I am not Mahatma, Harshavardhan C [english novels for beginners .TXT] 📗

pierced through his right tight. Though he was injured, he cautioned the co-walkers.

“Please lay down, all of you lay down” Salmon Raj shouted at the morning walkers and took out his 9mm pistol and cocked it.

Rebecca was shocked for a while and she immediately realized the ground reality and thought what best she could do.

She immediately covered her husband by coming in between the line of further fire if any of the insurgents and Solomon, and then she raised hue and cry.

“Alex, shoot them….. I say shoot them……” she shouted at him.

Her voice could not reach Alex.

But the other morning walkers, and the youth who were jagging, ran helter-skelter, out of death fear.

“Fire….! Fire….!” They shouted and ran out of the walking track.

“My God, militants have fired at your officer you better run fast and rescue him” One of the grand old man, who was a retired cop, just walking along with Alex and Bobby,alertedthe former as he understood that he was the gun man, who was carrying a sten- gun.

“Please lay down sir….” Alex pushed Bobby to the ground and run towards his officer.

In the meanwhile, two of the insurgents dragged Mrs. Rebecca when she covered Solomon Raj from body till head.

Solomon Raj shot down one of the two insurgents and the bullet gone through his chest and he fell on the ground. When Solomon Raj was aiming the second one, two more insurgents ran towards him from rear side and all the three aimed at the head of Solomon Raj and released the triggers and the bullets went through the head of Solomon Raj, making his face completely disfigured.

Mrs. Rebecca on seeing the same fell unconscious. The militants ran away from the scene soon after confirming the assassination of Solomon Raj, an outstanding officer on duty, having expertise in Anti Extremist operations.

Bobby was also running along with Alex towards his father.

Alex again threw him on the ground to avoid causality if any in the cross fire and he chastised the insurgents and opened fire through his AK47 gun.

In return, the insurgents also opened fire against Alex. In the cross fire, theinsurgents also sustained severe injuries and fell on the ground, while Alex sustained three bullet injuries, but not to the vital parts and he too fell unconscious.

46

When Alexander opened his eyes, he found himself lying in the operation theatre in a super specialty hospital.

“What happened to my officer? Is he safe?” Even at that state he straight asked about his officer.

The doctors were also human beings. After all they can’t dramatically change the realities. But they are experts in counseling a patient, who was seriously injured and operated. It was very easy for an expert to make a common man to believe. Because the word expert meant apparently hundred percent guarantee for everything, but practically for nothing.

Alex could not find anybody other than the medical experts all around him. Neither any cop nor his better half or children or kith and kin were there. He was suddenly felt isolated and slowly going to depression. Thesurgeon could understand both physical and mental condition of their patient.

“My dear young man, you are an outstanding police officer.I have just treated you.You are little drossy,soon you will be shifted to your room. You can see all your near and dear.”The surgeon briefed him.

For him, it was a great console. He was anxiously looking for his kith and kin. He just understood that he escaped death narrowly. His worry was about his boss.

“What happened to myboss? Is he safe?”He was trying to recollect the incident.

“What a powerful and effective officer you are! Over night you have become hero in the eyes of the Nation. Everybody is complementing you, as you have shot dead, all the three terrorists, which indeed a herculean task?”The surgeon tried to divert his attention.

Alex forgot what hadhappened. Buthe was trying to recollect the incident..

“Doctor, I am bold enough to know what has happened. Please don’t put me in puzzle. Please let me know about my officer.”His words made others believe that he was a tough cop. Alex had been very stubborn and mentally prepared to hear anything whatsoever it might be. But the senior surgeon who was not only an expert to deal with his patients, but also he knew fully well how to hold their emotions. He just speeded up the flow of liquid into his vine and put oxygen mask to his nose.

Alex’s mind was put to rest. He was shifted to special room where there was Policeguard. His wife, children and his parents were anxiously awaiting there. The senior Police officers and his colleagues also rushed in and enquired about his condition.

But none of the Grey Hounds, and officers visited him. Neither, he knew or he was informed that they all were attending the funeral of his officer, Solomon Raj, I.P.S, the officer on duty of Anti Extremist squad.

While Alex was fast asleep in surgical ward, the funeral of Solomon Raj was conducted with state honors at Panjagutta Cemetry in the city of Hyderabad.

47

 

28th January 1993, a day passed after the assassination of Mr.Solomon Raj.

The entire Police force in the state observed State Bund, condemning the brutal assassination of their beloved officer, as a token of respect tohis departed soul.Whereas, themilitants celebrated their victorious ceremony in their shelters.The Government announced five lakh rupees as reward and promotion to Alexenderfrom head constable to sub-inspector,for killing the militants. Solomon Raj, I.P.S,was declared Sourya Chakra, posthumously. Mrs.Rebecca Solomon was declared compensation of twenty fivelakhs of rupees, and full salary to her, till paper retirement of Mr. Solomon Raj, and free education to her son. But, Mrs. Rebecca Solomon deniedtotake both Sourya Chakra and twenty five lacks of rupees as compensation, free education to Bobby, and full salary of her husband till his actual retirement.

Mrs. Rebecca Solomon’s one and the only demand became not only debatable in A.P state, but also in India as well. She wanted to step into the shoes of her husband only to fulfill his desire to weed out terrorism.She denied widowhood, till she fulfilled her husband’s will and wish.

Indian Police service was a prestigious and coveted position in the chain of hierarchy among the cops in India. There was an elaborate procedure for selection to I.P.S. No authority could give assurance to anyone to appoint directly to the cadre of I.P.S, superseding the selection procedures, and the state was helpless in this regard. Mrs. Rebecca Solomonmet the Chief Minister of the state and His Excellency the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. But due to certain technicalities, they could not fulfill her ambition cum demand.

Later, she met both the Prime Minister and the President of India. They felt that if her demand was fulfilled it might become an unhealthy precedent and that every widow and widower may demand the same justice in the eventuality of unnatural death of their better half, while discharging their duties in all departments including the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, and it may paralyze general administration.

Many women forums, social organizations, youth associations, student unions took out rallies, observed Rasta rooks and rail rooks. Some heads of the women forums had been continuing fast on to death. Mrs. Rebecca Solomon met them and got the fast on to death given up, by counseling them that the Government could not break rules. But, it was a known fact that the rules were framed by the Government only.

The entire public and women were all with her. But she didn’t accept any help from anyone, either from the governments or from the individuals or from the kith and kin, expect fighting for her legitimate right to take reigns of her husband. She knew pretty well what she wanted and how best she could achieve it? What should she do for achieving her goal?

Time alone was the better judge, which in fact decided her destiny.

48

A university gold medalist getting through the civil services examination was an expected thing and hence it might not be overwhelmingnews.Ayoung widow and an under graduate, completed her graduation through supplementary examinations, was quite common and hence it was not a news. But, the same widow got through Indian Police Service in first rank, wascertainly sensational news. She was no other than Mrs. Rebecca Solomon. Shewas an under graduate, when she fellin love with Solomon Raj who was an I.P.S probationer, and she was just eighteen. Her parents didn’t know that she was in love with Solomon Raj. The lovers knew the fact that even if they knew it, they wouldn’t accept it.

From Solomon Raj’s side, the immediate problem was that his father died in his childhood and nobody was there to look after his bedriddenmother, and for him though he was hardly twenty four, there was express necessity to have a family at that crucial hour. Their marriage was solemnized before registry in simple and routine way.

Only a handful of the classmates of Rebecca attended her wedding. From Solomon Raj’s side, none of the cops attended, except his sickly mother. The reason for cops not attending the wedding of Solomon Raj was that Rebecca happened to be an only daughter of the state home minister.

There was always a marked demarcation between the haves and have not’s all over the world. Unfortunately in India there was a great divide among people not only in economical terms, but also because of caste, creed, and religion and offlate regionalism too. Solomon Raj was a born Christian, whereasRenuka,an orthodox Hindu, later got converted to Christianity, and changed her name as Rebecca, during their marriage was solemnized in a church.

Not only his religion but also Mr. Solomon Raj hailed from a northeastern state of India, which was so back ward, who were all treated as uncivilized and aboriginals, which might be the prime reason why Rebecca’s parents disowned her.

When she conceived at the very young age, struggled to give birth to Arjun, and till he attained 6th year, nobody from her side turned up. But when Solomon Rajwas shot dead, her parents didn’t show any apathy, but they had express necessity to get her back to their home. Since Rebecca left home, there was serious political debacle to her father, being involved in various scams and he lost his ministership and finally his political life ended abruptly due to rigidity in caste, creed and religion. He was considered to be stone hearted by opposition parties,his colleagues and finally the voters. To regain his political carrier, he thought it better to get herback at home.

Mrs. Rebecca’s experience within a short span of life, even before she attained thirties, taught her many lessons. She knew pretty well, that there were no off human bondage between the parents and the daughter in Indian.

Off late, human relations survive in terms of profit and loss. Hence everybody had their personal Libra agenda.

The first priority of Mr. Rebecca was to fulfill her husband’s unfinished task of thrashing and putting an end to terrorism with iron hand and to create a fearless society, where allpeople live in peace and happiness, without any fear.

She had many options before her. She didn’t accept any award from the state on behalf of her husband posthumously and so also any monetary benefit. After all what did she demand? She only requested for the stars and the uniform of her better half to fulfill his dream of cutting to size of the insurgency, with iron hand.

Rules and regulations were framed not by aliens, but by humans only. The government prepared to give full salary throughout the service till retirement of Solomon Raj as per his service record, and bungalow, car, twenty five lakhs of rupees as compensation to Rebecca.

No woman in the history of mankind calculates the price for the life of her husband. It was quite unfortunate that the state declared compensation for the loss of the life of her husband. She didn’t beg the state with folded hands. Like any other citizen, she completed her graduation and appeared for civil services. When destiny was