the latter was supposed to tackle Hakim Singh. However, Hakim had also learnt what Dharampal had instructed Meeta about him.
Hakim was a know-all man. He was going to face the wrath of the officers. Now, he would be given physical and mental torture. However, he did not understand who would stand by him at this moment of crisis.
Hakim was also angry with other prisoners in the Class B barrack who were with him. It seemed as if they had already guessed the advent of a future storm after the lull that had preceded it. They had stopped meeting or interacting with Hakim on one alibi or the other.
The professor had been sharing meals with him for the last three years. For the past three days, he had been taking food all alone. The doctor was fond of moongi da halwa, a sweet dish. He used to get this sweet dish from his home at least twice a week. He used to give it to Hakim first and take it later. Last time, he had eaten the halwa in total seclusion, without telling anyone about it. The SDO and the bank manager never enjoyed without taking Hakim on a brisk walk. But they had also avoided him this time and left for the walk without him. During the night, Mehta and others used to play cards. On the previous night, Mehta had not offered to make Hakim his partner in the game; nor had he made Hakim sit along with him to get guidance during the game. Some mysterious man had moved through the barrack; probably, he had told all his porisoner friends to boycott Hakim Singh.
Hakim Singh had become bored by sitting alone. He did not like to read. Lying alone, he used to have bad thoughts. In order to keep himself busy, he joined the group playing cards, without their invitation. They made faces of an angry kind and stopped playing cards. Then, they went to their respective seats to retire for the night.
Hakim was not so shameless either. He had also started avoiding them. Today, nobody wished him before going to their places of work.
Hakim set out to the factory with a sullen face.
Now, fighting with himself, he was heading towards the wood saw-mill.
It seemed that Hakim had not recognized Meeta. However, Meeta had recognized him in a jiffy. They had been sentenced by the court on the same day; they had also arrived in this Jail at the same time.
Meeta had never gone to Hakim to get any piece of work done from the latter. Nevertheless, he had heard that Hakim was a gentleman, just like Gurmit. He had done good to hundreds of prisoners like Meeta.
“I would represent the poor and the oppressed at this moment of crisis. I shall help him by taking all types of risk.” Thinking in this manner, Meeta took Hakim to the wood saw-mill.
“He is a lawyer,” Meeta said while introducing him to four or five migrant prisoners working on the wood saw machine; all of them had covered their faces to keep sawdust away.
Then, Meeta looked around. When he was sure that there was no one around, he said slowly, “This gentleman is of great use to us. You have to help him. You have to give him light work to do.”
“Yes please,” the prisoners assured to execute Meeta’s order by bowing their heads.
“Do one thing. You can continue to lift wood logs. Put him on lifting the light planks. Let him pick only a few planks at one time. Take care. If the boss is visible from far away, put him on lifting the wooden logs. Nevertheless, I am here to watch.”

“Yes please,” saying this, the migrants gave their consent to Meeta’s instruction.
The honour and encomium received from these prisoners removed the entire burden of Hakim Singh. He was happy; there was at least one man who had valued his work and struggle.
With this motivation, he prepared himself with renewed enthusiasm to fight against the mountain of crisis.
As soon as the electric motor was switched on, the sawing work of wooden logs started. The workers got down into the pit to handle the sawing job. At a distance of nearly thirty feet from the machine, the wooden logs were lying in a heap and they were supposed to be cut today. Four prisoners went to carry those logs. Two prisoners were supposed to pick one heavy wooden log, put it on their shoulders, and bring it at the machine site. Two prisoners went to the other side. One of them was supposed to take the good quality wood pieces to the store. The other prisoners were supposed to put the remaining poor quality wood pieces onto a cart parked outside the compound and pull the cart to the kitchen site. This wood was supposed to be used as fuel at the kitchen. They were to come back to the wood saw-machine after dropping the wood pieces at the kitchen.
Dharampal had ordered that the heavy wooden logs would be lifted by Hakim.
Meeta refuted his order and used his discretion to put Hakim on a light job—lifting light wooden planks. He deputed another prisoner for his help.
After completing four trips, Hakim started feeling tired. The needle-like wood pieces of wooden planks pierced through his hands and palms. He took out some of these with the help of nails. But some other wooden needles continued to remain pierced in his skin. They started giving him pain.
The man working along with Hakim started receiving abuses of the Munshi because fuel wood was reaching late at the kitchen furnaces. The fire of furnaces was getting dim due to lack of fuel. The Munshi instructed the prisoner to quickly deliver wood scrap.

Hakim could understand the helplessness of his colleague. Because of his own weakness, his colleague was getting snubbing of the Munshi. Hakim guessed that he was also in for a bout of abuses.
Hakim increased the pace of his work to avoid abuses and harassment. Instead of taking two odd wooden planks in his hands, he started taking twelve odd planks on his hands to the destination point.
After seven or eight trips, his arms were about to give way. Although his shirt was full-sleeved, the wooden needles and wood corners started piercing his skin. His body joints started giving way. The arms started sagging downwards due to the heavy load he had been lifting.
The prisoners who were lifting the heavy wooden logs understood the state Hakim was in. They increased the speed of lifting the heavy wooden logs. Within half an hour, they piled up the heavy logs in front of the wood saw-machine. During the time these heavy logs would be cut by the machine, they would complete the task allocated to Hakim.
The operator working on the machine stopped the machine on the alibi that it was supposed to be oiled. The prisoners got more time to help Hakim.
“No, I shall do my work myself,” Hakim stopped the migrants from lifting the wooden planks.
These poor people did not know that both getting one’s own work done from another prisoner and doing the work of another prisoner were deemed crimes. During these days, the Jail officials were hell-bent upon teaching the content of the Jail Manual to Hakim. They would pick up the Manual and reading its rules, they would make even breathing difficult for Hakim as well as these migrants.
Hakim somehow chugged along till the bell indicating rest period rang.
After taking a nap for fifteen minutes, his body became heavy due to pain and toil instead of getting lighter with rest. The arms swelled. The fingers were hardened and became straight. His back started aching severely.
“I won’t be able to work anymore,” felt Hakim.

Even then, toil was supposed to be done. If he faltered even for a second, his holiday would be cancelled to make him work on that day as well. However, he was not able to do work even on that day. As a punishment, his waivers and pardons would be withdrawn and his food quantity would be reduced.
As of now, Hakim could not take such a big risk. He had to work hard in any case.
Hakim continued to lift wooden pieces and to censure the draconian law that had become obsolete since aeons. Is this a law that gives the freedom to convert people into animals and gives absolute freedom to officers to do whatever they like?
Then, he thought, “Law is law. The fault is of those who implement it. The fault is also of those who have not reformed it at the right time.”
Hakim recalled the famous leaders of India. The politicians ranging from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Surjit Singh Barnala had stayed in jail. They had written big books and exposed as well as censured the rotten jail laws and administration. But these politicians forget as soon as they come to the echelons of power. They have not found time even to remove the ban on the wearing of Gandhi caps by prisoners, leave alone making mass-oriented laws. They are the successors of the British. They are following the tracks made by them. These laws were made by the British to keep the people of this country permanent slaves; these jail officials also want the same to continue. Their mentality has not changed. Why should create new laws!
At noon, the migrant prisoners put a water pan over the furnace. Then, they added a big quantity of poppy husk into the water. When the water had boiled for fifteen odd times, they added jaggery and tea leaves into it. Then, they sarted waiting for the concoction to cool down.
Till date, Hakim had promoted anti-drug campaigns. He had motivated prisoners to give up drugs. Today, he was feeling the need to have drugs to complete the task allocated to him.
Taking rest in a supine position on the wooden logs, Hakim waited for the migrants to offer him a cup of tea.
Meeta had thought two steps ahead of Hakim. He served Hakim some opium along with tea.
In the beginning, Hakim was reluctant to accept the offer. Both these drugs were costly. The migrants must have purchased them by doing back-breaking toil in the Jail. He did not want to suck up the hard-earned money of these people.
There was another reason why he was not keen to take to drugs. In the future, he was supposed to do hard work everyday. He could become a drug addict if he took to drugs regularly. After the completion of his sentence, he could become an opium addict.
The present cannot be spoiled by thinking about the future. As on date, Hakim was facing the problem of passing that single day without harming himself.
Thinking about all aspects of the situation, Hakim took a sip from the tea cup.
By the time he had to start work again, he started feeling strong and rejuvenated. His body pain simply flew away due to the drugs.
After doing work for half an hour, his body started becoming weak once again. The pace of work slowed down.
“You bastard! Why did you not put Hakim on the task of lifting heavy wooden logs?” The Deputy Superintendent, who had come for a surprise visit, yelled at Meeta. Hakim felt ashamed because he was shirking work and poor Meeta was being snubbed because of him.
“Hey, go to that side,” Meeta, after being subdued due to the snub he had received at the hands of the Deputy Superintendent, ordered Hakim to go towards the yard of heavy wooden logs.
Like a goat, Hakim went towards the heap of heavy wooden logs.
He mustered his entire courage and picked up one log. He picked up one side of the log and put it on his shoulder. The other end was put by the migrant prisoner on his own shoulder.
While taking the wooden log towards the the wood saw-machine, Hakim felt as if thirty odd feet of distance between the yard and the machine were equal to thirty odd miles!
After a lot of prayer, they reached the machine. As he threw the log on the ground, Hakim felt as if his shoulder had become totally numb.
Hakim looked around stealthily. Behind the pillar, Dharampal was observing Hakim. His lips were drenched with smile. Hakim fully understood the meaning of that smile.
After lifting and dropping three logs in a row, Hakim’s waist started aching. His knees started aching too. His feet became heavy due to pain and excessive load. It was difficult for him to take the second stride after taking the first one.
While keeping the fourth log on his shoulder, stars started dancing before his eyes. His feet started trembling. Hakim fully slid completely while trying to avoid slipping. The gas produced due to the drugs rose from his stomach and reached his head. He started feeling giddy.
In the state of semi-consciousness, he felt as if he were falling on the ground, as if the log were falling over him, as if all his bones were breaking…and Dharampal was laughing aloud from a distance.


Episode 52

“Sardar Ji, you are all right now. You would be discharged today or tomorrow.” Since Sham Lal, the helper of the hospital compounder, gave this news to Hakim, he had become more restless than before.
In ordinary hospitals, patients got the news of getting discharged after praying a thousand times. The situation was just the opposite in the Jail hospital. As soon as the prisoner was given the news that he was about to be discharged, his face became pale due to fear. He started struggling to extend his stay in the hospital.
Hakim did not want to use any excuse to remain in the hospital to extend his stay in it. His condition was deteriorating day by day, leave alone recovery. His wounds were still raw. It was difficult for him even to walk. Under such a condition, sending him to do hard work was absolute injustice.
‘The Jail administration is hell-bent upon killing me,’ after receiving this news, Hakim’s doubt started converting into perfect belief.
He had been staying in the hospital for the past four days. No one had examined his wounds even once. The doctor had purposely stopped coming to the hospital. Hakim had been requesting since the day one, “The pain of my foot is increasing by the day. It seems that a foot bone has broken. Please get my foot X-rayed. Please put plaster on this foot.”
However, the compounder did not budge an inch from his stand. He said, “I have examined your foot. The bone is fine. Only ligament tear has taken place in your foot.”
In order to remove the doubt of Hakim, he called Mian from the Braves Barrack. The legs and arms of prisoners used to break quite often. Who would take prisoners to the hospital time and again? Mian used to put plaster over broken legs. Mian also agreed with the view of the compounder. He opened the bandage, tightened it, and left.
The condition of the rest of Hakim’s wounds was the same as was of his foot. The bandage was put on his wounds on the first day. Later, neither the wounds were cleaned nor the bandage was changed. Hakim’s request for changing the bandages was turned down by stating, ‘Just coming!’
Since yesterday, the wounds of Hakim had been giving him extra trouble. It seemed that pus had formed in the wounds. It was necessary to dry them up through medicines from inside and with bandage from outside. He was being given painkillers instead of antibiotics. How would the wounds heal in such a case?
His right eye, right elbow, left elbow, and left foot were seriously injured. He had bruises all over his body, including knees and shoulders.
Besdies the wounds, Hakim was also distressed by the environment of the ward. Fifteen beds had been placed in the ward that could accommodate only ten. Thirty-five patients had been admitted in the ward instead of the stipulated limit of fifteen. Someone had jaundice, someone else asthma, and still someone else TB. Someone was moaning outside. Someone was coughing. Someone was vomitting. Someone was smoking beedis. Someone was chewing tobacco. Due to this foul smell, Hakim’s pain was increasing.
He was a Class B prisoner. He should have been kept in the ward on the first floor. “The doctor would change the ward,” stating this, the compounder would ignore his request. How could he make his request to the doctor who had not shown his face in the hospital for four days?
On the first day, the doctor had to appear in court and file a statement. The entire day was spent in the court. The next day, the doctor had to attend a meeting with his departmental head. When he came back from that meeting, it was evening time. Then, the marriage of the sister of one of his friends had to be attended; so he took one day’s leave from the hospital. For one day, he furloughed from duty.
Hakim was seeing through the tricks being played by the doctor and the compounder. They were taking revenge on him. Hakim had raised objections many a time on their working. They were not the ones who would provide help even to their wounded enemy like.


Bhai Ghannayya of Sikh history. Hakim had come under their control with great difficulty. They were hell-bent upon giving their enemy a harsh lesson that he would never forget.
He was feeling dizzy since he had not been able to sleep for three nights in a row. His eyes were red due to lack of sleep. His eyes were itching too. His hunger had gone with the wind. His restlessness was increasing by the moment. Sometimes, he would lie down on the bed and at some other, he would get up and sit on it. Sometimes, he would stroll around the ward and then, he would come again and sit over his bed. Sometimes, he would stop talking and keep quiet. Sometimes, he would lie down, with his face turned away from all others around him.
When the news of his discharge reached Hakim through Sham Lal, he saw death standing close to him.
‘I would not be the first martyr to get death penalty for raising the voice of protest against the Jail administration. This type of behaviour is common in Jail,’ thinking thus, Hakim started remembering those ‘martyrs’ who had died before him.
The next day, Haria, who was lying on the bed adjacent to Hakim’s, was taken to civil hospital. His right arm had broken during a fight with his fellow inmates. The Jail doctor had not been able to put that bone properly at its right place. He had to break the bone and then set it in its place. However, his efforts bit dust and the bone could not be set right. The entire arm was full of pus. The bone specialist advised, “In order to save the life of the patient, it would be necessary to amputate his arm.” What could Haria do? Crying from the core of his heart, he gave consent to get his arm amputated.
Haria’s arm was not broken in the brawl he had in the Jail; rather, it was deliberately broken. Who broke the arm? Why did he do so? Haria himself had told his tale of woes to Hakim Singh.
Haria had been keeping unwell for the past two weeks. His entire body was having an itching sensation. The medicines of the Jail hospital were ineffective. Rather, his disease was on the rise. His entire skin was getting filled up by acne. Haria wanted to take medicines from the civil hospital. The doctor was not prepared to send him to the civil hospital. He said, “If the prisoner gets a headache, he becomes desperate to get admitted to the civil hospital. In reality, the prisoner wants to roam around.” He used to tell Haria, “Now, you are recovering from your disease. It would take a few days to get completely cured. You may remain here or go to the civil hospital, you are recovering.” Haria did not trust what the doctor had told him. He had lost sleep. His condition was becoming like that of a lunatic. Haria appealed to the Jail Superintendent. The appeal was rejected by the Superintendent too. His history ticket showed that he had gone to civil hospital on this very alibi and fled from there. This time also, he was trying to escape, the Superintendent felt.
Haria, who was sick and unable to get his pleas heard, had a confrontation with the warder. Thoroughly harried and intensely mad with anger, Haria had tried to pierce the chest of the warder with a sharpened spoon that he had made for use in difficult times.
The wounds received by the warder were not deep. However, the Jail administration had taken this attack with utter seriousness. The officilas thought, “Today, a pickpocket has attacked the Jail warder. Tomorrow, some thief would attack or insult a Deputy Superintendent. The snakes must be killed at the early stage itself.” Hence, the Jail administration had decided to teach Haria a lesson.
The next morning, during counting assembly, Haria’s crime was read out to him. Then, the sentence was declared. Later, the sentence was executed. He was given twenty lashes on his bare back.
Besides, the Deputy Superintendent announced, “All the hands threatening to hurt the Jail officials shall be chopped off.”
The same warder stripped Haria of his skin through hunters. The prisoners loyal to the warder broke Haria’s arm in the night. The doctor also contributed to this plan. The result was before everyone to see. The hand that had attacked the warder had been amputated from the torso.
‘Haria had attacked the warder out of frustration and in a fit of sudden anger. He had got a horrific punishment for committing an ordinary crime. I have developed enmity with everyone, starting from the Jail warder up to the Jail Superintendent. Taking into account my actions against all of them, I would certainly get capital punishment,’ thought Hakim, comparing himself with Haria.
‘I am not Haria. I have never asked for anything for my personal gain. I write letters and applications for the sake of other prisoners. I am never violent. They cannot do this to me,’ he used to make his mind stable by arguing in his own favour, just like an advocate.
Then, he would recall another incident and tremble in his mind.
Ninder, the wrestler, had gone with a happy, cheerful mood to his place of work. God knows what he had consumed with the evening tea. First of all, the tea came out of his stomach. Then, he began to vomit blood. By the time he was taken to the hospital, he had become unconscious. By the evening of that day, he was no more.
No one knew which disease had gobbled up Ninder. Someone said he had got cholera. Someone else guessed that he had an ulcer in his stomach which had burst. Someone else observed that an insect had fallen into the tea cup he was given. The poison of that insect had plausibly killed Ninder. Some other person conjectured that he had taken something to commit suicide.
Hakim felt that the last allegation levelled by these people seemed to be correct. However, some investigation needed to be done. He had not taken the poison; it was administered to him by someone.
A day before going to work at the wood saw-machine, Hakim had heard a rumour that during the course of his weekly trip to the Jail, the Jail Superintendent had thrashed Ninder with his ruler. Ninder was also a goon of repute. He could not have let his dignity fade away into oblivion among his disciples because of this small incident. He had committed three murders till date. All these murders were committed by him to save his dignity. He had caught the ruler of the Superintendent with his hand and stopped him from thrashing him further.
Due to this defiance, the Superintendent was very angry with him. He had cancelled his tour to Jail midway and come back to his office. He had secretly discussed the issue with his most trusted deputies for one hour.
Within a week, this incident took place. Now, it was the turn of Hakim after Ninder.

‘I should have used my brain. I should have known how much damage the Jail administration could cause to me. The Jail officials continued to be soft towards me. I continued to have my way. What is the use of crying over spilt milk. Be prepared for the consequences,’ thinking thus, Hakim’s head started aching miserably.
He knew that because of his worry and drowsy state, he could be harmed. His mental balance could also be lost. There was only one solution of this serious problem—sleep for a few hours at a stretch.
There was only one way to sleep—sleeping pills. These tablets could be obtained from the compounder but he was not in a mood to oblige Hakim.
Sometimes, the compounder would state, “The sleeping pills have run out of stock.”
Sometimes, he would use another alibi, “The medicine can be made available only if the doctor gives a prescription for it in writing.”
Hakim could neither tell the compounder to get these pills at high price from outside the Jail nor would the compounder agree to his request. He did not want to disturb his mind further by listening to another ‘no’.
The prisoners with lots of money had their pockets full of sleeping pills. They used to take these pills in excessive quantities. Hakim was not able to get even a single pill, despite the fact that he was in a dire need of it.
His blood burned when he understood this partiality.
In a bid to control his rising anger, Hakim lay on his bed and tried to sleep by keeping his eyes closed.
A patient of jaundice, Nandu had been looking at Hakim since morning. He had visualized that the Sikh lying on bed number eight was the same Hakim Singh as had got him a good counsel at government expense. Due to the interefernce of the High Court, the verdict of Nandu had been stayed and because of this, his release had been deferred. However, he was absolutely sure that he was supposed to be released only because of the toil of his counsel.
There were many reasons behind the doubt of Nandu. The first one was that Hakim Singh was a young man. But the beard of this man was half-white. Hakim certainly had a lean figure but his bone structure was not so weak. Hakim used to locate prisoners and talk to them by making them sit close to him. He used to solve their problems. This Sardar was totally quiet and seemed to be surrounded by problems.
Nandu and others had been told that he had been released a year ago and that he had gone home. When a prisoner went home, he forgot those whom he had met in the past. He was not a very exceptional man. When they could not see Hakim for many months in a row, they had forgotten him.
Nandu also knew that Hakim Singh was not a professional criminal. There was no possibility of his committing another crime and coming to jail.
Since morning, Nandu had been trying to find out the name of this prisoner. The other patients only knew the number of that prisoner. Neither had the Sardar told anything about himself nor had anyone asked him about his credentials.
Nanadu was surprised to find that his colleagues were so stupid. Every prisoner was caught up in one crisis or the other. The river was flowing in front of them and they were thirsty!
Pahadia, the patient of intestinal disorder, was not grieved so much because of his illness as he was because of his inability to fulfil the last wish of his wife who was about to die. His wife had been battling cancer for the past six months. The doctors had given up and advised him to take care of her at home. Pahadia’s wife, always in a state of delirium, would continue to murmur, “I would die in the lap of my husband. Please call my husband.” Pahadia had filed many applications for leave. He had also attached the certificates given by the doctor along with those applications. The Deputy Superintendent had literally sat over his applications, just like a snake. He said, “This disease is fake; so is this certificate. You are just creating a hoax. You are dying to go home and produce children.”
Nandu encouraged Pahadia, “If prisoner number 808 happens to be Hakim, you must take it for granted that your leave application would be accepted. This advocate may do anything but he would not stop short of getting leave for you.”
Bengali, a patient of asthma, was not very much literate. By the dint of hard work and also by making himself as meek as the cow, he had earned a number of sentence waivers. His village was far away. He had never gone home from the day of his sentence till date. Bengali had roughly estimated that he ought to have been released two months before this date. He had requested the Assistant Warden many times to make the account of his period of sentence. The Assistant Warden was demanding five hundred rupees for this job. He did not have that much money with him. That is why his release had been delayed.
Nandu encouraged him too, “This advocate takes one away from the deepest crises. He would make your account in a jiffy and get you released.”
Bholu was a patient of TB. His disease was at an advanced stage. Further, there was every chance of anyone else in his vicinity acquiring that disease, for it was contagious. The doctor had told him many times, “You have to be sent to the TB hospital for better treatment.” However, the action did not go beyond the stage of sweet talk. Bholu used to beg from the doctor in the morning and in the evening, but the doctor simply said, “Yeah! We shall send you. We shall take care of you.”
Nandu did not feel at peace until he asked the name and address of prisoner number 808 by flattering the compounder.
Then, in a fit of ecstasy, he took Pahadia, Bengali, and Bholu and met Hakim.
When Nandu shook Hakim, the latter was thinking about Ruldu, another prisoner.
Who was Ruldu? Wherefrom had he come? No one knew about all this. All knew this much that he was undergoing sentence due to the charge of murder. No one knew how much sentence he had gone through and how much of it was left. Every prisoner used to state, “Before my arrival in Jail, Ruldu was here.”
People would to call him a saint because of his noble nature. The Jail administration had waived his hard toil. There was no restriction on his movement. He could go anywhere.
He remained in the hospital most of the time. Sometimes, he would remain exceptionally quiet and another time, he would start talking to other prisoners. Sometimes, he would abuse counsels and again, he would censure the judge. Sometimes, he would abuse the witnesses who had filed statements against him and at some other time, he would abuse his sons and daughters who did not defend him in the case and never came to meet him in the Jail. So, he had started considering Jail as his real home.
People would call him a saint or a devout old man but Hakim thought that he was a half-mad person who had lost his mental balance. That is why he had to be given sleeping pills to sleep. If he got the pill as alms, he would take it and go to sleep. If he did not get it, he would remain awake for many nights altogether. When his disease became more prominent and dangerous, he would be given an injection by the doctor. So, he would finally go to sleep with the injection.
Yesterday, Sham Lal had told Hakim that the doctor was finding it difficult to give Ruldu the sleep injection free of cost. Soon, he was likely to be declared a lunatic and sent to the solitary cell.
Putting Ruldu in solitary cell meant invitation to death. Lying there, he would not be medically treated by anyone; nor would anyone get him released from that hell. Within a few days, his body would deteriorate and his spirit would leave his body forever!
Hakim thought that he was also going to meet the same fate. He could be made to sleep with the help of an injection because he was a victim of critical insomnia.
Someone was shaking him and saying, “Wakil Sahib!” He had heard the word ‘wakil’ (advocate) after many years. He thought he had misunderstood, or was it a dream?
Then, he got up and sat on the bed with great alacrity. He thought that he was also being woken up to put him in a solitary cell along with Ruldu.
“Yes!” getting up in a hurry, Hakim could say only this.
“I am Nandu. Many years ago, you had helped me. I am about to be released from the Jail. These are my friends. They badly need your help.”
Nandu quickly explained the problems of all the three of his friends to Hakim. This was for the first time that Hakim had been irritated because he was an advocate. This intoxication of legal profession had led him to his present state.

‘These people would get their jobs done and run away. Later, I would have to bear the brunt of my enemies because of the release of these three prisoners,’ musing thus, Hakim thought it better to avoid putting his hands in fire.
“What can I do? Go yourself to the Warden and hit him in his belly!”
Nandu and his friends returned to their sleeping spots, totally disheartened.
Keeping his eyes closed, Hakim evaluated his behaviour he had displayed a short while ago. During the first attempt at introspection, he found it to be correct. If the prisoners do not stand by him during this hour of crisis, why should he die for their sake?
After some time, he started thinking otherwise. He started feeling sorry over his rude behaviour.
‘How did I speak so many things so bitter?’
Then, he tried to find out the causative factor that had led him to spew venom of this type.
“The papers of your discharge have been prepared. The doctor has gone upstairs. He would sign the papers upon coming down,” Sham Lal broke the continuity of Haikm’s thoughts.
“Discharge without curing my body?” Hakim started getting irritated at the attitude of the doctor.
Once, he thought that he should go upstairs and meet the doctor. Then, he stopped himself and thought that it would be appriopriate to talk to him here only.
He started looking at the stairs with eyes wide open and waited for the doctor to arrive.
After some time, the doctor came down even as he was talking to the compounder. Instead of taking a round of the ward and asking for the well-being of patients, he went staright into his office.
Hakim followed him.
“Are you all right, Hakim Singh?” asked the doctor while pulling the papers lying on the table towards himself.


“How can anyone be cured without proper medical treatment? No one has even changed my bandage till date. The wounds have got pus now. Please see,” stating this, Hakim started opening the bandages of his wounds.
“He has not overcome his ego yet,” the doctor quibbled in his mind even as he saw that his room was being made filthy by Hakim’s bandages.
“This is only your doubt. You are absolutely all right as per the report of the compounder. I am discharging you.”
“There is no issue of discharging me. How many days have you recommended for my rest?”
“The warriors like you are not afraid of these small wounds. They always remain firm in the battlefield. Do not run away from hard labour.”
“I know my duties fully well. You are the ones who are not fulfilling your duties and responsibilities. I am being harassed deliberately,” Hakim started getting bitter and louder in voice now.
“You have also kept us hanging here,” the doctor also started adopting the attitude similar to that of Hakim.
“What have I done?” murmured a losing Hakim, as if he were caught red-handed stealing something.
“What you have done or what you have not done is known to you as well as to us. Let us not get into that discussion. Pick up your envelope containing medicines and sign here,” stating this, the doctor moved the register towards Hakim.
“When I have not recovered, why should I sign here? You may do whatever you like.”
In a state of anger, Hakim pushed back the register towards the doctor.
During this tussle, the register hit the pen stand. The register as well as the pen stand fell down from the table. The noise of breaking of glass spread around.
“Don’t you see? You have caused a loss of one hundred rupees,” the compunder caught Hakim from his arm and tried to pull him on one side to give a vent to his anger.
“I see every thing. You are the ones who have become blind,” Hakim’s pitch started rising. He was feeling insulted because he was caught by his arm. He got his arm released from the compounder with a jerk. The compounder was about to fall due to this sudden push given by Hakim.
When the patients heard the noise coming from the doctor’s office, they started gathering outside it.
“Bring one injection,” upon seeing the attitude of an enraged Hakim, the doctor gestured to the compounder.
“I am not mad. I am perfectly all right. I do not need any injection.”
“Dear Mr. Counsel, you have become excited. You need rest,” stating this, the doctor tried to bare his arm.
“No, I do not want to get the injection,” rejecting the injection, Hakim got his arm released.
The syringe fell from the hand of the compounder. The vial of injection fell on the ground and broke.
“He is not going to get the injection this way. Control this mad man,” the doctor ordered the prisoners who had already entered his office.
Hakim could not be controlled by those prisoners.
Judging the opposition from Hakim, the doctor pressed the button that activated the danger hooter of the hospital.
The guards on duty immediately arrived on the spot.
The security guards controlled Hakim, finally. Then, per force, he was given an injection.
Within minutes, Hakim’s body started getting into deep sleep.
After sending Hakim towards his bed, the doctor came back to his office and sat in his chair.
Then, he started preparing a case against Hakim for assulting and embroiling with a Jail official so that a strong punishment could be given to him.


Episode 53

Due to the injection, Hakim had a very deep sleep. With this deep sleep, he felt immensely relieved.
When he opened his eyes, he was handed over the order that mentioned his punishment.
Till late at night, the Jail Superintendent had deliberated upon the case with the doctor in the hospital office. Every patient admitted in the ward confirmed the version of the doctor. Some witnesses even exaggerated the matter.
“Hakim alleges that the doctor purposely does not treat patients properly; he misappropriates the medicines. He instigates other inmates to file a complaint against him. He urges them to go on strike and organize sit-in protests. If there is no redressal of their complaints, he asks them to indulge in manhandling and scuffle tactics. Today, setting an example before other prisoners, he caught the doctor from his collar. Then, he tried to strangle his throat,” the Superintendent concluded on the basis of the statements filed by witnesses.
“Hakim is a man with rebellious nature. He spits fire against the government and its employees. He incites the prisoners to start riots in the Jail. He files anonymous complaints with higher authorities. He was warned earlier as well but he is not affected at all. Today’s fateful incident is a proof of his negative tendencies. In order to put him on the right track, he must be given a harsh punishment.”
After considering all aspects of the problem, the Jail Superintendent ordered, “Prisoner Number 808 should be kept in the solitary cell for ten days.”
After reading this order, Hakim again fell into the pit of worries.
Every aspect of the sentence was illegal. The prisoner had not been given any chance to present his viewpoint in the case. Before implementing the sentence, it was necessary to get the permission of the district magistrate or sessions judge. That sanction had not been taken.
It was apt on the part of Hakim to challenge the sentence. However, there was not going to be a worthy outcome of that action. The Superintendent would neither defer his decision to a later date nor cancel it. The appeal to be sent to the district magistrate was supposed to be routed through the Jail Superintendent. They were supposed to send the appeal after a delay of a few days. The magistrate would not be free either. Before the proceedings started, he would have completed the sentence.
Hakim thought it better to keep quiet over the issue.
Psychologists had been crying hoarse for the past many centuries, “Nature has developed man as a social being. Loneliness destroys the body, mind, and brain. Keeping a prisoner in isolation is unnatural and inhumane. This torture must come to an end.”
The higher courts agreed to this viewpoint. They permitted the execution of this sentence only under highly exceptional circumstances. The sentence of this type would also carry twenty odd restrictions. The court would state, “Give only that much punishment as is required. Do not let the secluded prisoner talk to other prisoners but keep him before the eyes of others. Get the physical and mental condition of the prisoner examined by a doctor. If the condition of the prisoner deteriorates, either waive the seclusion sentence or defer it to a future date. The objective of this punishment is to reform the prisoner, not to make him a lunatic.”
Hakim knew that this was a bookish talk. Not a single rule or tradition would be followed. Hakim also knew that due to the injustice meted out to him and the death-like silence spread all around, his courage would start giving way from the day one. After living in seclusion for ten days, most prisoners become mad. Those who complete the ordeal become handicapped for life.
Hakim decided in his mind, “I shall face this crisis bravely.”
Hakim knew some vital points. With the help of those points, one could come out of the burning pyre too, just as Dhruva had done. He started repeating those points, “I shall study and write a lot. Time shall pass along in these activities. Besides, I would be able to give a vent to my anger. I shall recall the great deeds done by the great warriors of the yore. I shall exercise to the hilt and tire my body. Then, I shall have full, deep sleep. That way, I shall not allow the Jail officials to fulfill their evil desires.”
With a heavily pounding heart, Hakim headed towards his ‘grave’.
There were eight cells in that barrack. As soon as he entered the barrack, the cry of a mad prisoner welcomed him.
Why had a mad prisoner been put in a secluded dungeon? Hakim quickly understood the reason behind this.
Hakim knew that three prisoners who had been given wrong sentences in fake court cases were put in this Jail. They had lost all hopes of getting released and were waiting for their death.
One of them was a senior official of the Pakistani army. He had come to establish contact with his sources here. For many years, he remained in the torture houses of the army. When he was drained of all his energies, he was dumped in this Jail. The government of this country wanted to send him across the border. The government of the other country did not consider him a citizen of that country. In this tussle, twenty long years had passed. Irritated over the behaviour of his own government, the army officer had lost his mental balance. When he got a fit of mental disorder, he used to abuse the government of his own country.
Hakim tried to understand whom that prisoner was abusing.
That lunatic was just like a skeleton of bones. He used to have lice in the hair of his head. That is why his head and beard had been shaved. He might come into a fit of rage and tear his clothes. That is why he was naked from head to toe. His jaws had come out. His eyes had gone inside. His throat was sore. His cell had become a waste bin. The pieces of bread were strewn all around in his dungeon. It seemed that this prisoner did not even know how to urinate and defecate. That is why his entire body was drenched in urine and stool.
“He cannot be an army man. Warriors do not lose courage to this extent. They know how to fight till their end,” Hakim started thinking of his situation.
Then, he heard Nand Singh.
Nand Singh and his son had been accused of committing a triple murder. He had a land dispute with his share-holders. Nand had a lot of property and land. He had only one son. That is why he was afraid of having conflict with anyone. He had fought a legal battle to get his rights. When the share-holders could not get a verdict in their favour even in the Supreme Court, they were required to give up their control over the disputed property. Therefore, they resorted to a savagery of gory kind. They caught his son in the field, thinking that he was alone. Had Nand not picked up his gun, they would have killed his only son, the apple of his eyes. Nand Singh murdered three persons. The share-holders, advised by their counsels, gave a new twist to the old story. They thought that their dead kin would not return but the remaining life of Nand Singh must be made a hell. They alleged that all the three murders were committed by the son of Nand Singh. The courage of Nand Singh gave way on the very first day of the hearing. The share-holders, however, maintained their mental balance and will. They continued to make all legal efforts till the son got capital punishment for the triple murder. When his son was hanged, Nand’s brain got a shock of the grievous kind. He used to call his son day and night from that solitary dungeon and abused the law that was blind.
Hakim did not have to understand whom this lunatic prisoner had been abusing. He had understood one thing, “Now, I would also undergo this process.”
Hakim had got cell number four to live in.
Before he arrived in this cell, his personal articles had been brought in it. His mattress, blanket, and utensils were old. Among new things, there was a pot for keeping water and a ceramic commode fitted in a table to answer nature’s calls.
Hakim searched his personal belongings. He did not find his books or the flat plank with paper sheets. Because of the absence of these two fast friends, Hakim felt that a wave of despair was passing through his body.
“First of all, they would give hard punishment and they were not fools to give the prisoner enough facilities to make the sentence comfortable,” thinking thus, Hakim took a round of the new home and examined it.
This small dungeon was nearly eight feet long and six feet wide. On the backside, there was a window that had a thick iron grill welded to it. There was a heavy layer of dust on that grill. According to the international law, these windows had been provided to supply light and air to the prisoners. The clever Jail officials had also made arrangements to deprive prisoners of these facilities. The thick layer of dust allowed neither light nor air into the dungeon.
There was an empty space, three feet wide, behind the window. Beyond that space, there was a wall that touched the sky, literally.
In the front of the window, there was a big gate having thick iron bars. There was a verandah, four feet long, ahead of that gate. On the roof of that verandah, there was a grill made of strong iron bars. Through those bars, one was allowed to look at the sky.
The walls of the cell must have been plastered at some point of time. Mad with anger, previous prisoners must have broken that plaster after hitting the walls with their fists.
On the walls, there were the marks of lentil, tea, and dirt of hands. There were lines, sketches, and other weird images at many points on the walls. The floor had been made of broken yellow bricks. Insects had made holes in the floor at many places. The insects, flies, and mosquitoes had the freedom to move about anywhere in the cell. If the prisoner wished, he could give a vent to his anger by talking to them.
In order to defecate and get some fresh air, Hakim would get half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. For other moments, he was supposed to use the commode to answer nature’s calls and urinate.
“How would I pass the rest of the day?” asked Hakim from himself by putting his hands on the iron bars and looking at the sky above.
Haikm loved the sky. He used to ride the horse of imagination and get lost in the depth of the milky way. This gift had been given to him by his father. When his father used to get tired of working at the sewing machine, he would pick Hakim up and take him upstairs. He would make him look at the pole star in the sky. Sometimes, he would let him see the Sapta Rishi, a chain of seven stars. Sometimes, he used to show him the weighing balance of Shravana. And at some other time, he would show him Sanghni Khitti, another cluster of stars. Nowadays, whenever he was upset in Jail, he used to look at the sky. Sometimes, he would consider the clouds as God. Sometimes, he would play hide and seek with stars. He used to talk to the Venus, the Saturn, and the Mars. Worries would remain behind and he would drown in the ocean of deep sleep.
Today, the sky was also grieving. There was nothing there, except droopy blue sky. There were not any clouds, moon, star, etc., in the sky.
Terrified by the closed paths, Hakim started looking at the ground.
He was as much in love with the earth as he was with the sky. When the sky was empty, he used to take a handful of earth and put it on his palm. Then, he would talk to it, “Where were you born? Who are your parents? How old are you? If you die, what would happen to this world?” Thus, he would become fresh after talking to the earth.
Today, even this desire of Hakim was not being fulfilled. There was neither earth nor sand in the dungeon.
He had to pass time by staring at walls. Hakim started doing that only.
He started reading the backgrounds of incomplete images that had been made on the walls. The prisoners must have made these sketches to avoid the panic of the loneliness of the dungeon. That is why their thoughts must have blown apart and thus, these sketches must have been left incomplete.
“Am I going to get the same treatment? My mental balance is about to be destroyed,” while talking to the walls of the cell, Hakim used to feel restless.
“No! I shall not allow my self-confidence to be decimated.”
In order to maintain his mental balance, he used to think about Shaheed Bhagat Singh who had accepted the capital punishment with a smiling face. He thought about Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji who had sacrificed his entire clan while fighting against tyranny. He used to think about King Bruce to revise the lesson that one gets success after facing many failures.
While sitting, Hakim’s legs became stiff. He got up with the intention of having a stroll.
The length of the cell was eight feet. When he took one step, it became difficult for him to take another.
He moved his legs and arms for the sake of doing exercise. Immediately, pain started in the wounds. He recalled that his entire body was full of wounds. He was not fit for doing any exercise.

That meant that the facilities to get exhausted and taking a nap for a while were not available either.
“How would I pass so many days?” thinking about this, he started trembling with fear.
“Why do governments not take care of their brave army officers?” Hakim thought even as he focused his attention on the army officer from Pakistan who had gone mad, “Why does the law not mete out justice?”
Hakim started thinking about Nand Singh who had been made a lunatic because of the injustice meted out to him.
Then, he started thinking about the injustice done to him.
Hakim’s wife had committed suicide. Hakim had not played any role in it. However, he was held guilty by the law in this case. There was no hue and cry about the dowry. Even then, the court had accepted that Hakim was guilty of torturing his wife because she had brought less dowry from her parents’ home. When a lawyer cannot get justice for himself, what would be the fate of the ordinary people?
Thinking about all this, Hakim started flying into a rage.
Hakim alone had not been given a shot of injustice. He had also done injustice to other people. He started recalling those cases of injustice.
On the second day of punishment in isolation, he started remembering his wife, Ravinder. Her eyes were full of dreams and her laughing face started appearing before his eyes. Till date, he had been considering Ravinder guilty. She used to have big dreams. He had suffered because of her dreams.
Today, Hakim thought that Ravinder was right. If she was fond of watching movies, living in metropolitan cities, eating idlies and dosas, and doing a job; what was wrong in doing all this? Hakim always supported his parents. He neither sat close to his wife nor asked about her woes. He never tried to remove her grievances. What could she do but die?
Hakim wanted to beg before his wife and apologize to her for everything he had done to her. However, the dead ones never return.
He had to go through the punishment for what he had done to her.
Then, he started feeling that he was an unsuccessful son too. Ignoring the interests of his wife, he had supported his parents to the hilt. Thus, he thought that he had become Sharvan Kumar, the dutiful son. When Ravinder died and he went behind bars, his thinking started changing. He started blaming his parents for all this fuss and chaos. They should have learnt how to live with a girl who had come from a metroplitan city and how to tackle the educated daughter of rich parents.
Till the passing of the sentence, Hakim did not talk to his parents. He neither met them properly when they came to meet him in Jail nor talked to them in the court while going for court appearance.
Today, he started thinking that his parents were also innocent.
His father had dreamed of making him a big, successful man. He had worked on the sewing machine day and night and borne the academic expenses of Hakim. His mother’s sacrifice was no less. She used to put buttons on the shirts while sitting along with her father day in and night out. She used to do stitching along with his father. She used to give tea or milk to Hakim during the late hours of night. If the members of the poor homes could not learn how to deal with the daughter of a rich family, what was the fault of the parents? Hakim should have become a bridge between the two families. He should not have become a silent spectator in this family affair.
Now, the father had to work hard on the sewing machine, even in his old age. His mother had also to support her husband in the sewing and stitching tasks. Who was responsible for all this—the parents who had dreamed of making their son a successful man or the foolish son who could not comprehend the circumstances?
Hakim felt as if his parents were standing near his head, with tearful eyes! He felt as if they were asking what crime they had committed!
Hakim felt like breaking all the walls and the door of the cell and falling on the feet of his parents. He wanted to cling to their chest and cry to his heart’s content.
When he had the urge to cry, he balanced himself. He thought for a while whether his mental balance was disturbed or not. In order to save himself, he changed the course of his thoughts, “Three fourth part of the sentence has been passed. One fourth part of it is left. After my release, I would start a new life.”
He thought that he would realize the dreams of his parents and become the apple of their eyes.
Hakim would be in high spirits at some times; then, he would sleep. At other times, he would be in a depressed mood; then, he would wake up.
Sometimes, he would wake up and there would be day. At some other times, he would wake up and there would be night.
On the third day, Hakim started remembering his father-in-law. He started getting irritated. Major Singh misused his profession. He used all his knowledge related to law on Hakim’s case. He told lies in the court and got the sentence passed on Hakim. He wanted to deal with Major Singh in a hrash manner. He thought that he should contact a goon after getting released from the Jail. He wanted to give the contract of killing Major Singh to that goon. He wanted to teach Major Singh a lesson for the lie he had told in the court.
Now, he was imprisoned in the lonely cell. Staying here, he could not contact even a sparrow. The problem at present was to get out of this cell safe and sound. Thinking about this, he started paying attention to his own well-being.
As soon as Hakim entered this cell, he lost his appetite. He did not want to eat anything. His food remained lying as such; he would not consume it.
He had been totally de-energised since this morning. Plausibly, he had a high fever. Somethimes, he thought that it was just a misinterprertation of his mind and that he was as fit as a horse.
He did not urinate or defecate today. He wanted to keep lying throughout the day.
Hakim started getting irritated over the doctor’s attitude. During these three days, he had not paid a visit even once to the cell. This was a violation of the jail rules. The doctor deserved punishment because of his negligence. However, the prisoners were supposed to follow the rules, not the jail officials.
Then, he thought, “Why should I blame the doctor alone? All the Jail staff deserved punishment. They all had picked up only one task—bothering the already bothered prisoners and then fleecing them. They all were corrupt and cruel. They deserved harsh punishments. But who would punish them?”
Then, he started answering his own question, “No one else but I shall punish them.”
Bound to give them punishment, he would start cogitating. Then, he thought, “While on a weekly visit, the Superintendent should be killed by strangling his throat. Hot tea should be poured over the face of the Deputy Superintendent. The Assistant Warden should be hit around his sex organ.”
Thinking about these absurd things, Hakim would start murmuring at some time and at some other, he would start throwing fists in the air in sheer anger.
Sometimes, he would realize that he had been murmuring something. He would get up in the half-sleep mode. Then, he would think, “Murmuring is a sign of lunacy.” Thinking about the meaning of the statement, his heart would start pounding rapidly.
Hakim was fully aware of the passing of four days and four nights.
On the fifth day, he started feeling restless. Sometimes, he would think that seven days had passed and that three days were left. Then, he would think that three days had passed and seven more days were supposed to be spent here.
In order to pacify his mind, he dipped his finger in the lentil and drew lines on the wall. Then, he stopped believing in those lines either. Sometimes, he felt that he had drawn the last line yesterday only. Sometimes, he would think that he had drawn it yesterday morning. Sometimes, he would draw a new line and then delete it.
Sometimes, he would feel that he had taken a full bottle of liquor. He would feel as if the earth were revolving speedily and he were getting jerks due to its movement! Sometimnes, he would feel as if he were hanging in the air. He longed to laugh, cry, and sing like drunkards.
Sometimes, Hakim would feel that his cell had been filled up with smoke. His breath would be choked. He would start feeling restless. He would feel as if he would start vomitting.
He would try to sit but his body would not let him do this.
Then, a thought came to his mind, “Why should I go through this hell? I should plead guilty for my sins and get the rest of my sentence waived. Then, I should go home quietly. There, I should take care of my parents. I should start my life again from scratch. If the governments do not think about people, politicians do not think about people, what would I be able to do for people, given that I am all alone in this war? I cannot become Bhagat Singh. There were people to support him, the likes of Rajguru and Sukhdev. I cannot destroy Lanka by becoming Shri Ram Chandra. He had a faithful army of monkeys. The monkeys I am fighting for are jumping or leaning towards the king of Lanka. I have yet to spend a lot of years in prison. If these Jail officers continued to be angry with me, only my dead body would go out of this Jail.”
When his mind would become stable, his thinking would change, “Why should I beg and ask for forgiveness? I have not done any crime. Everyone is supposed to die one day. The real death is when one dies fighting for the sake of his rights. I shall have the death of the brave.”
A man used to come from the kitchen and bring food for him. He used to put the new utensils full of food and take away old ones along with him.
Earlier, whenever there used to be a noise, Hakim would get up to see the face of the prisoner who had come to deliver food to him. There would be no exchange of words between the two persons. However, his mind used to get some support, some solace.
Today, he neither listened to the noise of the opening of the gate nor listened to the footsteps of the man coming from the kitchen to deliver food to him.
“Wakil sahib, only three days are left. Please keep your morale up for some more time. I am being released today. I would go directly to meet the cadres of the Samiti. I would arrange for your release.”
Hakim felt as if the prisoner was saying something to him. Whether he was saying anything or not, Hakim was having an illusion. He was unable to understand whether the other person had said anything.
Even then, he tried to raise his hand as a gesture of thanks. Hakim did not know whether he had been able to lift his hand or not.
Episode 54

When Hakim was ordered to go thorugh this sentence in seclusion, only one week was left in the release of Musaddi.
Mussadi knew that the prisoner taking food to these dungeons was selected with great care. He must be a man with great determination and should be able to withstand the goriest of gory scenes of these cells. He should not meet eye to eye with any person put in these cells. The Jail administarion feared that even a soothing talk for a few minutes between the two persons could give immense relief to the prisoner locked up in the dungeon. That could kill the objective of sentence of this type. Thus, this special responsibility was given only to that prisoner whose loyalty towards the Jail administration was thoroughly confirmed.
A criminal is a criminal, after all! He could prove to be traitor to the administration and support his brothers in the jail. In order to keep the prisoner alert about this factor, a sword was hung over his head, literally! Only that prisoner who would be released within a few days was selected for this job. Besides, it was made clear to him in plain words by the officials: “If your work is not found up to the mark, all the previous sentence waivers would be cancelled. Then, your release would be deferred.” A prisoner could bear with anything good or bad but he would never like his date of release postponed further. Afraid of that situation, he would follow the administration’s guidelines with strictness.
Musaddi fulfilled both these conditions. He had been a favourite of the Jail officials since day one. But since he had filed a statement against Hakim, he had risen high in the eyes of the Jail officials.
Musaddi had thought in his mind that he would be selected to deliver food to Hakim, not because he was loyal to the officials but because they wanted to teach him a lesson. Evereone knew that he was Hakim’s disciple. The teacher was being taught the lesson. Now, it was the turn of the disciple to learn it.
It was true that Hakim and Musdaddi were close buddies. Hakim used to write letters against the Jail administration and Musaddi used to type them. He

used to hand over that application to the prisoner going out for a hearing and got it posted through him.
Out of sheer helplessness, Musaddi had proved traitor to Hakim. He had given a false statement against Hakim. He was worried about how he would show his face to Hakim.
While remembering Hakim, he would recall the first day of his jail journey with awe and grief.
He had been senetenced on the crime of breaking the head of his master. He had to take that step out of helplessness.
Musaddi had been good at studies since the beginning. He had passed the matriculation examination in the first division. He could not afford to continue his studies. On the advice of his teachers, he decided to become a car mechanic. He was good at handling and repairing machines. During the course of his training, Mahindra Tractors selected him for a job.
Musaddi had not been given anything special by nature except physical beauty. When he joined the workshop, this physical beauty became his enemy. The foreman of Mustaddi started wooing him into a gay relationship and kept touching his private body parts every now and then. Musaddi somehow wanted to pass his time in the workshop. He had already been betrayed by his fate. His father had already left him and his mother ten years ago and eloped to Kolkata along with another woman. The mother-son duo had to work hard with their hands to eke out a living with great difficulty. He did not want to let her mother’s dream bite dust.
An irritated Musaddi struck his master’s head with an iron rod due to his misbehaviour. The result was five years of rigorous imprisonment.
As soon as Musaddi entered the Jail premises, the news spread like a wild fire: “A girlish boy has come to the Jail. Whosoever wants to enjoy his body, he can take him to his barrack.” The men, who were fond of such young boys, ran towards the lobby. Musaddi’s body was examined, just like those of cattle. Someone would pinch his cheeks, someone would examine his chest, and someone else would put his hands on his thighs. With tearful eyes, Musaddi was surprised

over the attitude of the Jail employees. Instead of stopping the acts of sodomy being done to him, they joined others in laughing to their heart’s content.
His auction started in the Jail. Every ne was in a hurry to take him along.
Musaddi closed his eyes and prayed. His prayer was answered. Lord Krishna arrived in the form of Hakim Singh. Musaddi’s honour was saved.
Hakim got Musaddi out of the factory. He got him engaged in the Jail office. Then, he made him study.
Musaddi paid for his favours in a strange way. He filed a false statement against him and got him sent to a lonely cell
How long would the goat’s mother remain safe. Two days before his release, he got the message, “From tomorrow onewards, you have to go to lonely cells to serve food to the prisoners in isolation.”
The day before, he had gone there for the first time. He had been chiselling statements in his favour to justify his betrayal.
“Hakim is not a child. He knows that a prisoner cannot have his say in the Jail. He must have understood my helplessness. He would have pardoned me by now.”
When he went close to the barrack gate, his heart started pounding fast. He felt as if someone were following him.
“The Jail officials know fully well that I would not be able to control myself upon seeing Hakim in a shabby state. I would ask how he had been doing. The spies of the officials would catch me red-handed then and there only. They would imprison me along with Hakim in the lonely cell. I would not let the administration succeed in achieving their objectives,” thinking on these lines, Musaddi did whatever he had thought. He kept the utensils full of food inside the cell and fled from the spot.
During the night, his cowardice made him race his mind. He thought, “Why was I afraid yesterday? Had I been caught talking to Hakim, I would have got a little sentence only. The sentence would have been extended by two or four months at the most. But my sins would have been undone. Is my wife waiting for me at

home? No! There is the old mother at home. If she had passed four years wailing, she would pass another four as well. I should not have betrayed my mentor.”
By the morning, he made up his mind. He decided to help Hakim. He thought, “Today, I would be released from this Jail. However, I would not be able to help Hakim from outside the Jail. I will have to arrange a counsel to get him out of the lonely cell. For this purpose, I will have to arrange the fee of the counsel. Wherefrom would the money come?”
During the course of morning count, Musaddi located Pala and Meeta. He took the address of the Samiti and put it in his pocket.
Now, he was going towards the isolated cells with a strong, determined mind.
Today, neither had he an inkling that a spy was following him nor did he look behind to find that out.
When he went near the barrack, he started coughing. When he went near the cell, he started walking briskly. He thought that Hakim would become alert upon listening to the noise of footsteps. He would get up, Musaddi had visualized. Then, he would get an opportunity to talk to him.
But all these thoughts were just castles in the air. Hakim was lying almost half-dead. His mouth was half-opened. Flies were entering his mouth. It seemed that he did not have enough strength to scare away the flies.
Foul smell was coming from Hakim’s body. It seemed he had defecated and urinated in his clothes.
“God knows what has happened to the lawyer’s intelligence. What is the fun of going on a hunger strike in this dungeon?” thinking this, Musaddi examined the situation.
Musaddi touched the body of Hakim. His body was hot like a furnace due to fever.
Hakim tried to recognize Musaddi. However, he could not comprehend what was going on.
Musaddi’s eyes swelled with tears. He wanted to cry loudly.

Musaddi wanted to sit close to Hakim and serve him. He wanted to talk to him. However, the sentry, who had just come and stood beside him, did not allow him to do so.
First of all, Musaddi informed the warder of the barrack, “Hakim’s condition is pitiable.” But his request fell on deaf ears. A prisoner getting mad or dying in Jail was a common routine.
He went to the control room and shook the Assistant Warden. He told him the tale of Hakim. The Assistant Warden was overjoyed. “That is what we want,” stating this, he turned his face away from Musaddi.
He went to the lobby and begged of the Deputy Jail Superintendent to help Hakim. He scolded Musaddi, “You are going against the rules by opening your mouth. Had you not been our loyal man and had this not been the day of your release, I would have given you harsh punishment.”
The Jail Superintendent made the release warrant of Musaddi four hours in advance and threw him out of the Jail lest he should spill the beans about the bad condition of Hakim.
As soon as Musaddi came out of the big gate of the Jail, he had new wings! Now, he could speak whatever he pleased. He could fly to the place of his choice.
He went to the bus stand in a jiffy and set out in the bus that would take him to Samiti Baba’s city.


Episode 55

Upon hearing the bad condition of Hakim Singh, Baba Gurdit Singh’s eyes were filled with tears.
He said, “Our gem is decaying in rubbles. We must take care of him.”
Baba called a meeting of the Legal Cell to take up legal proceedings.
The members of the legal cell were surprised to hear about the tasks Hakim had done so far. Sometimes, the Samiti members used to meet Pala and Meeta in the Central Jail. They had also heard about the campaign of the Jail administration to release poor and downtrodden prisoners. They had thought that the state government had been doing all this out of fear of the Supreme Court. Had it known that this project had been initiated by Hakim, the Samiti would have immediately contacted him and carried forward the mission.
After living for seven days in total seclusion at the lonely cell, Hakim had reached a pitiable state. Looking at him, one could not state that he had not been harmed much. Harm had indeed been done. However, something should be done to save him from further harm.
Gurmit Singh offered a suggestion about how Hakim could be saved from that hell. He said, “Immediate help cannot be provided to Hakim through legal procedures. The local courts have no right to interfere in the tasks of the Jail administration. The writ would have to be filed in the High Court. For this purpose, we would need documents of various types. Most of such documents and records are under the control of the Jail administration. We would not be able to get them so easily. We will have to fight against many to get the copies of those documents. The law is not in favour of the prisoner either. After passing the verdict of sentence, the court loses its right over the prisoner. The government can deal with the prisoner in the way it deems fit. The High Court is also not going to give any kind of relief. Hence, we shall knock at the doors of the High Court after thorough deliberation and complete preparation.”
“We shall use iron to cut iron. We shall start an agitation instead of starting the legal proceedings. In order to let the Jail administration know that the Sangharsh Samiti has taken up the case of Hakim in its hands, a three-member team would go to meet Hakim in the Jail. Due to this action, the Jail administration would be able to smell the rat,” an excited Piare Lal gave his suggestion.
“Let us constitute another two-member team. It would meet the Sessions Judge. The team would get the copies of all those complaints that Hakim had sent to him against the Jail administration. Further, a copy of his report should also be obtained.”
Musaddi had also given another set of information to the Samiti. He said, “Hakim had made only one or two anonymous complaints. The number of such documents as he had written about jail reforms is very high. He had sent those suggestions to the High Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Sometimes, the government used to ask for comments from the Jail administration about those documents. Later, those documents were lost in the maze of government records. None of Hakim’s suggestions was implemented at any point of time.”
“These documents are to be procured from the High Court and the National Humnan Rights Commission.”
Baba directed the Legal Cell of the Samiti to send an application to this effect to the High Court.
A three-member delegation of advocates was constituted under the leadership of Gurmit Singh.
“The next day, the Jail administration should be approached as soon as the offices are opened,” Baba gave this instruction to this delegation.



Episode 56

The counsels of the Samiti had come to meet Hakim. When this news spread in the Jail, the Jail officials were on tenterhooks.
They sat for deliberations in a jiffy.
“Should the delegation be sent back without letting it meet Hakim?” This issue became the subject of discussion.
“Hakim’s appeal has been rejected even by the Supreme Court. His case is not under consideration in any court—lower or higher. Hence, Hakim does not require legal advice.” The first application was rejected on the basis of this logic.
The lawyers were lawyers after all. They also knew how to stick to their guns. They filed second application pleading, “We are the friends of Hakim. We want to meet him in the state he is in.”
The Jail officials again had a bee in their bonnet. “How should we get rid of this new problem?” They started thinking again.
This big problem was solved by a small employee of the Jail, “Today is Thursday. Meetings cannot be arranged on Thursdays as per Jail rules.”
The lawyers were after the case with all their might and main. They filed an application with the district magistrate.
After hearing the entire tale from the officials of the Samiti, the magistrate was shocked to the core. “They have put an educated prisoner in a secluded dungeon! They did not even care to inform me, leave alone take permission from me in advance,” he said.
In order to rectify the error, he gave permission to the delegation to have a special audience with Hakim Singh.
The Jail administration understood the intentions of the Samiti. They thought, “They are famous for going to any extent to get justice. They would not get away so easily.”
Till the Samiti cadres returned, Hakim was taken out of the secluded dungeon. He was bathed and given good clothes to wear.

The doctor was called to examine him. Then, he was admitted to the hospital. In order to handle such emergency situations, some entry columns of the hospital registers used to be kept blank. Those empty columns were filled up to show that Hakim had been admitted to the hospital since he fell down due to giddiness. He had received serious injuries. Due to those injuries, the record stated, Hakim had been admitted to the hospital.
Hakim had been hungry for the past eight days. It was dangerous to give him food through the oral passage. In order to give him some energy, nutrition was administered into his body through intravenous drip.
For some time, the lawyers were made to sit in the Jail office. During that time, the situation was somehow controlled.
When they were taken to the hospital, they were told by the doctor, “Today, Hakim had become too much excited to be controlled. He has been made to sleep through injections. It would not be appropriate to wake him up. Nevertheless, it is your sweet will.”
The lawyers were able to see through the trick of the Jail officials. They knew that the officials were trying to hunt with the hound and run with the hare. They also became clever to do the needful, just like the Jail officials.
They knew that Hakim’s mental balance had been disturbed. He was not likely to recover in four odd hours. They also knew that he had become a skeleton, literally! Due to the good nutrition doses of two days, he was not likely to become healthy. Further, he was a prisoner; so he could not be released. There was no use confronting the Jail administration.
The Samiti members had achieved their objective. The speed with which the officials were trying to kill Hakim was the same at which which they were now trying to save him from the jaws of death. For the time being, the action taken by the lawyers was more than sufficient.
The Samiti delegation thought it better to accept the status quo due to their helplessness and returned empty-handed.

Episode 57

The High Court decisions that Hakim had referred to in his documents were the ones that had been prounced by Justice Sinha. He was the Chief Justice in the High Court at present.
The Samiti members ran hither and thither and somehow, succeded in filing the writ petition in his own court.
Favourable results started pouring in.
When Justice Sinha read the documents attached with the writ, his skin hair was raised in sheer amazement.
Hakim was telling the truth. The courts do talk in the air to protect the rights of prisoners due to emotional reasons. These revolutionary decisions are discussed in newspapers to the hilt for some days. Upon reading the encomium showered on them by the media, the judges become ecstatic. They think that they have opened the way for social justice. They presume that Ram Rajya, the ideal rule, would be ushered automatically. They do not know that their verdicts are nothing but a nine days’ wonder.
If only ten per cent of the bad state of the prisoners described by Hakim was assumed to be true, the conclusion was that the government had dumped those verdicts and the directives regarding jail reforms in the dustbin. The conditions were deteriorating inside jails instead of improving due to these Herculean efforts.
The Chief Justice had censured the government because of the latter’s negligence in dealing with problems in his verdicts. Now, he felt ashamed of the negligence of the judiciary to get its own verdicts implemented through the executive machinery. He thought that all of them were the birds of the same feather.
“Are the people sitting at the important positions like the sessions judge equally negligent about their duties? Do the jail officials consider jails as the places of recreation and entertainment?” The Chief Justice was not able to believe even as he was pondering over the whole case.

All of a sudden, his thoughts started taking another direction. He himself was like the Sessions Judge. Many times, he had given instructions to the government to protect the rights of prisoners and emphasized the urgency to make rules in this context. However, he had never looked back to find out whether the government had followed those instructions or not. He had not taken a round of the jail even once.
Hakim was telling the truth. These verdicts had certainly become the decorations of law books and material for the purpose of research by law students. However, the prisoners for whom they had been passed had not benefited from them. Neither did the Jail administration follow such verdicts nor did the lower courts bother for their true implementation. The beneficiaries of these verdicts did not even have any inkling of them. Then, what was the use of passing such verdicts?
“Hakim is right. The entire system is rotten, including the judiciary,” thinking thus, Sinha started feeling angry at the junior staff.
Hakim had been writing letters to the High Court for the past many years. There were many important facts and suggestions appended in those letters and applications. It seemed that the registrar had never read those documents. He used to send these applications and attached documents to the jail authorities for their comments, considering that they were normal complaints against the Jail administration. He had never tried to know whether the Jail administration had answered to these applications and queries or not. A prisoner was writing a letter to the High Court but this issue was never brought to the notice of the Chief Justice.
Better now than never. Thus the Chief Justice made up his mind to rectify the mistakes done in the past and issue necessary instructions.
The cleanliness drive must begin at home.
The Sessions Judge of Maya Nagar was directed to take the district magistrate along and quickly visit the Jail. He must seal all the records of the Jail upon entering the Jail premises. He must get all foodgrains lying in the jail godowns examined from experts. The patients admitted to the Jail hospital must be

medically examined. A detailed report should be made regarding their ailments. There must be a comment on each point submitted by Hakim.
The Sessions Judge also received another directive that he must remain in the Jail till the investigation was completed. It was also clarified to him that any negligence in future would not be tolerated.
Then, the civil surgeon of Maya Nagar was instructed to take three expert doctors with him and thoroughly examine the physical and mental state of Hakim Singh. The examinations must be done using ultra-modern techniques and gadgets. Test reports must also be sent to the High Court along with the final report.
The Chief Secretary of the state was directed to have a round of all the state jails along with the Home Secretary. They must study all the vices and crimes taking place in jails and exposed by Hakim Singh. After fifteen days, both officers must be present in the court along with the detailed report.
The Chief Justice could visit the Jail at any time. The jail department must be ready for this trip of the dignitary.

Episode 58

The news of the censure of the government was published under major headlines in the newspapers the next day.
The media gave a good fillip to the entire issue. The media also started discussions through articles regarding jail management and jail reforms by inviting former prisoners and experts.
From the next day onwards, the gory and sensational stories of the tortures inflicted on prisoners in jail and the scams committed by jail staff started finding space in newspapers.
After some days, people started taking to streets and roads. Daily protests and rallies became a common sight. The demands for identifying the guilty jail employees and implementation of jail reforms started becoming strongly vocal.
The government was worried now. The Samiti was already beyond their control. Now, it had got the opportunity to play with the dignity of the government.
The Jail Minister and the CM started pulling up the officers, “Control the matter with immediate effect. Get all the required announcements made from the government at the earliest. Elections are round the corner. The government cannot take any risk.”
The Home Secretary and Chief Secretary were on the horns of a dilemma. During the course of investigation, the committee had not found anything except faults. Not a single task of good credence and intention was being done in the Jail.
The Chief Secretary called up the district magistrate many times and urged him to help the government. The district magistrate could not oblige the government although he wanted to.
The Home Secretary contacted the Sessions Judge; the latter was a distant relative of the former. The Sessions Judge was busy saving his own skin. He was repenting why he had helped the Jail Superintendent the first time. The Chief Justice was known for his honesty. He had shown door to many corrupt judges. The Sessions Judge wanted to save his job at least. He also raised his hands before the Home Secretary.
The same helplessness was expressed by the civil surgeon. He said, “Salt can be mixed in wheat flour but salt cannot be called wheat flour.”
There was a great deal of misappropriation in all accounts. On paper, a school was shown to be running inside the Jail premises. The expenses for running it was put at fifty thousand rupees per month. In the Jail, the enquiry officer could not find even chalk and dusters. The same was the state of affairs on the sports front.
“How to cool down the anger of the Chief Justice?” It was the problem before everyone, ranging from the Home Secretary up to the CM.
After the deliberations of many days, one solution was found, “Lay down your arms and submit to the circumstances. Some jail reforms should be implemented before the next court hearing. About the rest, assurance should be given to the judge that they would be included in the next state budget.”
Instead of helping the guilty officials, they should be made the scapegoats.
Thus, actions were initiated on these patterns.
The Jail Minister called a press conference and admitted, “The Jail Superintendent of Maya Nagar has been found to be negligent while doing his duties. He has inflicted heavy torture on the prisoners. He has indulged in the ration scam and created palaces for himself. The Deputy Superintendent and the Superintendent are hand in glove with each other in so far as these tortures and scams are concerned. The Assistant Warden is guilty of raping female prisoners. Similarly, the Chief Warder, Hari Om, also gives inhumane treatment to prisoners. All these officers have been suspended with immediate effect. Instructions have been given to file a case against the Superintendent on the charge of embezzling government funds. Instructions have also been given to file another court case against the Assistant Warden on the charge of rape. The Police Superintendent has been instructed to arrest these guilty people and send them behind bars with immediate effect. The Deputy Superintendent has been compulsarily retired. After completing the necessary legal formalities, all others would be thrown out of their jobs.”
The next day, the CM made certain announcements.
The Jail hospital was given double the number of beds than before. The number of doctors was raised from one to three. The budget for medicines was raised. The closed school was re-opened. Teachers were sent to run the school. The old defective foodgrains were destroyed. Good quality foodgrains were sent to the kitchen.
The old Prisoner Welfare Board was dissolved. It was assured that the new board would be constituted soon. An announcement was also made, “The represaentatives of the Samiti would be included in the Board. Prisoners would also be made partners in jail administration.”
The CM expressed regret over the maltreatment meted out to an able prisoner like Hakim Singh. He declared special waivers for him to rectify the mistakes of the past. He was permitted to stay with his kin and friends so that he could regain his mental balance. He was also permitted to get his treatment done from the hospital of his choice. He was promised leave for six months, besides the promise of meeting all the treatment expenses.
With these steps, the anger of people started subsiding.
Now, it was the time to cool the anger of the Chief Justice.
Both of the secretaries went to the High Court and bowed before the judge. They expressed regrets and assured on behalf of the government, “A cabinet committee has been constituted to implement jail reforms. The documents prepared by Hakim Singh have been sent to that committee. The government shall seriously think over the suggestions and reports given by Hakim. The ability and experience of Hakim shall be put to good use. He would be called to appear before the committee from time to time.”
Hakim was released. The guilty Jail officials were subjected to legal action. After the fulfilment of the demands mentioned in the writ, it should have been disposed of.
The Chief Justice knew that thousands of promises had been made earlier to constitute such committees or arrange funds for reforms in budgets. The judiciary could not be befooled any more by using such alibis to defer the problem.

The Chief Justice gave a time of six months instead of disposing of the writ petition. Besides, he directed the government, “Arrange the meetings of the cabinet committee quickly. Send the report of the proceedings of every meeting to the High Court. The final report should be submitted during the next court hearing.”
This verdict satisfied all the parties.
The Samiti cadres were happy. The cruel officers knew now that the prisoners would get relief, albeit for a short duration.

The government was happy that it had got rid of the problem with ease and finesse. Who knew who would be the ruler and who would be the ruled ones after six months?

Episode 59

With the efforts of Musaddi, the Samiti had come across two gems—Hakim and Harish.`
Harish Rai had formed the Victims Welfare Society to support the suffering side in the court cases. The chief objective of this organization was to oppose the undue facilities being given to criminals, undertrials, and prisoners. The organization used to support the suffering side in the case and teach a lesson to the perpetrators of crime.
After reading the reports about the filing of a writ petition by the Samiti in favour of Hakim, the in-laws of Hakim contacted the Victims Welfare Society. The father-in-law had not forgotten the death of his daughter even after getting a sentence of ten years for his son-in-law. He wanted that as his daughter’s dead body had left his home, Hakim’s dead body should also be taken out of the Jail in the same manner. This issue was between a prisoner and the Jail administration. Being on the complainant side, Major Singh did not have any right to join in the hearing of this case. He had contacted the Society after a lot of cogitation. “The Society is also an organization working for the welfare of people, just like the Samiti. The Society must become a party in the writ and support the complainant side in the case,” Major Singh requested the officials of the Society.
From the High Court, Gurmit came to know that the Victims Welfare Society was trying to become a party in the writ petition filed in favour of Hakim. He smelled the rat in the episode. If this happened, there would be a clash between and among the people-oriented organizations. Hence, there would be obstruction in the delivery of the waivers and other facilities being granted to Hakim. In order to resolve the issue, he boarded the bus heading towards Maya Nagar.
Most of the activities of the Victim Welfare Society were limited to Maya Nagar. Earlier, the tasks being got done by the Society were rarely published in newspapers.
Last year, this organization had made frequent headlines in newspapers.

A dispute had started between two brothers over the division of the family property. One faction arranged goons on hire and attacked the other faction’s home. When they entered the bungalow of the enemy, these hired goons went out of control. They started raping a girl, Neha, in the house of the enemy. Her brother, Kamal, died during the process of saving her honour. The head of the family, Ved, and his wife, Neelam, were seriously injured. This incident was masterminded by Pankaj and Neeraj, the nephews of Ved. During the course of investigation, the conspiracy was unearthed. The police did arrest Pankaj and Neeraj once. However, both brothers were among the top industrialists of Maya Nagar. Their relatives were also occupying high and powerful seats. The relatives gathered to support both parties in the dispute. They used money and reference power to get Pankaj and Neeraj released on bail. Then, they got their names deleted from the list of accused. When the Society saw that injustice was being meted out to the aggrieved party, it took the court case in its own hands. Thus, both the accused had to face the trial once again. But the industrialists won again. Pankaj and Neeraj were acquitted, much to the chagrin of the Society. The Society was not discouraged even then. They had already filed an appeal in the High Court to get the guilty punished.
The court proceedings of this case had been published by newspapers from time to time. Gurmit had been keeping a close watch over this news. That is why he knew a lot about Harish Rai and his Society.
His first wish was to clarify some issues by having an audience with Harish Rai. However, conditions were not conducive to let that meeting take place.
As soon as the conditions were favourable, both of them sat together.
Harish was also aware of the activities of the Samiti. He did not agree with the objectives of the Samiti. Without any hiding and sweet-nothings, Harish started expressing his views about the objectives of the Samiti.
He said, “The government itself leaves no stone unturned to provide facilities to criminals and prisoners. It is giving them all facilities. If the criminal states that he does not have the money to pay to the counsel, the government arranges a senior counsel for him in a jiffy. The government spends from its own pocket to do so. If the victim spends money from his own pocket and brings a counsel, even then the law does not allow that counsel to plead the case. The victim party has to stand in the witness box again to give the statement. The counsel asks questions on behalf of the accused. The law considers the accused as innocent and acts accordingly. It seeks an excuse to acquit him. If the story has one hundred linkages and one linkage is proved to be weak, the entire case is treated as doubtful and the criminals are acquitted immediately. If any accused is sentenced by mistake, the government starts treating him as if he were its son-in-law! It gives so many facilities to the prisoner that the prison-term becomes meaningless. In every six months, three months are given to the prisoner to stay at home so that he could produce children, dance in marriage parties, sow crops, and reap harvests. It halves his sentence by giving him sentence waivers. Not only this, it releases the prisoner much before the due date on the alibi of old age, disease, etc. The criminal is not made to realize that he has been punished for a crime.”
“The victim side is always forgotten by the government and the law. No one cares for those who have been made widows or orphans by the criminals or raped by them. Is the government not putting salt over the wounds of the victim? The remaining torture is inflicted by organizations like you. You are agitating to get the criminals acquitted and for giving five-star facilities to them in jails. The criminal community does not deserve our pity and sympathy. If you want to see the society happy, deal with these criminals with an iron hand,” concluded an agitated Harish Rai.
After listening to the views of Harish, Gurmit understood what the objective of the Victims Welfare Society was. The objective of both these organizations was common. There was difference only of the modus operandi.
Gurmit tried to fill up the hiatus, “The Samiti fully agrees with the viewpoints of the Society. However, only those criminals who are really guilty should be dealt with an iron hand. If the police makes a poor person a criminal to save its own skin, is it a crime to raise our voice in favour of that poor man? He is also a victim tortured by the administration or the system of governance. Should we allow these resourceless people, who are sentenced despite the fact that they are innocent, to get long sentences and torture in jails? Should we allow them to go through hell simply because they do not have the funds to hire the best lawyers or buy the witnesses? Should they continue to be the victims of the excesses of the jail officials in jail itself? If someone has committed a crime due to some compulsion, should he not be given an opportunity to rectify himself? Is the act of demanding vocational training to eke out a living a crime? The Samiti supports neither criminal-minded elements nor anyone who takes bribes. We have been fighting for Pala and Meeta because they are innocent. The efforts we are making in to get them acquitted are the same as those that we are putting in to get Harmanbir, the son of a rich man of this city, arrested.”
Gurmit was speaking even as Harish was listening to him. There was no argument being put forward from any side.
“I feel that the Society cadres do not have any experience of life inside jail. Analyze the facts at a point of time. Then, you would know who enjoys waivers, holidays, release in advance, and Class B facilities. We do not ask for facilities for people like Pankaj or Harmanbeer. We are struggling for those prisoners who do not even know the crime due to which they have been nabbed. We are raising a voice in support of those women whose dignity is not safe even inside jails. Is your organization against getting facilities for these prisoners?”
All the arguments of Gurmit were true. Harish did not nurture the habit of arguing without any logic. He silenetly listened to what Gurmit was saying.
“Do you know why was Hakim thrown into a secluded dungeon? He is a counsel, just like us. He has a conscience. He understands the real objective of the law. When selfish people bend and break the law to grind their own axe, he does not tolerate these excesses, just like us. He forsakes the facilities granted to him and raises his voice in favour of those prisoners who are being treated like animals. Had he desired, he would have continued to enjoy the facilities of Class B, just like other Class B prisoners, by using the sycophantic tactics in front of the Jail officials. Rather, he attracted the wrath of the Jail officials for the sake of other prisoners’ welfare. He has completed ten years of sentence. His contemporaries have gone back home long ago after their release. He has been getting sentence instead of waivers and pardons. He may have to spend twenty years minimum. Is it a crime to save a warrior from becoming a lunatic and getting death at the hands of the Jail staff? If the Society throws him in the midst of these vultures, what type of objective would it achieve? Please explain this to me.”
“If we carefully ponder over these issues, we find that our objective is some. We are also fighting for the aggrieved party. The only difference is that you consider those people as victims or oppressed whose opponents cannot be accessed by the long arm of the law. We consider those people also as victims or oppressed who suffer due to high-handedness of the State. Would the problem be solved by getting Pankaj and Neeraj in the dock? If Pala and Meeta were acquitted, are you sure that such new cases of oppression or false implication would not be witnessed in future? Everything would go on like this as it used to be earlier. We know that not much would be achieved if we fight for each individual. People would get relief only if the entire system is changed. These small battles are the stepping stones towards that ultimate objective. Come and join us in the struggle. We shall cooperate with each other to achieve our common objective. The Samiti would help you getting punishment for Pankaj and Neeraj. You should help us in getting Pala and Meeta acquitted. Let us get Hakim released too. Let us get him along with us in this struggle,” completing his speech and viewpoint, Gurmit extended his hand of friendship towards Harish.
Harish was an intellectual. He understood politics. The viewpoints of Gurmit polished his vision further.
Harish held Gurmit’s hand with both his hands and pressed it close to his chest!

Episde 60

It took Hakim one month to get physically fit. However, the Samiti had to struggle for several months to make him psychologically fit.
Gurmit and Piare Lal used to talk to him about the rationale behind the present criminal justice system. They used to conclude which side it was supporting nowadays.
At night, Baba Gurdit Singh used to let him sleep in his vicinity. He would narrate the tales of many a struggle to Hakim Singh. He used to tell Hakim that the exising system could not be changed without class struggle.
Ramu and Ashok used to talk to him about how the mass struggle movements ought to be started and managed well.
When Hakim was imprisoned in the lonely cell in the Jail, he felt as if he were the only one caught in the interlocking mesh, just like Abhimanyu! He had come to the conclusion that he was likely to be martyred without breaking this mesh.
Now, he had started feeling that he was not the only one who was struggling against odds. There was a Lord Krishna outside the Jail to guide him. There were powerful warriors like Arjuna and Bhima. Under their command, there would be a large Pandava army which was very keen to execute this selfless mission. This time, Abhimanyu shall neither lose the war nor get martyred at the hands of the enemy. Rather, he would come out as victorious.
Hakim became anxious to go back to the Jail. He wanted to start the struggle for the entire resourceless class instead of engaging in conflict for only a few prisoners. He wanted to lock his horns with the entire system instead of fighting petty battles against any warder or Deputy Superintendent of jail.
He was putting pressure on the Samiti leaders repeatedly, “Get my parole period reduced. Let me go back to the Jail. Then, see my true colours. Earlier, prisoners used to come out of the Jail after becoming hardcore criminals. Now, they would come out after becoming struggling workers.”
Hakim was in a hurry because of another reason too. He wanted to complete his sentence at the earliest possible date so that he could contribute to the struggle started by the Samiti.
The Samiti was happy to observe his enthusiasm. However, it was not allowing Hakim to go to Jail. The psychologist treating him was not in favour of sending him to Jail, as of now.
The High Court had started listening to those appeals that were eight years old. The appeal of Pala and Meeta could be taken up by the honourable court on any day.
“You have to take part in the arguments. You have to show your abilities to the High Court,” using this alibi, the Samiti had been postponing Hakim’s return to Jail.


Episode 61

After Harish Rai and his organization joined the Samiti, the latter’s power increased manifold.
The Samiti cadres knew that the governments would be constituted and dismissed. All CMs were the birds of the same feather. No CM could be trusted for the task of public welfare.
Upon the advice of Harish Rai, the Samiti started doing its tasks on its own.
Compromise committees were set up at village level in the villages and at ward level in the cities. When a problem or dispute would arise, these units would approach both the parties in the dispute. They would make them aware of the consequences of police and court procedures and motiovate them to resolve the problem through mutual, across-the-table deliberations. The influence of these units had been rising by the day. People stopped going to the courts and started depending upon these units.
A flying squad was constituted at the block level. This flying squad would reach the site of crime or incident much before the police would. It would stand along with police officials and force them to bring out the truth or falsity in the case being handled. If the police tried to have its own way, this flying squad would start investigations of the case on its own. It would put the collected evidences before the journalists. These journalists would put the issue before the masses through news and discussion columns. The flying squad would thus call a spade a spade in any particular case. It would let neither the victim side suffer nor the opposite side bear any type of loss. The police might not be able to help the criminal party; so the flying squad would support the victim side till the time of filing of FIR and other reports. The flying squad also ensured that the victim side should not bend and mend the facts of the case according to its own selfish interests.
Due to the interference of the flying squads, the atrocities and self-styled decisions of the police were reducing in terms of number. People started contacting flying squads much earlier than they contacted the police.
Vigilance committees were set up at the district level. The members of these committees would take rounds of the district courts and jails, besides meeting the officials of the district administration. They would gather the people coming to appear for court hearing and motivate them to settle their cases out of the court. A peoples’ court was constituted with the help of people. This court would save the fighting factions from the hassles of witnesses and evidences and make them sit in front of each other. It would take breath only after settling the dispute to the utmost satisfaction of both the parties at discord.
The vigilance committee would have liaison with the sessions judge and district magistrate. It would force the officers to take a trip to jail every month. The inspection would not be taken as a mere tradition to be consummated in any case. The representatives used to go to officers. They used to get the food being cooked as well as the lentils and other foodgrains lying in the godown checked by experts.
The members of the Prisoner Welfare Board were changed. Instead of nominating contractors, chemists and wives of ministers, the Board now had psychologists, advocates and social workers. The interest of the new members was in comprehending and resolving the problems of prisoners instead of getting waivers and pardons for their favourite prisoners, selling their goods in jail, or watching Giddha and Bhangra programmes.
The members of the vigilance committee would contact prisoners on a personal basis. They used to listen to their tales of woe and try to remove their problems.
A coordination committee was set up at the state level. This committee started communicating its viewpoints and suggestions at the national level through the media and other organizations of its fraternity. First, this committee would make the drafts of people-friendly laws with the help of legal experts. Then, it would send these drafts to book publishers and newspapers. Later, it would explain the objectives of laws through rallies and conferences.
Due to the activities of the Samiti, the officers as well as politicians were on tenterhooks. They were between the devil and the deep sea. If any officer ignored the law to please his bosses, people would take them to task. If the government became afraid of the threats of people, its supporters would be angry with it. There was a dire need to have supporters and money to maintain the ruling party’s base among the masses and fight the ensuing elections. The Samiti had made the government reduce both of these inputs due to its activities.
How to tame the rebels? How to bell the cat? The government had not been able to find a solution to this problem.
As of now, the government was thinking it most appropriate to maintain the status quo.


Episode 62

Except the Samiti cadres, no one was interested in the court case of Pala and Meeta.
The CM, who had implicated them in this case, had to retire from politics. Nowadays, he had become an ambassador in a foreign country and was somehow passing his time.
The new CM was going to be old soon.
The grandfather of Bunty had died. The organizations established by him were witnessing cleavage and conflict from within. These organizations had already become defunct.
Bunty’s mother would not even know whether the guilty were inside the jail or outside it.
It seemed that the High Court was also not interested in this case either.
During the past ten years, the Samiti had knocked at the door of the High Court many times. It had proved them innocent by presenting many facts before the honourable court. Besides, the Samiti had demanded, “The appeal should be heard at the earliest possible date. If the accused are released after going through the entire jail sentence, what would be the fun of getting them acquitted?”
Every time, the High Court would show its helplessness by stating, “We have lakhs of cases to look after. Thousands of appeals are older than yours. All criminals are equal for the court. The appeal would be heard when its turn comes.”
The Samiti made a second request, “Please release them on bail till the appeal is heard.”
The High Court would raise its hands once again, “This court case is associated with terrorist activities. Terrorists cannot get bail.”
Under the changed circumstances, the Samiti repeated its old demand yet again, “Terrorism has been slowed down or stopped. The real terrorists have faced twenty odd court cases and have been acquitted. They have gone home now. Please have mercy on Pala and Meeta.”
The High Court would deny the request yet again.
Whenever the date of appeal arrived, the status quo used to be maintained.
On the first day, a judge of the Supreme Court died. Thus, the High Court was closed on that day.
The judge had to attend a marriage the second time. Thus, the hearing was postponed.
The counsels ran around and put up the case for hearing for the third time.
This time, the judges hearing the appeal were caught on the horns of another dilemma.
A new organization had been set up to protect the rights of wild animals. In order to achieve this objective, it had filed a petition in the court. This organization was sympathetic towards the lions getting hunter-strikes in circus, parrots jailed in small cages, and bears dancing to the tunes of madaris, the jugglers. The organization was demanding that these animals be released from human custody.
The media was taking keen interest in the issue. It had been publishing all big and small news since the day of filing the writ by the organization till date.
The judges and the workers of the organization, who had suddenly became the angels for animals were contacting the officers of the forest department and going to various places to get parrots released from their cages and monkeys released from the clutches of madaris. They were also getting snakes released from snake charmers. The photographs taken on these occasions had also been published in newspapers.
The Samiti cadres concluded, “The judges are interested in only those cases that are discussed in the media and on the basis of which they are called well-wishers of people and avant-garde.
The Samiti was not in conflict with wild animals. However, it did have an objection over preferring animals to humans.
In order to teach a lesson to these judges, the Samiti started throwing light on another facet of this problem.
It met those snakecharmers, ringmasters, and parrot owners who had lost their animals and become unemployed. These animals were not only a tool for eking out a living for these people, but also like the family members of these people. On one hand, their children were grieved because these animals were their childhood friends and had been taken away through legal action. On the other hand, due to this very reason, the separated animals had been dumped in the zoo where they were hungry too. The Samiti cadres took photographs of their sullen, crying faces. It collected the data regarding the chickens and goats being killed in slaughterhouses. Then, it put many questions before the High Court, “What is the difference between chickens and parrots? What is the difference between goats and bears? Why don’t you ban the slaughter of chickens and goats? The animals have been taken away from the poor people. They have become unemployed now. Who would arrange for the consistent employment for these families?”
Due to the critique of the Samiti, the judges really became alert.
Doing away with the greed of making newspaper headlines, they started focusing on general court cases.


Episode 63

A day was reserved for hearing the appeals of Pala and Meeta.
During the first three appearances in court, many cadres of the Samiti had come to witness the proceedings. Their enthusiasm had taken a severe beating because the hearings were being incessantly deferred to later dates. This time, they had been told to sit at home and wait.
This time, Baba Gurdit Singh had come alone, along with the counsels.
Gurmit, Piare Lal, Harish, and Hakim Singh had worn black robes. The counsels of the Samiti had been waiting for the proceedings to start in the court.
A bench of judges was presiding over the proceedings for hearing the appeal.
Before beginning the proceedings, the judges discussed the case among themselves.
After reading the documents, heart-beat of both the judges increased considerably. The Samiti cadres were crying hoarse for the right reason. There was not a single evidence to prove the accused mentioned in the case as guilty.
The recommendation of Jail officials was attached with the appeal. The character and dealings of Pala and Meeta had remained very good during their stay in Jail. Because of their good conduct, they had earned waivers and pardons to the maximum extent.
The details of the sentence awarded, duration of the rebates and the sentence completed by them till date had also been attached with the report. They had been awarded life term. That would mean a jail term for fourteen years. The waivers and pardons (which would amount to the deduction of some months or years from the sentence) were supposed to be deducted from the total sentence duration of fourteen years. After doing all calculations, it was found out that their release was due after four months from the date of this hearing.
The judges understood that the Samiti had been fighting a symbolic war. It wanted to get these two persons out to wash the blots on their faces.
Giving a jail sentence of about fourteen years to two innocent young men and then releasing them because they had been proved to be innocent would make the face of the law and the judiciary black with shame. Now, the judges started pondering over the consequences of the blots on the face of the law.
Once, the judges decided to make the verdict effective and exhaustive, the government and the judiciary both would become responsible for the incessant delay of these verdicts in courts. The government ought to be crticized to the hilt because of its negligence, the judges thought. The government must be warned that the number of courts must be increased with immediate effect. The lower courts must be ordered to ensure that the all hearings and procedures of any court case must be completed within six months from the date of filing that case. The law is rule-oriented rather than justice-oriented. Recommendations must be made to reform it. Pala and Meeta must be compensated for the harrowing experiences they had gone through in Jail.
Then, the judges recalled another weakness of the law. Every verdict of the High Court is a lighthouse for the lower courts. The lower courts might not start misusing this decision of the High Court. They might not start acquitting the criminals in a jiffy and declaring compensation in each case for the victims; the government might have to spend money on these released people.
“The decision ought to be taken by keeping ourselves within the prescribed limits,” thinking thus, they started pronouncing the verdict as they used to do on other ordinary days.
First of all, the judges expressed regrets for delaying the case for years because they were overloaded with court cases. They also felt sorry for the loss the accused had to bear due to this inordinate delay.
Then, to prove that Pala and Meeta were innocent, they did not indulge in listening to arguments and ordered that Pala and Meeta be released with immediate effect.
It is a common tradition that the counsels bow before the judge to show their gratitude for getting the verdict in their favour.
Without following this tradition, the counsels of the Samiti came out of the court.
Episode 64

The news of the release of Pala and Meeta and their arrival in the city by evening spread like a wild jungle fire. People started heading towards the home of Baba Gurdit Singh to celebrate the victory of the Samiti.
It was not possible to welcome so many people in a small home.
Thus, Baba sat in the Dussehra ground along with rest of the cadres of the Samiti.
Due to old age, his body was not as agile as it used to be earlier.
He got his chair put up in a corner of the ground. He started accepting greetings from people. Besides, he continued to give guidance to the cadres who were busy making arrangements for the rally that would be arranged in the afternoon.
Gurmit had gone to Maya Nagar to escort them. By the time they would reach the city, the rally would be on its peak. After the rally, they were supposed to be taken in a procession that was supposed to move throughout the city. People were supposed to be thanked through corner speeches. Besides, the masses were also to be apprised of the future programmes of the Samiti.
Pala and Meeta were the old clients of Mohan Ji. Before getting involved in the Bunty murder case, he used to contest their cases. When a team of counsels was formed by the Samiti to defend them in the court case, Mohan Ji had been made its member. Like other cadres of the Samiti, he had worked day and night to get Pala and Meeta released. He was not an active member of the Samiti, just like Gurmit and Piare Lal. However, he used to give free legal advice to people on the request of the Samiti. That is why he considered himself attached to the Samiti.
He was very happy to learn that his old clients had been released. In order to share the happiness and festivities, he had also come to the Dussehra ground along with other colleagues of the Cell.
The leaders of the Samiti were very pleased. They were working hard to make the rally a success.

Mohan Ji was on the horns of a dilemma. What was the fun of being happy after passing ten years in jail without committing any crime? Had the High Court not given a verdict in the favour of Pala and Meeta, they were supposed to be released after three odd months in any case. The losses that are incurred due to long stay in jail had already been incurred by these two persons. The High Court had not compensated them on that account.
Pala’s home had been ruined. The Samiti could stop Banto, Pala’s wife, from running from home for only two years only. When his appeal was deferred, everybody was sure that Pala would not be released so soon. Then, Banto found it difficult to pass the nights. She started living at her parents’ home most of the time. At the insistence of Banto, her parents started pressurizing Banto’s in-laws, “The girl is young. She can get married again and settle down. She cannot ruin her youth by waiting for Pala. Settle the issue now.”
Pala’s parents deferred the issue. Then, the parents of Banto started telling clearly, “The girl has a loose character. She might not spoil the repurtation of both families.”
Pala’s parents gave up when they were informed that Banto was plausibly going astray. She gave Pala’s daughter to her mother-in-law and married another man. That was the beginning of the decimation of Pala’s home. Since his mother used to cry day and night, she lost her eyesight. Now, Pala’s father was left alone. He had to work hard to make both ends meet. Since he remained in dusty environment most of the time during his duty hours, he became an asthma patient. Pala’s daughter caught fever. There was no one to take care of her. Hence, a side of her body was paralyzed. Now, she used to crawl with the help of her hands. Had Jeewan, the moneylender, not kept his words, their entire family would have been forced to beg in front of a temple or a gurudwara.
After getting motivation from the Samiti cadres, Pala had learnt the art of sewing and stiching in the Jail. He had become an expert tailor after doing hard work for four years. However, his eyesight had weakened due to excessive mental stress, hard physical labour in Jail and lack of proper nutritious diet. Now, he was

not able to put thread in the eye of a needle without using spectacles. His hands had also started trembling.
Nowadays, he could neither stich clothes well nor do good embroidery.
Meeta had been naughty since day one. He loved to earn by committing crimes, rather than work hard to eke out a living. He had become very much disappointed upon hearing the life term sentence for him. He had stayed in the barrack of the Singhs and was influenced by them. The Samiti had to work very hard to take him out of the influence of the Singhs.
He had learnt carpentry to eke out a living. He knew that he would not earn much by making single and double beds. Hence, he had learnt how to make furniture. He had earned good money for many years because he was a capable carpenter.
For the past two years, TB had started attacking him. The sawdust had caused allergy to him. If he worked slightly hard, he would get fever. His body would start aching. The fever would last for a month or more. He used to lose his contract in the middle of its execution because of his ill health. He had to make some arrangement for his livelihood after coming out of Jail.
The faces of both of them had changed drastically over these years. Now, they were not the alert, active young men of thirty or thirty-five years of age. They looked like old men of sixty odd years of age now. They had lost more than half of their teeth. Their beards and moustaches had become white. The eyes had gone in but the cheeks had come out.
Mohan Ji thought that when people would see them, their joy would turn into sorrow.
The past and future of Pala and Meeta were in the mind of Mohan Ji. In front of his eyes, there was Hakim Singh living in the present.
Hakim was young. He had studied law. However, his gait did not have the alacrity of a young man. There was a thick layer of gloom over his face.
The reason behind this gloom was not beyond the comprehension of Mohan Ji.

Hakim’s parole was about to come to an end. He was likely to receive a message from hell to come back. He was probably afraid of going back to Jail and slog like a slave, thought Mohan Ji.
There could be another reason behind this pall of gloom on Hakim’s face. His appeal had been dismissed even by the Supreme Court. The Jail offcials had branded him as offensive and fight-loving person and hence, cancelled all those waivers and pardons that he had earned earlier. Besides, they had punished him more for these offences. He might have to stay in Jail for another four years, despite the fact that he was innocent.
Mohan Ji could not keep his thoughts to himself. As soon as the chair to the left of Baba was vacated, he sat on it. Then, he asked Baba Gurdit Singh, “Baba Ji, have we really won this case? Have Pala and Meeta really been acquitted with honour? There are many Palas and Meetas rotting in jails. Why go far? Look at Hakim Singh. Should we celebrate this occasion under such odd circumstances?”
Baba knew that such questions must be cropping in the minds of thousands of people, besides Mohan Ji. This rally had been organized to remove doubts like these.
Baba said to him, “By starting this struggle, we have won many things. We have proved that Pala and Meeta are innocent, not murderers. Now, they would not have to live a life full of disgrace outside the jail. Don’t you think this achievement is a significant? Had we not contested the case, the real murderers of Bunty would never have been unmasked. We will get Harmanbir arrested one day. Had we not been struggling and fighting, Hakim would certainly have died in the secluded dungeon. This is also an achievement of the Samiti.”
“Son, comprehend one point in your mind. Struggles are carried out not for personal gains but for achieving large, pious objectives. This struggle was started because a spark had been created in the mind of a man. See, how this spark has become an inferno, literally! Scores of organizations and lakhs of people have joined the Samiti. Till date, we have saved hundreds of people from facing the torture of police atrocities and prevented scores of people from going to jail. People have started depending on us. We are becoming stronger by the day. We are quite close to our destination. Tell me, is it not a day full of happiness and rejoicing? Do you think we are doing something wrong by celebrating this way?” asked Baba in a pensive mood.
Mojhan Ji’s doubts started fading. He started cheering up, albeit slowly.
When Hakim saw Baba and Mohan Ji indulging in chat, he also joined them.
“Baba Ji, I am fit as a fiddle now. The decision about the appeal of Pala and Meeta has been prounced. Now, I want to go to Jail and complete those tasks that have been left incomplete,” said Hakim.
“You would go to Jail nevertheless. But son, what is the hurry of going back?” asked Baba, full of affection for Hakim.
“You are there to help the people outside the jail. There is no one to listen to the cries and moans of those who are rotting inside. During these days, I have learnt a lot from you. Now, I shall plan my tasks afresh and in a scientific way. You would see much better the results now! Please let me go to Jail on this auspicious occasion.”
“Don’t say that, son! We need you outside the jail too. Your decisison is absolutely correct. The number of gloomy, bad days should start reducing from today itself. If you go early, you would come out of the Jail early.We shall always wait for you,” saying this, Baba Gurdit Singh got up. First, he patted the back of Hakim. Then, he shook hands with him.
Upon seeing the enthusiasm of Hakim, Mohan Ji felt guilty by pondering over what he had been thinking about Hakim a few minutes ago. He admitted his mistake and bowed before Hakim in his mind.
Keeping Hakim’s decision in full view, the previously planned programme was modified.
When the rally would be at its peak, the decision of Hakim Singh regarding his return to Jail would be announced, said the organizers.
Then, Hakim would give a speech.

Thereafter, under the leadership of Baba, a delegation of one hundred selected cadres of the Samiti shall take the form of a procession. This delegation would take Hakim to the Jail with full honour and devotion. The same delegation would welcome Pala and Meeta at the main gate of the Jail. It would bring both of them to the city amidst a lot of pomp and show.
Thus, preparations were started to send the brave Abhimanyu to the battlefield to destroy the dangerous chakravyuha, the interlocking mesh, created by Dronacharya.