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

don’t forget that we are neither minors nor dependents”

“But, I can’t deceive my mum and spoil her dreams Arju”

“Then go to hell”

“This is what exactly the problem with you Arju. You will suddenly get hurt and become angry, and never think for any solution, at least please think some other way this time”

“Okay as you wish I try to convince your mum and with her blessings only we marry”

“Please try to be polite while taking to her as she is so stubborn and stone hearted woman. And also one more caution she has no faith in love marriages”

“Let us hope and you better wish me dear”

“Okay I wish you all the best, but now I have a doubt”

He curiously looked at her.

“Don’t we need approval from your mum?”

“You trust me. She never says no to me”

“Thanks Arju for your assurance”

“Bye Arju”

“Sorry I am hurt”

“What?”

“Yes”

“I don’t understand what for Arju?” She asked him worriedly.

“I remember you are due to me something?”

“What?”

“I remind you one sweet kiss and one hot hug, whenever I lose my temper”

“You better shut your mouth, and get out from here, otherwise…”

“Yes, otherwise,” He repeated her last words.

“I raise hue and cry and public will round you up, and take you to mental Hospital, understand?”

“Thanks for not reporting to Cops under the penal sections of Abhaya”

“Of course, that option is always there for us” She pushed him out.

“I will go straight to women police station and complain”

“For what?”

“For not obliging me and that you are harassing me”

“You are most welcome go man go fast”

“Of course, not now I will do it later after sometime. In the meanwhile I will go to your mum”

“You may meet her tomorrow”

“Why tomorrow? I will go now”

“Arju, don’t go now”

“Why? I have decided, don’t discourage me please”

She tried to hold him back politely by asking him to spend some time with her in the colourful evening.

But, he had no second thought, and drove his car at high speed.

She was in a state of confusion, as she didn’t tell her mother about their affair.

Now she tried through her mobile, but she was out of calling area.

She was in tension. She couldn’t predict anything now.

Chapter: 13

It was a mid- summer. The sun was very hot. Nobody was moving on the streets, fearing sun stroke. But, for emergency services like police, revenue, medical, and fire services there was no either summer or winter or rainy season, or day or night.

At the stroke of 1300hrs in the afternoon, a series of land mines were blasted on the gravel road, and also under the culvert, leading to the forest.

As a result of which, the golden green colour four wheel jeep, and a truck carrying an Assistant-commandant, Grey hounds, and Inspector of police, Anti-extremist combing party and twenty armed corps were blown up and shattered to pieces. The vehicles became shapeless. All the human bodies were torn into pieces and half burnt and they were thrown helter-skelter. The iron parts of the vehicle were melted and human flesh and torn clothes were hanging on to stems of the trees and blood was sprinkled on the bushes and creepers nearby. There was totally blood bath at the scene.

Twenty cops, one Assistant-Commandant and one Inspector died on the spot. It was a great tragedy that ever occurred since the last two decades to any of the uniformed forces in the country. The Grey Hounds, while going for combing the Extremists laid down their lives so pathetically for nothing. It was neither a war between two nations nor a battle between two gladiators for supremacy. The sole cause for this rift between the two i.e., the state on one side and the extremists on the other side were fighting for achieving nothing apparently.

The state felt that it was not a popular movement. It was presumed that few militants were only trying to make their way through bullet, while the state believed in popular Democracy through ballet.

It was quite fortunate for Arjun as he escaped death narrowly, for he had been driving his car nearby about fifty meters behind the truck; he escaped unhurt even from the last blasting, by sheer luck. But still he was in troubled waters.

It was not possible to get normalcy for at least a couple of days, for anybody to pass on the route. Hence Arjun drove his car towards rear side so fast. But to his dismay, he was surrounded by an armed squad consisting of twenty persons, clad in olive colour jungle dress, carrying most sophisticated automatic fire arms, who were no other than the left wing terrorists, who just operated and blown-up the land mines and killed twenty cops and two officers.

Arjun became helpless. He simply raised his both hands up. The armed squad checked him physically and so also his vehicle, and taken out all his belongings, including his purse.

Now the fate of Arjun was in the purse, and the latter was in the hands of the Professor, who was the grand old man, whom Honey and Arjun brought him from the railway station stealthily, but Arjun could not identify him, as he was the member of the CPIML PWG, who was responsible for the ghastly incident. But the latter identified him.

Chapter: 14

The Mobile phone of Mrs. Rebecca Solomon had been ringing. She rushed from kitchen to reading room, and taken her mobile from the table.

“What?” On hearing the news from other side she was shocked.

“No….No…. it is not correct. I am sure that something went wrong. I am Mrs. Rebecca Solomon, I.P.S and Additional DG Grey Hounds, and Dr. Arjun is my only son and I will be there within a few minutes” She responded spontaneously.

She could understand not only the seriousness and gravity of the incident, but also she could visualize how her sub-ordinates handle such situations. However, she didn’t outburst with her feelings, before her subordinates, even on mobile phone also.

‘Nobody is above human passions and feelings, but sometimes, it is age that teaches which one is better.’

After a pause of few seconds, she could control herself. She took her mobile and talked to some of her officers confidentially. In the meanwhile, the driver brought the vehicle from the garage and kept it ready in the portico. Within few seconds, she got herself ready and sat in the vehicle. She didn’t tell her driver where to go. But he knew and drove the car towards the secret bungalow, where interrogation of hardcore militants and their sympathizers was going on. The bungalow was used for police interrogation, which was situated in an estate, located at the outskirts of the twin cities, which was quite convenient for police for their secret operations.

*******************************

“Do you witness the blasting?

Why are you there at that spot? When did you go there? Where are you going?” The officer on special duty, Mr. Rau had been putting the same questions time and again to Dr. Arjun.

“Sir, I have already answered you. But still you and your staff are asking me the same questions. I am confused sir. On hearing the same questions, put by you, by this gentleman, that gentleman and that man, I fear I may become mad. So far I am telling you truth sir, but now I doubt I may be forced to speak lies sir. At least you only trust me sir” Dr. Arjun appealed to the O.S.D submissively.

“Mr. Arjun, I will definitely trust you, but on one condition”

“What’s it sir?”

“When the militants have surrounded you with the guns, why have they left you? Why do they show mercy on you? What is their understanding with you? What have you promised them? And what did they instruct you? I want to know from you, word to word conversation that has run in between you and the Armed Squad. Please don’t irritate me by taking again on ride.You only speak truth. Of course, it is the only option for you” The O.S.D warned him.

“Sir, I hope you are quite sensible than other officers. And I don’t expect you to ask the same questions please sir”

“Sorry to say that you are side tracking the issue. Don’t further test my patience gentleman”

“Sir, I swear on my mother, and I am speaking truth nothing but truth only, from the bottom of my heart sir. In fact, I have no prior knowledge about the militants, nor I know anything about them, and their acts. My going there is just a co-incidence”

“No, you are not fair and frank. You are a liar. In spite of my assurances also you are not breaking. So I have to confirm that you are so stubborn and a hardcore militant”

“Sorry sir, I am not a militant. I am a doctor. Please trust me”

“How can I trust you gentleman? Glaringly you are telling lies, nothing but lies”

“Please….Sir….!”

“Then prove yourself, either you are bluffing or speaking truth. Who is that old man in black veil? Whom you and your fiancée have brought in a superfast train on the last Sunday?”

Dr. Arjun was shocked on hearing it. Really, it was surprise news for him, as to why the O.S.D was referring a man instead of a woman in black veil? Arjun took a napkin and rubbed his sweating face.

It was at the same time somebody had knocked the door from outside.

The O.S.D opened the door and found Mrs. Rebecca Solomon, and he immediately came to attention and wished her as she was his senior officer.

“I will answer all your questions Mr. Rau”

“My goodness, how do you know my questions madam?”

“Mr. Rau you have forgotten to disconnect my call, sorry I could hear all your conversation”

“Sorry Madam”

“It’s Okay. But yours’ is a mistaken identity Mr. Rau. There is no such old man brought by them in black veil. In fact the lady in black veil is none other than me, and Miss. Honey, and my son have brought me stealthily from Bangalore for certain security reasons and I need not reveal them of course….”

The O.S.D was junior to her in Grey Hounds, but she was heading both the units, one the counter Intelligence, and the other one was the Grey Hounds in the state of A.P.

“Sorry Madam, I don’t know all these things. But out of anxiety, we might have reacted emotionally” Said the OSD in apologetic manner.

“It’s Okay, you have done your duty. I appreciate you and your team, for the zeal and enthusiasm, shown to catch militants, keep it up” She appreciated them.

Dr. Arjun was left free immediately. The OSD and his staff said sorry to both the mother and the son.

Mrs. Rebecca Solomon came out from the secret bungalow. Arjun followed her. The O.S.D. also went up to the car and paid respects her.

“Thank you, Mr. Rau.You meets me in my office, somewhere around 1600hrs”

“Okay Madam” The O.S.D greeted her in attention.

Both the Mother and the son got into the car.

“Mum….”Arjun was trying to talk to her mother.

“Who is that old man” She didn’t want to waste even a split second and at the same time she never allowed him to divert her attention.

Her question blasted like a neutron bomb on his head. He became voiceless. He understood that his mum was a professional police officer, and she knows everything and nothing could be hidden out from her knowledge.

“Arjun, I am straight asking you who the old man in black veil is. I know that you and your fiancé have brought him from Bangalore to medical college hostels, Vijayawada, on the last Sunday clandestinely” She repeated the same question.

She proved herself as a professional Police officer. When Arjun kept silence, she raised her voice to a high pitch and again questioned him. Her interrogation appeared to be much more tough than that of the O.S.D.

“Arjun, perhaps you don’t know the seriousness of the situation. The old man whom you and your classmate have brought to the university hostels is the man behind the blasting, where twenty cops and two officers have laid their lives, do you understand,