Manoj and Babli by Chander Suta Dogra

Author:Chander Suta Dogra [Dogra, Chander Suta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788184757026
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

Narinder Pal smiled. He had been following the case closely and knew all about the police’s cat and mouse game with Gangaraj. He issued non-bailable warrants against Gangaraj and fixed 23 May as the next date by which the police was required to produce him.

The media went to town with the news.

The police still dithered. No officer wanted to carry out the unpleasant task of arresting Gangaraj. They all knew that the consequences could be harsh. The khaps had assumed a threatening stance. Besides, the chief minister’s visit to Karoran in September had sent the message down the ranks.

On 23 May the SCB again cut a sorry figure before Narinder Pal as they had still not arrested the accused Gangaraj. Non-bailable warrants were issued once again with 7 July as the next date.

All this had caused a churning in Gangaraj’s camp. Apparently, the Congress leadership was upset with the adverse media coverage it was getting over the Chandrapati case and the failure to arrest Gangaraj was becoming an embarrassment. DSP Puran Chand’s statement about a potential law and order problem had made things worse. It made the government look weak and the police incompetent to handle a backlash. Gangaraj had begun getting feelers from Chandigarh to surrender.

Lal Bahadur heard of these developments from the court grapevine. ‘Arre bhai, Lal Bahadur,’ his long-time colleague Randhir Singh had called out when he went in for his mid-morning tea and samosas. ‘That Gangaraj is going to surrender soon. You mark my words. Mantri sahib has told him that his case will be taken care of. But he should give himself up at this moment, so that the clamour against him quietens down.’

‘Aapke muh mein ghee shakkar, Randhir sahib,’ said Lal Bahadur smiling. He pulled a faded plastic chair close to his colleague and decided to order bread pakoras to go with his tea. ‘Do bread pakore aur chai, Chajju,’ he called out to the canteen boy.

Turning towards Randhir, he said, ‘How reliable is your information? I’m waiting for Gangaraj to be arrested. The case cannot proceed without him. What we are doing now is a waste of time.’

‘My information is hundred per cent true. It’s from Congress circles and they are quite worried.’

Lal Bahadur looked at him doubtfully. He knew that Randhir was a keen Congress supporter and used to hobnob with party biggies. During the last assembly elections he had lobbied for a party ticket from Ellenabad but had lost out to the local moneybags, who according to the grapevine had paid off people in Delhi to get the seat. Randhir had taken to bad-mouthing his favourite party after this. His not getting a ticket was a standing joke in the Hisar courts. But in the last six months he had got three briefs from prominent Congress leaders. Lal Bahadur was not sure what his present equation with the party leadership was. He finished his tea and pakoras and pushed back his chair.

Randhir Singh burped. He had downed one plate of chana bhatura and had started on a plate of dark gulab jamuns swimming in sugar syrup.

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