by Fawaz Jaleel
He opened the door and entered Verma’s cabin. He saw Director Verma answering courteously to some higher authority on the phone.
“Yes, sir. We will ensure that the case is closed at the earliest. Thank you, sir.”
“Home minister or home secretary, sir?
“Well, it was a conference call involving both of them. Yohan, this is getting more serious than it ever was. Sukumar, brief me about the latest events.” Verma seemed under pressure. The man in his late 50s, with one step already toward retirement, behaved nothing like his age. He liked to be surrounded amid younger people as that got him up and running. During his days, he had investigated many cases and had a great track record. He enjoyed the adrenalin rush that accompanied the pressure, but this case seemed to have taken off before it even really started. Verma knew that he had to keep himself composed to not tick off the young officers in front of him. Whenever stress took a toll on him, he preferred to picture his early morning workout that instantly calmed him down. For a man aged 58, Verma had the body of a 35-year-old; thanks to his lifestyle and discipline. Sukumar often compared him to the south Indian actor Mammooty, who doesn’t quite look his age, while Yohan likened him to Anil Kapoor.
“Sir, this is an initial gathering of information. So, I had a word with the police team in Begusarai. They have confirmed the death of Piyali Sharma. She, as you know is … sorry ... was the PA of Ashraf Zain.” Sukumar updated the recent turn of events that led to the latest media outrage. Another death and that too of a lady who worked very closely with Ashraf Zain.
“What’s the initial finding—suicide or murder?” Yohan immediately questioned.
“The Bihar police say that she was found in a hotel room around 4 kms from Ashraf’s house. She had allegedly cut the veins of her left hand and the Swiss knife was in her right hand when the police found her body. On initial inquiry, the police said it’s a suicide.” Sukumar was quick and gathered as much information as he could in a short span of time; thanks to his connections within the lower rungs of the police department.
“What are the vultures claiming?” asked a concerned Director Verma.
“Oh, they are saying that both the deaths are connected and there is a larger nexus acting against national interests,” Sukumar replied.
“Of course,” said a miffed Verma.
“Sukumar: left-handed or right-handed?” Yohan still remained focused on the new incident.
“Nothing unusual there. She was a right-handed woman, so no discrepancies there. For the rest, we need to visit the crime scene.” Sukumar laid out the facts and his thoughts clearly.
Director Verma moved forward as he closely focused on his mobile screen. The other two could hear varying tunes of notifications of different micro-messaging channels. He looked up from his screen and positioned himself next to Yohan and Sukumar, almost as if it were a team huddle.
“Gentlemen, change in plan. You guys will take the first available flight in the morning. I am adding one more member to your team: Ila Qureshi.”
“Good decision, sir.” Sukumar seemed elated. While Yohan wasn’t sure about Sukumar’s unexpected display of happiness, he knew why Director Verma added her to the case. Ila was a sub-inspector, the same rank as Sukumar, and from Bihar. Yohan knew her understanding of the political and cultural landscape and language would aid the questioning process.
But to his surprise, Verma added, “I am adding Ila because we have a victim who is an unmarried woman, attached to a deceased unmarried man. Ila would balance the sensitivities while dealing with Piyali’s family.”
Yohan wasn’t convinced with the reasoning and this little surprise made him wonder why Sukumar was happy. He moved closer to his aide and whispered, “Anna, what made you so happy? I am sure Mrs. Azhagu would like to know too.”
“Shiva shiva … No, sir. Ila madam has worked on 14 cases and there were results in 12 of them. So, statistically, she is a good officer and an asset to have.” Yet again, Sukumar had a smile on his face while giving a data lowdown.
“Oh God. Seriously, Sukumar? This is also some form of stalking and I don’t know if this is your brilliance or obsession,” Yohan stated, while keeping his voice low enough to not let Verma hear him.
“Sir. Why, sir? I am just being positive about her strike rate in cases.” There was an innate innocence on Sukumar’s face when he said this.
“Oh, is it, Mr. Harsha Bhogle? I belong to a different school of thought. Can you tell me what is her conviction rate in major cases?” Yohan mimicked Sukumar’s style and his earlier comment on CBI’s strike rate.
“This is her first major case. Sir, why are you angry at Ila madam’s appointment?”
Yohan was stumped. In fact, he was happy that Ila was part of the team even though he disagreed with Director Verma’s reasoning. He realized that this was his anxiety about the case kicking in. For a man who was usually calm and sorted, this display of annoyance was unusual. This was a reality check for what was coming his way. It was time for him to ignore the added pressures that came with the tags—his first case as a lead, a major murder case, and the attack of the “vultures.”
Yohan was a man of no apologies. He expected it from others but wouldn’t deliver one himself. He knew Sukumar was right but chose to shut him up with a snarky reply. “She is of the same rank as you. Stop being a sarkari babu and calling her madam.”
Sukumar had an analytical mind. He knew his senior’s comment was unreasonable but also knew that there was no point in arguing with him. He let Yohan have the last word as it would cool down this petty and unimportant squabble.
Verma, who was on the phone, hushed his men to maintain silence. After the call ended, he advised the team to prepare to leave. “Ila will be in Begusarai by tomorrow evening. You guys carry on.”
The officers saluted their director and moved on to their respective houses to pack up and leave for Begusarai in Bihar.
⁂⁂⁂
Yohan landed at the Patna airport a tired man. Sukumar, on the other hand, was quite satisfied with the sound sleep he attained in the flight. In fact, it was Sukumar’s loud snoring that kept Yohan up. A little sound too was enough to disturb the senior inspector’s sleep. However, he didn’t complain as he knew that he had not been particularly nice to Sukumar last night in the office. He even saved Sukumar’s in-flight sandwich pack and gave it to him after he woke up. There was something inexplicably complicated about the relationship between these two—one moment you would see them at loggerheads with each other but they would stick together when one of them was in trouble. Sukumar hungrily pounced on his sandwich while they waited for their bags. Yohan had a gentle smile on his face watching his anna eat. Sukumar, however, wasn't pleased since he remembered Yohan’s jibes at him. This is how this beautifully complicated relationship worked. They followed all protocols during work hours but, after that, they behaved like friends and siblings.
“You could have at least said thanks for saving the sandwich.” Yohan couldn’t stop himself from making the remark.
“You could have said sorry for last night,” came Sukumar’s quick retort.
“I thought the sandwich made that clear,” said Yohan, with a boyish smile on his face.
And that’s it! The two were smiling again and happily put aside their differences. As they were engrossed in laughter, Yohan noticed a beautiful face on the other side. She was looking at Yohan and gesturing something using her fingers. Yohan turned his focus toward her and saw that she was referring to her bag moving in the baggage belt. He figured that she might have missed the bag when it crossed her. As a single man in his early 30s, Yohan’s eye couldn’t just ignore the girl. As he lifted her sky-blue suitcase and kept it aside, his eyes followed her movement from the other side toward him. More than Yohan, Sukumar was blushing at the scene, seeing a lighter side of his senior.
“Hi, I am Sweta. Thanks a lot. I was on my phone and missed the bag.”
“Hey, Sweta. I am Yohan. Glad to he
lp.”
“And I am Suku,” said Sukumar, using his shringaar ras and gently taunting Yohan.
“Hi, Suku. Hello, Yohan. Thanks. I guess I will get going,” said Shweta and she walked away with a bright smile on her face.
“You are going to remain single forever, brother. You should have taken her number. She seemed interested in you,” came Sukumar’s expert opinion.
“I don’t think if a woman says thanks and smiles, it means she is interested. It’s just courtesy, anna.” Yohan was confident about what he said but he wished he had got a chance to interact further with her. Sukumar, on the other hand, had vested interests to get Yohan married. He hoped that it would allow him to escape the clutches of this workaholic boss and get an opportunity to reach home early.
They had collected their bags and were moving toward the Arrival section when Yohan saw a fairly good number of people gathered near a television. People seemed excited to know what was happening.
The lead anchor was animated more than usual. He said, “Viewers. Listen to me carefully. What I am going to add about this news story is nothing less than a Bollywood blockbuster or a best-selling thriller. You know the chronology of events: First, Ashraf Zain was allegedly killed in a road accident. Then we found his PA, Piyali, dead inside a hotel room. Still, the police haven't made an arrest. Our sources tell us that an inexperienced … I repeat … an inexperienced CBI team has been sent for the investigation. The Bihar government led by BNC must answer to the people of this nation. What are they covering up? They conveniently blamed the SDP for the death of a Muslim leader. What is happening in this country?”
The anchor had taken a side. However, if one were to change the channel and put on the next one, you could see another leading anchor blaming the SDP and their majority politics for this murder. People gathered around the television were happy at the thrills and frills being fed to them by the media.
The anchor continued…
“It isn’t over viewers. Now we have received two shocking revelations. AIPIM’s leader, Akbar Syed, claims that he has proof that Piyali and Ashraf were secretly married and this murder was allegedly done by SDP goons as they feared Ashraf would convert Piyali and promote love jihad. Viewers, but my reporters have found out that this claim could be completely false. My reporters got a confirmation from the head maulvi of the Islamiya Salam Trust (Islamic Peace Trust) that raised Ashraf Zain. The maulvi said that Akbar Syed is making false claims against their trust’s prodigy, Ashraf. Apparently, Ashraf had agreed to marry the maulvi’s daughter. The maulvi claims that the two children grew up together and as a father, he believed that he couldn’t find anyone better for his daughter. We will get the maulvi saheb Shri Imtiaz Shaikh to verify his claims and bust the AIPIM leader’s poisonous and propaganda-led narrative.”
Yohan was well trained to ignore the statements made by political leaders as they dish them out for electoral gains. Being a well-read man, he was aware of the AIPIM’s electoral interests in Bihar and knew that he could ignore it. However, the timing of the claims and the media attention surrounding it would only increase the pressure on the case. He was surprised that he didn’t get any call regarding the new proceedings that have a direct linkage to his case. He checked his pockets for his phone. To his disappointment, his phone was switched off. He switched it on to find 24 missed calls from Verma and quite a few from Ila too. He decided to catch up with Director Verma on his 4-hour-long road journey to Begusarai from the Patna airport.
“Anna, I am going to the airport taxi stand.” Yohan prepared to rush as he informed this to Sukumar.
“Sir, our official vehicle is here. We don’t need a taxi.” Sukumar was confused by Yohan's actions.
“I know but there’s something I need to check. Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll join you.”
Chapter 3
Breakthrough Lies in the Eyes of the Beholder
“We need a major breakthrough, Yohan,” demanded an impatient Verma over the phone.
“Sir, we need to first gather evidence to conclude if this is a murder or an accident,” Yohan replied trying to deal with his director’s unusual impatience.
“Yeah. Do that fast and keep delivering results. This case is getting highly political and I already have a request to replace you with a more experienced officer,” Verma said, clarifying the reason behind his impatience.
“Sir, with all due respect, CBI functions on the orders of the Indian government and not the so-called fourth pillar of democracy. Let them babble,” Yohan said, ending the conversation with Verma.
Time was already against this team. Yohan took on the case file to utilize the journey time to study the case. There were two routes to Begusarai from Patna. Sukumar had done his research and suggested the Hajipur–Muzaffarpur route since it had clearer roads and lesser traffic. Begusarai was largely an industrial district in Bihar, i.e., around 130 kilometers from Patna. Currently, both SDP and BNC have their presence in terms of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats. Begusarai had been in the national political radar since the 1950s. It was in 1956 when a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Chandrashekhar Singh (son of a Congress leader), inspired by the Bolshevik revolution and idolized Lenin and Stalin, decided to contest an assembly by-election in Begusarai north. He set himself against the powerful Bihar Chief Minister Shri Krishna Singh, who was lovingly called Sri Babu by his supporters. A lot was at stake for the latter and the election took an ugly turn when Chandrashekhar’s entry consolidated the votes of the Dalits and OBCs in his favor. This is when, infamously, Begusarai reported its first case of election booth capturing where members of the Bhumihar caste, the traditional voter base of Sri Babu stopped the Dalits and the OBCs from voting. Eventually, Sri Babu won the election by a narrow margin but the events led to a fierce gun-battle between the Congress and the communist members. Interestingly, both Sri Babu and his CPI rival belonged to the same Bhumihar caste. Ever since, Begusarai has seen multiple political parties and remains in the forefront of electoral stories in India.
Ashraf joined BNC during his teaching days. In fact, before the BNC, he had started a tutorial for students specifically from economically and socially weaker households, irrespective of religion and caste, studying in classes 10th and 12th. He trained them for exams without taking any fees as he wanted these youngsters to excel academically, pursue higher studies, and lift their families from the entrapment of poverty and ridicule. Since his salary wasn’t enough to cover the charges, he opened his tutorials for students who had the means to pay for tuitions too. He then decided to utilize the extra money to coach deserving students for competitive exams that would help them reach greater heights. This didn’t go well with the affluent businessmen who had invested money and time in education-oriented businesses in the area. They wanted to nip this in the bud and, hence, sent a few henchmen to discourage the initiative. Ashraf, true to his character, decided to reason out with the businessmen and convince them that he had no intentions of toppling their business market. His attempts at initiating talks with the two major education businessmen, Mr. Sumit Rajput of Torque Tutorials and Mr. Bashir Hashmi of Career Progress Academy, didn’t work and the pressure from these businesses continued. This is why he sought the help of local BNC leaders who intervened and found an acceptable solution—more catering to the needs of the business nexus. The politician in Ashraf knew that he needed solid backing to challenge these forces, even in the future. Hence, as a compromise to his vision, he joined the BNC. His growth in the party was quick as his election strategies and well-behaved nature won over the party members and the people. He was lovingly called “Teacher saheb” among his close ones and he enjoyed the reputation. However, Ashraf wasn’t a man who lived for personal ambitions. Over the years, he noticed how he was more so seen, treated, and promoted to appease the Muslim vote bank of the BNC. Ashraf always knew the appeasement politics of the BNC and he was too strong an idealist to ignore this phenomenon. He simply wanted to discourage the union
of people for a political cause at the behest of religion. He feared that this would just satisfy the ambitions of the political masters and not the people. Ashraf didn’t want to be the leader of Muslims or “Indian Muslims.” He hated the term “Indian Muslims” as he felt that this feeling shouldn’t be promoted. His idealism and righteousness prompted him to break out of the vote bank politics of the BNC and start his own party: The Naya Bharat Manch. He firmly stood for an inclusive development paradigm for Begusarai and Bihar. People thought the next step would be to contest in the coming elections but Ashraf decided against it. He felt that he owed it to the people to show them his work, and then ask for votes. He started coaching centers across Begusarai with help sourced from the trust that raised him. The head maulvi had connected him to the donors of the trust and they agreed to partake in his vision. His move to not contest was well received among the people and his popularity began to soar in Begusarai and Bihar. He was a brilliant orator who openly spoke about the importance of education, healthcare, and building newer technologies that would benefit people. His growth did upset the SDP and BNC in particular, as they feared he would end up being a vote cutter in later elections. However, BNC realized that they had judged him wrongly as a “mere vote-cutter” after seeing Ashraf’s speeches go viral online and the youth agreeing to his views. He was one of the few Muslim leaders who openly criticized several aspects of Islam like triple talaq and urged families to promote school education alongside madrassas. His openness attracted him to people across religions and sects. There were sections of the media who compared him to the late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Ashraf didn’t spare the SDP either and questioned their governance priorities and religious politics. Ashraf firmly believed in keeping aside religion from politics and wanted to break vote bank politics in the country—be it Hindu, Muslim, Dalit, or any social stratification.
