Mousebite

by Ganesh Chaudhari

  My grunt attracts attention though. Bhavna peeks from outside the room. She smiles radiantly as she walks to me. I have always imagined being shot to be a traumatic experience but this looks manageable so far. She pulls up a chair to sit beside me.

  “How are you?” She asks.

  “Good. But the left shoulder hurts.” That may not matter if you stay around.

  “Consider yourself lucky. The bullet missed everything as it exited from the back. Your lung, collarbone were just bruised. Resting up for a few days is all that is required.” She explains.

  “What about Kumar?” How many teeth did I knock out?

  “He is in NIA custody. He knew about Ishtiyaq’s actual target way before anybody. But he had an agenda of his own. He is being interrogated. Ishtiyaq’s missing.” She’s got the agenda part right. He did have his own agenda, but what was it?

  “How long have I been out? How’s Mushtaq? His mother?” Things start coming back to me now. Somehow the sleep that I woke up from looks gorgeous in retrospect.

  “You have been sedated for about 2 days. Mushtaq is improving. He is in this hospital. His mother is ok.”

  “That thing that you did with the tazer was real smart.” Electrifying would be a better word.

  “It looks good when it works.” She explains.

  “Where is Ulhas? Is he alright?”

  “He is fine. He was here for the entire night. Should be back anytime.” How long have you been here? I feel like asking her. But I am smarter than that. I look into her eyes. Guess a patient is allowed to do that. I find a mix of concern & relief that warms my heart.

  “There is a long list of people who want to see you as soon as possible. Let me inform them.” She goes out with her mobile phone to break the eyelock.

  The day goes downhill from there. First to visit me is DYSP Khan. Bhavna leaves us alone. He lauds me first about the investigation. He tells me that Kumar is in custody of a group of interrogators from the NIA. As he is in NIA custody, there are no updates for us. Ishtiyaq has not been found yet. A search is on. He brings congratulations from Mr. Hormaz too. According to the NIA, the terrorists were calling it Mission Khyber. Hormaz may visit me soon, Khan tells me. After carefully passing on the congratulations from everybody & asking me if I am ready for a work related chit-chat, he gets down to the smelly part.

  “Who gave you the videos? Where did you decrypt them? I have not seen them, but Gosavi says they are very incriminating.” Silence is my answer.

  “I thought so. Whatever the case, it is best that you don’t tell me. But have a realistic reply ready. You can’t keep quiet in a departmental enquiry.” He says in a measured tone as if I should have expected a departmental enquiry after being shot on the job. I nod in affirmation.

  He talks me through few more technicalities about an enquiry. And then springs another surprise.

  “The Pulkit Jha case is closed.”

  “What? How can that be? What about his threat? Lot of people will squeal if his threats are realized.” I don’t hide my surprise.

  “Given that nothing has come out 4 days after his death, our seniors are ready to take that risk. Besides, the killer has already confessed to the crime.” Khan explains.

  “Who’s that?”

  “The waiter you wanted to question. Prasad. He says Pulkit tried to rape a family member of his. His younger brother. So he strangled him & made it look like suicide.” Khan elaborates.

  “Pulkit was a madarchod Sir, but I don’t think he would do something like this. This looks like a cover up.” Trying something so low was against that motherfucker’s style.

  “And your friend from the US Consulate may also drop by to see you. He was concerned when I told him you had been shot.” Khan ignores my comment on Pulkit which means that the case is no longer with us & there is no way that can be changed. He leaves shortly, leaving me wondering about both the investigations.

  One has been botched by a superior officer’s involvement & the other has been covered up. I am sure that Kumar can easily drag this on till he is formally charged, which in itself is doubtful. A sleek fish like him may wriggle out of this sticky situation. My own conclusion is that he knew about Ishtiyaq’s plan to target the UIDAI servers but was more interested in eliminating Ishtiyaq & Ijaz. Nobody would have believed Ishtiyaq even if he was captured. The rage against a planned terrorist attack is usually strong enough to drown such tainted voice even if it is the truth. In short, unless somebody investigates further; we may never know the truth.

  Mr.Patil comes in as the first family visitor of the day. His back goes rigid when he sees the big bandage on my shoulder & his face hardens with worry. He is dressed in a dark brown khadi kurta & a jeans. He remains frozen at the door of my room.

  “Sir, please come in. It is not as serious as it looks.” I gesture towards the empty chair by my bed with my right hand. He walks slowly to take the chair. His face relaxes a little as he sees me smile but the concern seems rooted.

  “Pandurang, Pandurang..” He whispers as he grabs my hand.

  “It’s alright. I am fine.”

  He gathers himself in a couple of minutes. Then he is back to his analyzing self. Without letting go of too many details, I describe what brought me here. He listens with concentration.

  “So you got him? The one who shot you?” It is hard to tell if he is curious or furious.

  “Yes.” I reply. He takes a long look at me but he seems satisfied with it.

  “Ok Pandurang. I will be back with dinner for you. We will have it together.” He says as he prepares to leave.

  “Sir, it’s alright. I will come see you at home as soon as I am out of here.” It would be too much for him to go back to his home & be back with a dinner for both of us.

  “Ah, it’s nothing my boy. But it does remind me of something. It is high time that you take a call on finding someone for yourself. I am old & won’t be around forever. Once you have someone, I can happily stop pestering you about having dinner with an old man.” His suggestion seems valid today. As I think of a reply, Bhavna walks in with a lunch box. She is surprised to see Mr.Patil, but smiles at him.

  “Sir, this is Bhavna. A colleague of mine. Bhavna, this is Mr.Patil.” I introduce them quickly.

  “Mr. Patil, I have heard a lot about you.” Her smile broadens even further. Mr.Patil has been looking at her in surprise, but now he turns to smile at me. No. No. No!

  “Really? Bhavna, what do you do? ” He turns the chair away from me to face her. Bhavna serves me lunch on a short table over the bed as they discuss her work, her family & her interests. The conversation looks like an interview to me but I think Mr.Patil has her full attention. As I am not having any trouble eating, they leave me out of their discussion.

  “On second thoughts, I won’t bring the dinner tonight Pandurang. See you tomorrow; I think our people from Dharangaon will also be here by then.” Mr.Patil says as he leaves. I want to talk to Bhavna about him but there is another visitor waiting. The Home minister of Maharashtra. Ulhas is accompanying him. He comes in before anybody else.

  “Pandurang, now is the time to tell him. It is hard but you may not get a chance again.” He squeezes my hand reminding me of my pending transfer. He moves out in a hurry as the minister enters with his secretary. There is a contrast in their looks. The secretary is a medium height guy with a prominent paunch. He is traditionally dressed in a white Gandhi cap, a full sleeved kurta & pyjama which are starched crispy white. He has a thin moustache that is easy to miss on his dark face. But the eyes are beady & predatory. He leads the minister after setting up the chair for him & stands dutifully behind it. The minister is taller than the secretary & looks fit. He is dressed smartly in a lined, full sleeved shirt that is light yellow & dark blue trousers to go with it. There are HushPuppies in his feet. Fair & clean shaven, he sits easily into the chair. His eyes look clear.

  “Well done Jagtap! Maharashtra is proud of you. So is India.” The minister greets me in a boy
ish voice.

  “Thank you Sir. Just doing my job.” I reply.

  “That is not true. You went beyond the call of duty that day.” He pauses for effect. I don’t bite the bait. This seems like a well rehearsed play.

  “But there are the videos & the matter with the US consulate.” The secretary fills in on cue.

  “Ah, forget that. You have to thrash all the grains to take the chaff out. Ignore what he says Jagtap, he has the habit of being microscopic.” The minister smiles at me. I have heard of the minister being an honest man. But so far the honesty seems to be held back by cunning.

  “But just like him, you can’t be microscopic Jagtap. Though this was a terrorist attack, we can’t let that derail the UIDAI. It is too important to be shaken by a terrorist attack.” His tone turns emotional. Why does a minister have to explain to me that UIDAI is too important? Is this a suggestion that I should keep quiet about the attack on it?

  “And we are going to fix the software that UIDAI servers use. It will be made bulletproof.” As he finishes his sentence, his eyes travel to my bandaged shoulder. He winces visibly.

  “The security I mean. It will be revamped.” He regains balance.

  “You had sought an appointment with me. Is there something that I can do for you?” He asks evenly. As Ulhas had said, this may be my last chance.

  “I have a query for you Sir.” I reply in the same even manner. The secretary almost twitches as if ready to jump between me & the minister. But the minister raises his hand.

  “Go ahead.” The minister locks his eyes onto mine.

  “I have no evidence of this, but I think your brother tried to sell the same UIDAI data to Ishtiyaq when he came posing as a British businessman. He was given a full tour of a company similar to where the servers are with his accomplices. That is how they knew where to attack. And I am not sure if more businessmen were accorded the same treatment.” The secretary is ready to roll on the floor with a fit, but the minister does not move.

  “As you say, you don’t have any proof to back this up. So discussing this won’t be fruitful. But as of today, my brother’s company has been taken off the vendor list of UIDAI. As I said, it is too important.” He replies.

  “Is that all?” He rises from his seat. The secretary is already running out of the room.

  “Yes Sir.” I stiffen in my bed to simulate attention in a seating position.

  He turns back at the door.

  “I didn’t know.” He says with gritted teeth.

  “Now you do.” My reply has him fuming out the door. He must see this as a rebuke by a Shipai. A foot soldier of the police force that he commands. But I couldn’t help it. When you have enquiries being planned into conduct of guys who put their lives on the line to avoid the attack, just not knowing should not mean kid gloves or outright pardon for guys who helped the attack. Ulhas rushes in after sometime. He has got the indication that I have worked the minister up. He does not bother asking me & crashes in the chair besides my bed.

  “Aajcha divasach kharab aahe. Sab kuchh gadhe ki gaand me ja raha hai!” He offers expert comment on the nature of day along with the observation that everything seems to be going up a donkey’s behind. I manage a smile.

  “In office, there is a rumor that Khan is resigning. Nothing official yet, but Pritam is already asking who will protect the favorites after he is gone.” Ulhas imitates Pritam. But the news of Khan resigning is hard for me. It seems that the honest guys are either being targeted or are fed up.

  “Why is he resigning? Any reasons doing the rounds?”

  “There are a couple of rumors. First, which is a favorite of Pritam’s is that Khan’s conduct during the Bandra attack is going to be investigated by a discipline committee. As the economic offences wing has no say in terrorism related activities, he is sure to be dismissed for overreaching. So he is resigning instead of being humiliated. The second one is equally bizarre. Some say that he is going back to being a lawyer. There is talk of him setting up an NGO to help people who have been trapped into terrorist activities or have been convicted wrongly for it.” The second reason seems probable to me. That is in-line with his style.

  Ulhas hands me my phone.

  “I called Mr.Patil in the morning. Got things from your house too.” He points to the wardrobe in the room.

  “The doctors say you will be ready to go in a day or two. I will be back soon.” He leaves agitated. I think I know where he is going. I check up my phone for any messages. Most of them are the advertising messages. The only one of interest is from Kshipra. There is a missed call from her too.

  “Heard about u in the office. Couldn’t reach you so talked to Bhavna. Good to know that u r ok. Call me. Take care.” It reads. I call her.

  “Jaggu, How are you?” She shouts in the phone.

  “I am ok Kshipra.” I assure her.

  “Though being shot must be awful, you sound better than our last meeting. They have they put you to rest at Lilavati, right? Is it ok if I come see you?” She teases me. But it is good. She seems relaxed now. I have not forgotten the tension & stress in her when we met the last time round.

  “Anytime.” As she mentions coming over, I see a doubt resolving opportunity there. The way she had Anirudhha for my digital requests, she would definitely know someone for what I have in mind.

  “Listen Kshipra, I need some information. Can you help?” I may put her in a bind for the second time within a week.

  “Oh Jaggu, I know you wouldn’t call me unless there is a reason. But anything for you. Name it.” She giggles. Then I describe to her what I want to know. After the call, I get back to appraising the situation again. Things have messed up brilliantly. And all I have to do now is keep seated for a couple of days. Bhavna walks in again. Given the visitors that are coming in unannounced, I decide to grab the opportunity. She does not take the chair this time, but keeps looking at me.

  “Bhavna, I am really sorry about the way that Mr.Patil was talking to you. He cares about me. He wants me to get “settled” the conventional way. But playing “Match the pairs” with you & me was wrong. I should have stopped him.” I want to go on but she walks to me and hugs me lightly. That sure does stop my talk. I hesitate but return the hug slowly and for once the pain in my aching shoulder feels golden.

  “It’s alright Pandurang. The only thing that matters today is that you are alright.” She breaks the hug gently. I see her moist eyes & reach for her hand. It feels like the only grip on sanity. What Mr.Patil said about finding someone makes sense now. I hold onto her hand this time.

  A doctor comes in to check on me. Dressed in a t-shirt with the hospital’s logo & faded jeans, he looks more like a mechanic. But the stethoscope & the apron bring me back to reality. He sits by the bed to take my vital signs. He then examines the wound.

  “It is looking good Jagtap. The healing should take 2-3 weeks. I may discharge you in a couple of days.” He says with a smile.

  “Doctor, do I have to be in the bed?” I am sick of seating already.

  “Can you manage with a sling?” He asks.

  Soon I am fitted with a sling across my right shoulder which holds my left hand in place. I don’t feel too weak. There was a lot of blood lost, but I manage to walk around easily. I walk upto the window to catch a look of the busy street below. The pace of the city continues unabated. Even if the attack had not been prevented, it would have gone on. I am not sure if the city even knows about what the attack was, who wanted it & who stopped it. As long as the routine is not broken, it does not care.

  Meanwhile, Bhavna has left for home. Ulhas will be with me for the night. She would be returning in morning.

  “Here. Drink up. You will feel better.” Ulhas comes back with a straw pierced tender coconut. I raise my eyebrows in question. I am not into fruits & rarely have tender coconut even in Mumbai. Ulhas knows that. He answers it with a wink. I look at his relaxed face & then bring up the coconut to my nose. The aroma of rum lingers lightly. I return the w
ink & sip onto the hastily made but potent mix of white rum with tender coconut water. The traffic on the street below remains steady as I finish off my energy drink. Its effect dulls the edge of the fallout of the recent events a little. It may help me sleep better. Ulhas goes on about how we should have kicked the hell out of Kumar when we had the chance & how he is going to get hold of Pritam one day. When he realizes that I am hardly talking, he too falls silent. Our combined silence is broken when there is a knock at the door.

  I turn around to find Veeren grinning at me. The bastard has some nerve coming to see me in the hospital. What did he say? Do you take me for a scheming Indian? I look at him without any expression.

  “I am sorry. I am sorry Pandurang.” He throws both his palms in air. Ulhas is wondering what this is about.

  “I should have been sensible about what you were telling me.” He continues his monologue. I walk back as slowly as possible to my bed. He rushes to me. He is dressed in a suite and well polished shoes. The smile is still on his face. Only if I could wipe it off.

  “Why are you here?” I ask pointedly.

  “To see you. I was concerned.” The smile goes away.

  “I think you have seen enough.” I point to the door.

  “Look Pandurang, I know what you must be feeling.” He tries to sound earnest.

  “No you don’t. Please drop this “understanding” act & leave.”

  “Ok. Ok. Don’t get worked up. I will leave.” But does not leave.

  “The guys you saw at the Byculla hotel were from a trade delegation. They were offered a valuable item for purchase.” He says as if he is talking to nobody.

  “It might have been the same item that Ishtiyaq was after.” He says with the panache of an artist. Now he has my attention. How does he know about Ishtiyaq & what he was up to?

  “Obviously, they declined & now we are even.” He walks out of the room shouting. He raises more questions with the answers that he gave. The “same item” definitely means data on the UIDAI servers. Why would that be an item on sale to a US trade delegation? And why would the home minister’s brother sell it? The part about the trade delegation refusing to buy looks like eyewash though. Obviously guys like Veeren advised them to stay off it because they knew the nature of the product. So there are more questions buzzing happily in my rum doused brain.