Saturday 15 March 2014

The Other Side

It had just finished raining. The sky was pitch dark with black clouds just hovering over and impeding the moon and stars from the night sky. The roads were wet. The street dogs were smitten by the harsh rains and were curled up under the chassis shelter of the cars. They had no plans of venturing out. The streets were dimly lit up by the street lamps, most of which were just flickering for life but failed trying. The wet tar shone back brightly at the sky, reflecting it’s strong hard nature. After striving the tormenting endeavor of the ruthless skies, it just smiles back at it with complete confidence asking for more. The always busy road was still and calm. The silence that filled the air was horrific. The occasional sound of the wind complemented the silence and made it worse

It was a long straight road that just curved on to it’s right and the winding path straightened and continued in a straighter line as if it was never ending. There was a small shelter on the verge of the curve, in a dark corner. It was just a projection from a temple wall, A dark yellow color polythene cover supported on a pair of dark brown wooden logs. The sheet was partially filled with water due to the rain, the logs were drenched. Under this micro shelter was a man…

He was covering himself with a thick black rug. It was only a few days old, but still, offered minimal resistance against the cold. He thrived hard to withstand the chillness in the air. He couldn’t sleep. He had a dark brown complexion and grew a thick beard that was just about to grow past his face and downwards. The hair on the head was equally dense and was messed up by the wind. He was least bothered. Beneath the black rug was a loosely worn pale white shirt. It bore no holes but was pretty much archaic. Underneath was a bluish green lungi over which the shirt just wavered. There was a pair of hawai’s beside him. He was sitting on a pale yellow bamboo mat and his white cotton shoulder- sling bag did the job of cushioning his head.

He couldn’t sleep. He sat, partially resting his back on the wall, his hands curled around his knees. He was oscillating back and forth in this position, his eyes wide open and staring at the dark emptiness. He was beautifully camouflaged in the surrounding dark environment. He was able to see both the roads that continued away from the curve. It was deserted, dark and wet. Few minutes passed by and he heard a vehicle approaching towards the curve. Few seconds passed, and he could see to his left, the bright yellow light from the distant approaching vehicle. It was accelerating fast. It was a Black Scorpio. He was able to see even the registration number, thanks to the minimal scattered light from the fog lamps and the head lamps. It was inching closer and slowed down to negotiate the leftward curve…..

His hand went to his waist and he drew out a black pistol. He got up swiftly and simultaneously loaded the gun. He was barely visible to anyone. He had sharp vision. He aimed and shot at the front alloy wheel, perfectly striking the MRF rubbers. The car made a huge screeching sound. Within seconds, another bullet was fired at the rear wheel, but this time, it was from a different gun belonging to a different person. He fired from the opposite side and from a higher altitude. The car just skidded and turned almost close to ninety degrees, towards it’s right before it came to a stop. 

Our man, was already walking towards the car, and as soon as the car came to a halt, he raised his hand, exactly in-line with his shoulders, steady and cool, paused just for a few split seconds, and fired two bullets in quick succession. Each claimed a life; one that of the driver and the other that of Raj Murugan. During those few split seconds he paused, he fixed his gaze right on the eyes of Raj Murugan. He saw fear, He saw that Raj was baffled. Raj dint know what was going on, how it all happened in a matter of 2 – 3 minutes. But soon, his eyes clearly understood that his end has come;

Raj was the most notorious criminal. There were several cases on him on almost all sections of criminal offence. He had the guts, energy and all that it takes to lead such a life. He ruined the lives of several other people directly or in-directly. He disrupted peace, established arrogance and created fear. He was young, aged just around 35 years. He was fair, tall and had a well-toned physique. He built this black empire of his in a breathtaking pace. He grew so fast. What made him do all this, is an entirely different subject, but he turned into someone totally dark and evil. He was supported by so many people in his journey, all powerful people for their selfish desires. Raj knew very well his end would be something like this, only that he dint expect it this soon. That’s why he was never surprised as everything happened. He was witty enough to guess pretty soon what was happening. And as soon as he guessed, he was proven right.

Soon five people from their hideouts surrounded the car. It was 19th April, half past midnight. A new day has just begun, and people would soon have a sigh of relief.
                                                                                  
                                                        *********

All news channels carried this incident as their headlines. It was a long planned and perfectly executed police encounter. The man who was behind the operation was all over the channels, attending press conference and receiving accolades. He was the man under the polythene shelter, covered in a black rug; Mr Senthamizhan, Asst Commissioner of Police and an encounter specialist. He along with his team of 5, worked day and night on this operation for almost 6 months, collecting all possible info on the deceased. His son was proudly watching his dad, his face gleaming with complete happiness.

And on the other side, there was this young boy, about 5 or 6, who was watching TV along with his mom, and was so excited on seeing his dad Mr.Raj Murugan. He showed to his weeping mom, with complete innocence and excitement his dad’s photo appearing on the television. What he would grow into in future, only time knows...