by Fawaz Jaleel
The 2018 riots were the latest ones in Bihar but not the only ones. The state had seen such previous instances at Sitamarhi in 1992 and Bhagalpur in 1989. These may have been smaller in scale as compared to the 2018 riots or even the 1946 riots.
“In fact, one of the oldest recorded riots happened in 1927–1928 which was an after effect of the Rangeela Rasool incident,” Yohan elucidated the history of riots in the state as Ila admired her boss’ ability to explain well and his visible passion for teaching.
The Rangeela Rasool incident actually happened in British-occupied Punjab in the 1920s. A bunch of Islamic fanatics had released a pamphlet that defamed Goddess Sita. In response to this, a Hindu publisher in Lahore released a book titled Rangeela Rasool that loosely translates into ‘Promiscuous Prophet’ that spoke about Prophet Mohammed’s marriages. This led to riots in different parts of British-India, including Bihar.
“What I mean to say is how sensitive this issue is and, of course, you are aware of the political pressures and consequences this is going to put us in.” Yohan summarized history in a matter of minutes.
“Yes, the moment the topic of Bihar riots is out, there is going to be a blame-game between the SDP and BNC,” Sukumar added.
“But what if Ashraf found something that implicates either of them?” Ila questioned.
“Ila, we don’t have any evidence for that as of now. So, no speculations. We need to focus on the suspects list and most importantly FIND CHIRAG. What was he going after and why did Ashraf go after that too?” Yohan didn’t want to divert their attention from the existing set of leads. “And what the hell is CI Raj Pratap doing? We need a lead on the truck driver and the dealer. Ila, you will meet him first thing in the morning and I will follow. The fellow is reeking of inefficiency and involvement.”
“How do we proceed with the Bihar riots angle, sir?” Sukumar's need for closure in a lot of aspects was already disturbing him and this had added to his worries.
“The best way to proceed is to look out for Chirag. I will get the central team to add more resources to the man-hunt.” Yohan wanted results and he wanted to accelerate from this point.
“Ila, Raj Pratap and Tilak Singh are yours … Sukumar, Bashir and Mukul are yours. Prepare a series of events document, map the involvement of these people, match their presence and other details, and see if you find any connection.”
Sukumar had a compelling urge to make a comment but he controlled himself not knowing how the others would react. Yohan saw his face and he knew the guy long enough to understand the emotion. “You have that constipated look on your face when you want to say something. Spit it out.”
“Nothing major. I was just hoping that our next case isn’t a politician’s murder or scam. It's just a cobweb that keeps you entangled forever,” Sukumar finally released his unimportant two cents.
“I will take this request on priority and inform Director Verma on your behalf.” It was jibe but no one smiled as the heat in the room wasn’t conducive for lighter moments.
“On a serious note, are we going to present this to Director Verma?” Sukumar was quick to change his tone and seriousness.
“First thing in the morning. The problem is that once you become the director, a lot of your work is managing the officials and the media. It's going to be an earful in tomorrow’s call and how we need to close this IMMEDIATELY.” Yohan conveyed the pressure but unlike most people, he thrived on it and was raring to go. He added, “Ila, get your analyst to see who was coordinating these visits for Ashraf. Get in touch with his Naya Bharat Manch Party officials. Get Parveen’s help if needed.”
“Are we going to visit these places?” Sukumar knew the answer even before he asked but someone had to state the obvious.
“Yes. Preferably this week unless something more conclusive comes up,” Yohan replied.
The team started chalking out a plan to visit, including timelines, questions, and other essential facts. Ila’s phone started ringing, but it was on silent mode and the screen was facing the table. No one noticed as the team was involved in their intense set of discussions. Thankfully, Yohan observed a light flicker between the tiny space given by the screen guard and the table.
“Ila, your phone is ringing. If its official, you better give me good news.”
Without any promises to the unreasonable demand made by her reporting officer, Ila picked her phone. It was indeed an official call and a quick one at that.
“What’s it about?” Sukumar was animated and couldn’t handle any more surprises for the day. He had exhausted his quota for at least a couple of days.
Ila looked at the two of them. With a face that deceptive and well versed with hiding any sort of emotion or giveaway, she said, “Change in plans. We have to fly to Delhi. At least one of us has to.”
Chapter 12
Better Alive Than Dead
“Anna, I’d like to reach the airport at least two and half hours in advance. Can you please accelerate your beauty shower?” Yohan’s tone sounded as if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. This was a very typical Yohan behavior. Punctuality was a trait that he held very close to his heart and hated being late even by mistake. While airports advise passengers to reach at least sixty minutes before a domestic flight, Yohan preferred planning to reach at least 150 minutes in advance—and he would rarely flout that timeline too. After giving Sukumar an extra two-minute lecture on timeliness, he moved on to the guesthouse hall where Ila was working on her laptop. Seeing the punctual and organized Ila focusing at work early in the morning, around 5:15 a.m., Yohan was forced to say, “I should have tagged you along instead of Mister Long Shower. At least, time would be the least of my worries.”
“I am sure you will be on time, sir. For the record, I also prefer being early instead of lazing around.” It wasn’t mere words to impress her boss; Ila was a person who valued time dearly.
“Why do you think I am leaving you in-charge here and going to Delhi?” Yohan made his point strongly but was careful enough to sport a lower volume so as to avoid hurting his long-term teammate, Sukumar.
“By the way, do you think we’ll have to question the SDP and the BNC higher-ups regarding the riots and Ashraf?” Ila couldn’t stop thinking about the latest turn of events in the case from her mind.
“We have no evidence connecting them. Our investigation will not be based on hearsay and tabloid reportage. As I clearly said yesterday, focus on CI Raj Pratap and Tilak Singh’s angle.”
Ila had so many questions on her mind but she figured her team lead wasn’t ready to accommodate the angle before accumulating more facts. Meanwhile, Yohan was trying to distract and control himself from dragging Sukumar out of the shower and forcing him to get ready. Thankfully, he was aware of the rules on workplace harassment and non-consensual violation into an individual’s personal space. Instead, he chose the more “dignified” way of dialing Sukumar’s phone multiple times. He knew enough about his colleagues’ numerous quirks, one of which involved the urge to leave everything behind and answer a ringing phone. Sukumar could never ignore a phone call even if the number depicted that it was a promotional call or when truecaller indicated it to be a spam in the alarming red color grid. As expected, Sukumar came out of the shower draped in his sky-blue towel to answer the phone. To his disappointment, he quickly understood it was a ploy by his senior.
“Now that you are out, let’s get moving. Fast.” Yohan clapped his hands to increase the momentum as a sports coach would do.
“We have time, sir. I am early anyways. I want to pick up some litchis and Begusarai special sweets on the way for our colleagues and my wife.” Sukumar had something else to be excited about.
On hearing this, Yohan turned and walked away to the hall mumbling, “Unbelievable.” He walked faster in the hall and checked with Ila a couple of routine things. “You cross-checked the forensic report of both the crime scenes, right?”
“Yes, sir. No foreign entry signs or fingerprints in Piyali’s r
oom of any of our other suspects. The room had multiple fingerprints but they belonged to the staff and they were older ones,” Ila replied.
“Yeah, and from Mukul’s hotel room?”
“Again, nothing unusual. If we had the reports before we called him for questioning, we could have been slightly easier on him. Then again, this isn’t the movies. Forensics takes time,” she said with a cheeky smile on her face.
“Yeah, but we still can’t rule him out considering no one else entered the room. We are investigating abetment of suicide as an option. IPC Section 306, remember?” Yohan reminded the sub-inspector.
Ila nodded to agree and continued with her research. Meanwhile, Sukumar had quickly slipped some clothes and came prepared to leave the guest house. They just had one cabin baggage between the two of them, clearly expressing their intent to return the same day, if possible.
“Good luck, guys. I really hope Priyanshu has something important and not a new direction in this case.”
“That’s the hope, Ila. Hold down the fort here. Anything urgent, call me or Sukumar.”
⁂⁂⁂
Delhi’s weather wasn’t particularly kind to Yohan and Sukumar. It wasn’t the peak of winters and as people who have stayed in Delhi for years, they had seen much worse. But braving the cold, seasonal flu, and chances of hypothermia were people with mics and cameras hunting for something “hot” from the CBI team. Despite the security, it wasn’t easy for the two of them to evade the questions. They kept their lips tightly sealed even when factions of the media made obnoxious claims like:
“Has the CBI lost the plot in the Ashraf Zain murder case?”
“Is there a larger political conspiracy in sending a team led by an inexperienced team lead?”
“Have this team been called back and will we see a new team on the field?”
Yohan had developed a thick skin by now and was immune to these targeted attacks. Over the years, he had seen that the proportion of cries for more press freedom had increased while the levels of personal attacks and slanderous statements without fear of any legal consequences had also been at an all-time high. They quickly entered the official vehicle and closed the door but the media was swift to pounce on them even as they hastily pulled over the windows.
“Anna, how many years do we have to serve if I borrow the wheels from Rameshji and run over a few of these guys?” Yohan wasn’t serious but it wouldn’t be wrong to claim that the thought did cross his mind.
“Depends on your lawyer. The package ranges from several years to scot-free. Of course, there is the ‘it’s the driver who did it’ package that is currently trending.”
“It's always the driver, isn’t it?” Yohan winked at their driver, Ramesh, who almost always sported an innocent smile.
Priyanshu Tiwari, Dinesh Singh’s friend and a crucial lead in the Bashir Hashmi angle of the case, was admitted in Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, after he was found unconscious and abandoned in the dump yard of Govindpuri slum. From the airport, they took the Abdul Gaffar Khan Marg for a 9.5-kilometer ride to the hospital. It was a normal working day in Delhi and traffic always existed on this road owing to the multiple offices, embassies, and because of it being a route to the airport. Yohan and Sukumar felt slightly relieved seeing familiar territories and color schemes of their city after some time—the tarred and wider roads, the green bus stop names and advertising billboards, frequent foot-over bridges, metro stations, pillar numbers, and what not.
At the traffic signal, Sukumar’s eyes rolled at the delicious looking bread pakodas being fried, while Yohan longed for some chole kulche. Sukumar’s wide eyes prompted their driver to check if they wanted him to stop for a snack, “Sirji, gaadi ko side karun?”
To Sukumar’s misery, Yohan declined the offer and asked Ramesh to proceed to the hospital. At this point, Sukumar had his head rested toward the window with a reaction as if he had been separated from a loved one. Meanwhile, Yohan checked with the team in Delhi to see if the necessary arrangements were made for an interaction with Priyanshu who regained consciousness last night. After being assured, Yohan couldn’t help but fiddle with the phone in a restless manner as he couldn’t wait to reach the destination. A sense of anxiety ran through his body, giving him tingling feelings and persistent yawns. This increased slightly as the car was just about two minutes away as per the ETA shown on Google maps.
Ramesh entered the complex and drove toward the entrance of the multi-storied, multi-specialty hospital. The two officers quickly alighted and rushed toward the lift to get to the ICU on the third floor. Even in the lift, Yohan appeared restless as every inch of him yearned for results and this interaction could solidify their case against the powerful Bashir Hashmi. Guarding the ICU were a couple of officers from Delhi Police along with CBI Delhi team and they welcomed Yohan and Sukumar. Without wasting time for pleasantries, Yohan moved into the room in which Priyanshu was admitted. His parents and the doctor were inside the room. Priyanshu’s father folded his hands at Yohan and Sukumar seeing the new officers and prayed to relieve their son from this unimaginable mess he was in.
“Can I request you, sir and madam, to stay outside? We’d like to speak to him privately. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him,” Yohan requested the parents.
“Sir. We only have one son. We won’t even send him back to college. Please save him from all of this,” the emotional mother appealed to the team lead. Yohan had lost his mother at a very early age and he could feel the love, fear, and protection instincts in this mother’s eyes. He assured her that he would do everything in his capacity to protect their child. They agreed and slowly moved toward the door, escorted by a Delhi Police constable.
After seeing them leave, Yohan turned to the doctor, “Sir, do we have your consent to carry out this questioning?”
“Yes, Inspector. There are no signs of physical abuse on his body. He was injected with multiple doses of benzodiazepines to be kept unconscious for days. The overuse of this into his body was why it took us some time to get him up,” the doctor replied.
“Benzodiazepines? Isn’t that used to treat anxiety?” Sukumar having dealt with multiple cases was well versed with drugs and its uses.
“Yes, but it is also used to treat insomnia and injecting in moderation isn’t unsafe but a prescription is always advised,” the doctor clarified.
“Okay, has this led to any sort of short-term memory loss considering the long-term side effects of this drug?” Yohan probed further.
“For CBI officers, you two know an awful lot about medicine,” the doctor seemed impressed and continued, “yes, confusions, drowsiness, etc. will be there for a few days but the boy has been taken care off and fed using drips even when they kept him sedated.”
“Ahaan! So, whoever did this wanted the boy alive. Thank you, doctor. With your permission, can we ask him a few questions?” Yohan asked politely.
After getting the doctor’s nod, Yohan and Sukumar moved toward the right side of Priyanshu’s bed, where there was a chair next to him. He was lying there, sleeping in his blue hospital attire and a cap on his head that was rested on the pillow in an inclined position. The officers remembered the boy’s description given by Piyali’s father and it matched most of it except the hair which had been neatly trimmed after admitting him to the hospital. The doctor started waking the boy up in a gentle manner. It took a couple of minutes for the 21-year-old to regain consciousness and be in a state to answer questions. The officers exuded patience but Yohan’s continuous fiddle with his phone and Sukumar’s consistent yawns were enough to read their mental state.
“Hello, Priyanshu. Can you hear us?” the doctor gently whispered into his ears. After a series of quick blinks, the young boy slowly opened his eyes and the blurred images of the three people kept getting clearer. “These people are from the CBI and they want to ask you a few questions. Can you please help them?” The doctor had a soothing and comforting voice that could get anyone to do anything and it really impressed S
ukumar.
“Yes, doctor,” Priyanshu’s first words sounded feeble but Yohan saw intent in the eyes of the young man.
“We’ll take it from here, doctor. Thanks a lot for your support.” Sukumar escorted the doctor as he left the room and they prepared for a closed-door private questioning.
After the doctor left, Yohan first introduced himself and Sukumar to the college student. He slowly briefed him about the turn of events that led to them being in the room. It had been a difficult set of days for the young journalist but he slowly raised himself with Sukumar’s help to be in a semi-sitting position with his back rested against the inclined portion.
“So, tell us Priyanshu. What happened on January 6th, the night after you reached Delhi?”
“I … I reach ... reached Sar ... ai Ro.” Priyanshu struggled to maintain clarity in his speech.
“Relax, Priyanshu. Why don’t you take a deep breath and speak slowly? Don’t worry. If you feel uneasy, the doctor is right outside,” Yohan assured the young man and tried to instill confidence.
“I think he was trying to say he reached Sarai Rohilla station,” an eager Sukumar couldn’t hold himself.
“I got it, anna. Let’s not rush.” Yohan didn’t appreciate his colleague pushing the injured boy.
Priyanshu took a couple of minutes to stabilize himself and muster up his energy. He was going through a rush of chilled tingling that happens to a lot of people in hospitals due to the stress, temperature, and a very serious atmosphere surrounding them. Yohan made sure he gave the college student as much time as he needed to be ready.
“I took the APDJ daily train at around 10:30 p.m. and reached Sarai Rohilla in Delhi at around 11:30,” Priyanshu began. Sukumar quickly ran a Google search to confirm that the APDJ train runs daily and as per schedule, it leaves Begusarai at 22:25 and is scheduled to reach Delhi at 22:45 the next day, barring any delays.
