THE RED SAFARI
The train was about to leave the station and everyone was running near the edge of the platform to get in or out of the train. A loud whistle was heard and the train started to move .
Bye! See you! We will meet again ! Flying kisses ,waving of hands and all such last minute gestures were being exchanged amongst various people who had come to see off their near and dear ones . Soon the train sped up leaving the station behind. People were adjusting their luggage near their seats over and under it while some were adjusting their berths to a comfortable position as per their convenience. I had boarded a 2nd AC bogie and got a lower berth facing the direction of move . It was right in the middle of the coach and hence the least disturbed cabin to which I was contended with the seat allotted. My cabin co travellers were also having confirmed tickets so there were no hiccups in our cabin as some passengers were tense since did not have the confirmed seats .They had got into the compartment to strike a deal with the TTE for getting their seats as the journey was long.
The train took a good speed within half an hour as soon as it left the station and crossed the limits of the city of Jodhpur. We were going to Delhi which many of the passengers had already named it the “City of Thugs” in their discussion over a cup of tea, the discussion topic being on ‘hiring of taxi’ after they get down at Delhi. I probably thought that they would hesitate to address the country capital like that as there might be some permanent residents of Delhi travelling in it which confirmed the fact to me that there was no one from Delhi in our cabin of 4 persons. Soon the topic changed to ‘terrorism’ and everyone started to discuss the safest city in India to go to during such a time and definitely Delhi was one of the last cities in their list to visit inspite of the ‘security’ they discussed in handling the terrorists at the Delhi railway station. Their talks were ironical to their statements made earlier. I could not stop myself from participating in the discussion and interrupted ,
”Then why are you going to such a place if you think that way?
One of them replied,
” We are going to see the Republic day parade as one of our friend had sent free passes for the VIP enclosure seats in the parade ground from where the soldiers would pass so why to turn down his request and annoy him?”
“To make your friend happy or to ensure that the cost of the pass is utilised in full which you got it for free” I said to myself
“What do you do at Jodhpur?” I asked to know about them better.
“We run a small business of sweets,” said one of them
“All of you?” I again asked curiously.
“No one of them is in Railways who is taking us all on a free pass”, He replied.
“And what does the third one do ?”I inquired again.
“He is running a small cloth shop?”he said.
“Then the high quality clothes you are wearing would also be available at the concessional rates ? “,I said smilingly to him.
“No they are all from sample cloth which is not available in the market but is given by the company’s to earn goodwill of the retailers”, he replied laughing heartily and I also joined him but was cursing them in my mind that at least one thing they should have had after spending some money from their pockets. Misers!
After sometime the TTE came to check the tickets and after checking my ticket and their passes he got up to leave the compartment lifting the curtain of the cabin. Just before leaving, he asked about the luggage placed in the cabin which we all had adjusted on and below the seats .
“This is your bag ?”the TTE inquired from me.
“Yes”, I said confirming with my finger pointing towards my bag.
“And this suitcase”, he asked from other person sitting on the lower birth opposite me
“That’s mine” he replied keeping his hands on his chest.
“And those two baskets and that bottle hanging on the hook next to the mirror”, he asked the remaining two persons sitting adjacent to me on the lower birth and they also responded accordingly in affirmative.
And finally pointing to the Red suitcase kept on the upper birth diagonically opposite me he asked “This one”
“No not mine”, I replied in negative.
Taking his eyes off me and turning his head to others in slow continuous motion he asked others the same question but no one replied anything and kept quiet, rather they looked at each other like fools expecting each other to answer but still no one gave confirmation that the red suitcase belonged to any of them. I finally told him ,
” I think it does not belong to anyone of us and you should probably ask from the person sitting on the other side of the curtain in the gallery as he might have kept it here due to the shortage of space in the gallery seats”.
The TTE then confirmed from the other two passengers sitting in the gallery seats but they also denied its ownership. The TTE held his patience and waited thinking that someone would come and pick his leftover luggage after sometime as might have gone to free himself in the toilet or for lighting a cigarette outside our bogie in the adjacent one. I also did not bother much as was tired and felt like having a small nap till next stop. The three misers also were busy reading the newspapers which the TTE had given it to his friend in railways on whose pass the other two were travelling on. The newspaper was being read in three parts all independent of each other as the cost was to be recovered in full.
The train was moving smoothly without any reduction in its speed. There was pin drop silence in the sense that one could only hear the Thak! Thak! of the tracks , the sound of the fans running inside the compartment and nothing else. The TTE went ahead to carry out his duties of checking the tickets and allocating the vacant seats to the passengers approaching him. After about an hour the TTE came back to us and asked,
“Did anyone come to take this suitcase?”
I was half asleep and could hear the miser no1 conversate with the TTE, who replied ,
”No one till now.”
And the TTE then proceeded in the other direction. I was still not bothered and carried on sleeping. However the other misers started the discussion as to who has left his suitcase for such a long time since it was over an hour now and no one was traceable. Finally they concluded that the concerned person must have gone in the other bogie in search of seat and must be liaisoning with some TTE to get it. I was recalling what all I had discussed with them and their topics of discussion and got struck at the word ‘Terrorism’. One of the possibility which arose in my mind was that this briefcase might contain a bomb! Oh my God ! This very much possible. But how foolish will it be on my part if someone just comes and carries away it saying that it is his suitcase and he turns out to be a respectable person.
“I will cut a very sorry figure in front of him then”, I thought.
“ No ! No! It cannot be a bomb”. I falsely tried to convince my own self.
But such thoughts were not going to leave me so easily and they kept bouncing in my mind again and again which was further trying to convince me that this is how the bombs and explosives are actually planted by the terrorists if someone has to plant it. I however kept my trap shut and thought it better to keep silent for some more time on the pretext that one should have patience as half the problem dies its own death if patience is exercised. Another hour also passed by but nothing happened and the ‘Red Safari Suitcase’ was as it is at the same position, undisturbed, without any fear of being stolen and it appeared to me as if it was starring at me and saying.
“ Do you have guts to touch me?”
I replied to the suitcase in my mind,
“ Shut up ! you non living thing of coloured plastic I can not only touch you but also throw you out of the moving train within no time without anybody even noticing it.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” said the Suitcase.
“Come! come !pick me up and let’s see your guts.” provoked the suitcase.
I got up and went near it to see how it was placed precisely and if there was any indication of wires projecting out or if some unusual thing was visible from its external appearance. Everything looked normal except I noticed the cracked handle and letter ‘VK’ pasted on it with the plastic sticker on the slots of opening latches as everyone generally pastes the letters containing the initials of the name at those places .
Now I desired to have a feel of its weight. My hand went near its broken handle to move it but suddenly something stopped me from my inside from touching it.
“Was I afraid as the suitcase had challenged me ? “
No!
It would have been foolish on my part to touch it as it could have exploded for if it had a bomb inside it. There was every likelihood that it could have been fixed with some ALD(Antilift Device) or ADD(anti disturbance device) which would have blown it off instantly on lifting or disturbing it . I immediately shifted my hand and caught hold of the chain of the upper birth thereby changing my decision at the last moment.
Now the things started getting serious in my mind. But still I thought it better to keep quiet for some more time and quietly went back and sat on my seat.
Suddenly the miser no 2 casually said,
”What could be in the suitcase? I do not presume anything costly should be inside it as the owner has left it unattended for such a long time. I hope it does not contain any bomb shomb in it”.
That was it as he had blurted out my thoughts into his words and I supported his statement,
”Yes it could be very much possible as the days are bad in this nation and every second day we keep hearing such news on TV etc.”
Oh my God ! then the discussion started on this and we four were into discussing the various ways the bombs are planted and the items in which they are planted starting from the baby toys to cars , trucks and what not.
Soon the TTE came again and asked the same question
“Did anyone come to pick his luggage?”
The answer was a collective NO from all of us together and the Miser no 3 said bluntly and loudly to him,
“Arey bhaiyya dekh lo theek se kahin bomb to nahin hain iske ander nahi to hamara aamlate ban jayega (Hey! dear brother have a proper look at it and check out if it contains a bomb or else we will all become omelette very soon).
That spark was enough for the others to get ignited on the issue and the person outside the curtain of our cabin who was sitting on the gallery seat ( parallel to the direction of move) got curious and got up asking the TTE to check as to what is inside the suitcase and requested him to call the concerned person to ensure safety at the earliest. Hearing this, the passengers in the next cabin also got after the TTE and soon the word spread like a wildfire in the complete bogie and heartbeat of everyone tripled its pace. The TTE himself was now afraid of even standing near it and started to slip away from there saying that he will ask the police to check and he is going to see where the policeman is resting in the other bogie and vanished in thin air.
Everyone was afraid to go near it and soon people started to flee from that cabin towards the toilets on either side of the bogie. Some carried their luggage while some left it there itself. Even those who had very tough faces in their appearance also looked like a dog with his tail inside clung to the stomach from the ventral side. Some were even commenting while walking that there is nothing to fear but one should not take chances. The crowd was soon getting wild and people were roughening up each other to get space for quick evacuation. Things were getting real serious. I thought to take initiative now and shouted at the top of my voice to the person who were trying to create haste, to go slowly and stood in the gallery outside our cabin requesting everyone to divide themselves in two groups so that the ladies and kids can move slowly and asked two of the passengers to join me in pulling the chain of the train as would ease off the situation.
First time in my life I pulled that chain which all my life I had been looking at wondering what will happen if this is pulled whenever I went on my summer vacations to my Granny’s house by train. I remember once I got a slap from my Father as I tried to hold the handle of the chain for getting down from the upper birth (where my mother had placed me to sleep) thinking that the red hanging handle is meant for holding it as a support to get down from the upper berth.
I applied adequate strength to pull it but believe me it is not so loose as one foresees. Three of us applied all the strength to pull it and then it screeched out of the slots . It only appeared that the train had started to slow down and it did but very slowly as I had expected it to come to a sudden halt in a very short time. The train initially reduced its speed slowly but later then the intensity of brake application grew stronger every second and finally the train came to a grinding halt. Everyone jumped out of the bogie. Some had already gone to the adjacent bogies through the vestibules in front and rear of our bogie. I got down from the bogie to see if anyone is coming to sort out the problem. Then after sometime I saw someone in uniform approaching our bogie, he was the guard.
“Who had pulled the chain ?”,He asked from the gathered crowd outside the bogie on the sides of the track.
Now the passengers who helped me pull the chain disappeared from the scene as did not want to get into the questioning answering session with the authorities. The three misers could be in the toilets I guessed as were also not seen in the crowd. Suddenly one of the passenger to whom the guard approached to talk pointed the finger towards me and said to the guard,
”That Sardarji”
The guard then turned his eyes towards me and asked ,
”What happened?”
I felt like a fool seeing that everybody else kept quiet and looked towards me. Understanding the situation that no person wanted to get involved in the matter due to faulty rules of our nation where the person offering help is harassed I narrated the whole incident to him and asked him to verify the facts also from the three misers and the TTE who had come to check our tickets.
The matter became further serious as the train could not move now as the bomb had to be either diffused or the bogie separated for the safety of other passengers. I asked the guard to have a look at the place where this suitcase was placed to convince him further but he also agreed to my words and took it as gospel truth and did not dare to go near the door of the bogie leave aside the cabin inside it. I asked him what action is he going to take now as per the SOP(Standard Operating Procedure) of railways in such issues and how much time will it take.
“We will first have to ask all the passengers in the train if this belongs to anyone and if no one agrees then have to inform the HQ who will detail a bomb squad team which will reach here and diffuse the bomb. Only then the next action can be thought of.”He replied descriptively.
“ And what will be the next action?”, I asked curiously from him.
“You are a wise man and should have understood by now what will be the next action .The action of moving the train to its next destination what else? The old guard replied uncomfortably taking a deep breathe
“And this will take how many hours?”, I asked again.
“It would depend upon the HQ how fast they would act “, again replied the guard.
I could clearly make out now that it is going to take not less than a complete day, for this problem to sort out and so did everyone else. Some even took a quick decision of moving out from there and started to take out their luggage from the adjacent bogies but those of this bogie still did not gather enough guts to get inside it and were stuck there. Soon the news travelled to the other bogies and everyone on the train came to know about it.
“No one will move out from this place till we give clearance and I request you to please cooperate.” Shouted the guard at the top of his voice to everyone on both the sides of the train
The CRPF security personnel took positions on either side of the standing train on the orders of the guard and did not allow anyone to leave the area but requested everyone to be away from the affected bogie.
The following message spread to everyone,
“Does a 36 inch size Red coloured Safari Suitcase belong to anyone”
And everyone started to inquire from each other to carry out first step of the SOP of railways .
About one hour passed like this and there was no response from anyone. The guard waited for one more hour to be clear of the fact that it belonged to some genuine passenger. Finally he gave up and gave a ring on his mobile to his HQ. Now we were sure that we cannot move out and are stuck for the rest of the day. People started to request the guard to let them off as they would catch the bus from the road running parallel to the railway track and reach some safe place before the dawn as there was no pantry car available in the train that day and ladies and kids would be in real problem after sometime. The guard said that as soon as the Bomb squad arrives he will request their incharge, the security officer to leave the ladies and kids. But when will the Bomb squad arrive was the million dollar question. We waited for 2 more hours then could hear the siren followed by no of vehicles arriving on the road which finally stopped and the security personnel came out with lot of equipment and sand bags . They contacted the guard and took stock of the situation. Soon the crowd was asked to clear off from the 2nd AC bogie and we were just spectators. Two security men, one of whom was an officer asked the guard to accompany them and show the exact place where the suitcase was lying, the face of the guard turned pale as he was afraid and secondly he did not know the exact place where it was kept as had not gone himself to see it earlier. He smartly told the security officer it will be better to take the person who had reported the matter and this would save the time of everyone . Now anger arose inside me that why I am being made the scape goat everytime so I made up my mind to be stubborn this time.
“Seat no 41 which is his seat,” I said to the security officer pointing my finger on my friend the miser No 2 who was watching the scene from a hidden position in the crowd just in front of me as if some hindi film shooting was going on.
“Yes you please accompany us”, said the tall, well built security officer firmly and politely to him. The legs of Miser no 2 started shaking and he joined both his hands to the security officer as if had committed some crime and is asking the policeman to pardon him this being his first mistake and said,” Sir,I am suffering from hypertension and am afraid of going inside so kindly leave me here only. Since the Sardarji has already told you my seat number there will be no difficulty in searching it”.
The security officer did not agree to him and tried to convince him that nothing will happen to him as he is with him and immediately after recording his statement he will let him off soon. He then fell at the feet of the officer and started to nearly cry holding the trousers of the officer . Feeling pity on him the officer told him to stay there only and not leave the place as he would be taking his statement after he comes back from inside the bogie. The officer with one more of his assistant went inside the bogie to have a first hand look of the ‘Red Safari Suitcase’ placed on the berth which had created such a havoc. About 10 minutes passed, then 15 minutes and then 20 minutes but nobody came out of the bogie. We all wondered what all is going inside the bogie as the bomb disposal team was waiting outside to start the operation as soon as they get the green signal from their officer who had gone in to study the situation. Suddenly the officer came out and shouted at the guard.
“Please call the Sardarji who had reported the matter and also the other person who was fearing to go inside on whose seat the suitcase was planted”
I wondered curiously what was the matter that again my need has been felt along with the miser no2 whose BP must have also shot up by now if he had told the truth to the officer. We both came near the bogie door where he was standing holding the railing of the door facing us.
“Yes we are here, what’s the matter?” we both asked together.
“Which seat did you say?” he asked again
“Seat no 41”, I again repeated to him and miser no 2 confirmed the fact to the officer.
“Please come and show it yourself” the officer asked both of us to come inside and show the suitcase to him.
We both mounted the bogie once again and went to our seat and were astonished as the suitcase was not there at all.
Missing!
How can that be ? It was definitely not a dream as so many of us had seen it including the TTE. The miser no2 also supported my statement and said for the first time that the suitcase was there then but is not there at the moment.
“You people waste our time and it is because of this that our nation is suffering”, shouted the officer at both of us.
I was spellbound for the reason that I was lost in the thoughts as to where could the suitcase has vanished. Before speaking back to the officer to give him a suitable reply I looked all around the compartment over the seats ,underneath them ,on the gallery berth and in the adjacent compartments but could not locate it anywhere .Where the hell could it have vanished I thought and thought and thought again but all in vain . Now it was a matter of keeping your self respect intact which was at stake as 1500 passengers were waiting outside to know the outcome of it and for all I knew the TV channel teams could also have been on their way to give such a crunchy news which would have been sold like hotcakes. I went to the officer and introduced myself showing my Identity card that I am an Army officer and narrated the whole incident to him convincing that whatever I told him was actually the truth. He giving due respect to me said that he is convinced with what I have told him but there has to be some evidence and the evidence was missing. He also told me that if I had been in his place what would have I done. I then kept quiet for the moment and replied that I can understand his situation also and told him to carry out further action as he deems it fit as I had no other option but to agree to him. I advised the officer to take written statements of everyone who had seen the suitcase as they would vanish once he gives the clearance to move to everyone as that was the only way I could prove myself right to which he agreed. The officer then went outside the bogie and asked the TTE of our coach along with the other two misers to come in for recording their statements. The secret that the suitcase was missing was still not out of the bogie. People outside were thinking that some serious planning to diffuse the bomb was going on.
The secret was soon out to the witnesses who came inside the coach and they started to discuss with each other as to how could a suitcase disappear like this. I gave the statement first ,followed by the TTE and we were busy in shuffling and fixing the pages on the clipboard while the others were sitting at the same place where a few hours back we were enjoying the journey. Now came the turn of miser no 1 to give his statement . Before starting to write he said to all of us sitting there
‘Is it really required?”
“What do you mean?,” the officer said
“No! No! I was just asking because it will unnecessary waste your time since nothing concrete can be deduced from my statement,” Said miser no1 to the officer
“Why?” asked the officer curiously.
“Because actually I did not see the suitcase properly I only think I saw it so the statement cannot be taken as confirmed from me hence it would waste your time. However if you still insist I will write this in my statement” replied the Miser no1 adroitly for fleeing off from the scene so that thinking it to be a waste of time the officer would leave him and he would be able to get out of the rut forever.
I was really disheartened by seeing his behaviour and thought this is why the nation is not progressing as no one wants even to tell the truth in order to just avoid taking the pain for bringing the real truth to surface. Thank God the TTE had already given the statement by now and so did the miser no 2 which was at least enough that I did not dream and it was the reality that suitcase did exist in the past on seat no 41. Now at last the miser no 3 also gave a very weak statement that he also did not see it directly as was sitting right under the seat where the suitcase was planted so had nodded to the TTE without seeing it casually although was clear in his mind of the fact that he actually saw it when the TTE had come time and again to us to inquire about the suitcase.
It was late afternoon now and after taking the statements the Officer came out and told the guard to let the passengers requesting to go in the buses to go if they want as it would take another one hour to search the adjacent bogies for ensuring extra safety along with their equipments and the team started off their drill quickly thinking that it would just take a few minutes after which they will be free for giving the report that search has been carried out as per the rules to their higher HQ knowing fully well that the bomb is not there at all now. I also got down from the bogie and and stood near the tracks waiting for their drill to finish after which the train would move with a big question in my mind ,’Where has the Red Coloured Safari Suitcase gone’?
As I was watching some of the people who were leaving the train and proceeding towards the buses on the road (as some of them had decided to go by bus) I saw a person carry a similar red safari moving towards the road holding it in a direction away from our coach so that it is not visible clearly in full towards our coach. I could not stop myself from shouting towards that person to stop knowing full well that it could be some other suitcase and I would again face embarrassment if it turns out to be the wrong addressee.
“Hey! please stop”, I shouted again at him
The person did not stop rather speeded up his pace further which convinced me of the fact that he had heard me as he acted just after I shouted. This `raised suspicion in my mind that something is wrong somewhere. I again shouted at him to stop but he did not and started to run now. Then my anger rose to seventh heaven and I shouted at the security guards and police person to catch him as he had the suitcase. The security staff could also see him running with the suitcase so they probably thought that he may be some thief and ran after him to catch him and after a few minutes he was caught by them and brought near our bogie to inquire the matter to clarify it from me. I saw the same red coloured suitcase and said
“This is the same suitcase which was there? “after identifying the broken handle and letters ‘VK’ written on it. Now I took a sigh of relief that at least the suitcase existed. I immediately went inside the bogie and called the officer after narrating the fact that the suitcase has been found. The TTE also agreed that it was the same one which he saw there on the upper berth. The officer hauled the person who was with the suitcase and asked him to explain how the suitcase vanished from there but he denied. I then asked him
“If that be the case why did you run on my calling as you were not running before that,” to bring out the facts from him.
He just could not answer anything as was confused and could not formulate a false answer immediately. I took the officer to one side and confirmed him that this person is telling lies and nothing else and explained him how I identified the suitcase from the broken handle and letters ‘VK ‘written on it. Convinced by my statement and due to the good image of Army he decided to take out the truth from him; the police way. Soon that person was taken in the toilet of the bogie and the interrogation started in closed doors inside the toilet of 2nd AC Bogie. Just to have a look I went near the toilet door to see how the truth is taken out from the liars but could only hear the voice of policemen speaking and asking from him whether he will speak out the truth or not and could hear only oooooh! Oooh! from that person. To open the suspense as to what they were doing I opened the toilet door slightly to have a view of what’s going on.
I saw that the person was sitting on the WC (Water Closet) with one fourth of the rifle barrel in his mouth and the butt end of the rifle being held by a policemen. This carried on for about 30 seconds and then everyone was out of the toilet after that. The person then narrated the following which later took the form of his statement in writing.
“ Sir, actually I had left my red coloured safari suitcase at seat no 41 on the upper berth and had gone to other Bogie to search for the TTE as I did not have a confirmed seat. I searched for him for about an hour and when I asked him for a seat he told me to wait and contact him later as presently the seat was not available so I waited there itself and sitting on someone else’s seat went to sleep. When I got up I found that the TTE was not there so I again went further to search for him . Meanwhile I came to know about the bomb incident and understood everything. In order to get out of the situation quietly and to avoid public bashing I quietly went to the empty bogie picked up my suitcase and quietly came back which was easy as no one could notice me from outside due to heavy curtains and tinted glass of the windows and later I covered the suitcase with my jacket so that it does not fall into anybody,s eyes directly and give him idea of the red suitcase being talked about. After that as I was leaving to catch for the bus I heard someone calling and came to know that now I will be caught ran out of fear. After that you are aware of what happened. I am extremely sorry for this act .Please save me as I have someone waiting for me at the station and have small kids.”
The tension of bomb probability which had gripped everyone till now fell like a riped mango from a tree and everyone laughed inside the bogie. The public waiting outside was however still not clear of the complete situation and we assumed that would get furious once they come to know of what actually happened and may even bash the person owning this suitcase once he goes out of the bogie. So we told him not to venture out in any case.
His statement was taken and a fine of Rs1000/- was immediately put on him for the inconvenience caused to finish off the matter officially then and there itself and he was asked not to move out from the train. Soon the guard told everyone to mount the train saying that the matter will take long to settle as there was some confusion which is being sorted out by the police and there is no fear of any bomb now. Since the matter was nobody,s concern and everyone was already in a hurry to move so they agreed to the words of the guard and followed his instructions. The train soon started to move with two third of the original strength as one third had already left by buses.
I asked the officer what will he report about the delay imposed on the train and what if the TV reporters receive us on the railway station?
“Firstly there will be no witness left as everyone will vanish once the train reaches the station and secondly there is fog and thirdly some technical fault had occurred due to which the train got delayed”, he replied smilingly
“And what about this person? “I asked pointing at the Red Safari man.
“We will deal with him separately,”said the officer
“Now what will you do with him”, I asked the police officer specifically showing curiosity.
“Well ! He will act as our ATM machine for two more days and then his statement which he had given will be put in the paper shredder”. Came the reply instantly from his mouth.
“Do you think this is justified”? I asked him showing sympathy for the ‘safari man’
“Of course! The person has got punished as you can make out from the harassment he has undergone and the fine he has been levied upon. It doesn’t matter to whom the money goes but it has gone and will go from him”.said the officer convincingly.
“And what about the passengers who denied their statements of seeing the suitcase” I asked the officer to involve the misers too as it was my wish to have them punished too.
“Well my inspector has already fined them without receipts”, the officer assured me confidently.
“But on what charges”? I asked amazingly
“On the charge of excusing them to come to police station later”,
“Oh ! I see”, I said.
And I found out to my surprise that those misers had paid Rs 500/- each to the police inspector. At last they had spent to save themselves from further damage which whey would have to spend it otherwise had they not paid it then by coming to police station number of times and would have spent at least Rs 2000/- each apart from the harassment and wastage of time. They in fact saved here also I felt later by taking this wise decision.
“One last querry”, I asked from the officer.
“You have had so much faith in me that told me all about your plan ? One reason why you trusted me so much? What if I report this to higher ups of yours?” I said hesitatingly.
He had a hearty laugh.
“You appear to be a very simple person”, he said while laughing and further added,
“My dear brother, Firstly you will not do it as I can make out from your face, secondly I have a very esteemed image of Indian army since I know it very well as my brother is also in the Army, thirdly even if you do it no one will bother as everyone up the ladder does not bother about such issues till the time there is concrete evidence with them which will never be there in this case and fourthly it is a routine affair for us as we deal with hundreds of such situations and can make out at the first glance of the culprit and here there is no culprit, it is just a misunderstanding . The world goes on like this my friend as the system is designed like this only”.
“Thank God the system in the Army is much better”, I said to myself.
Soon the train reached station and people got in and out and the journey carried on. After reaching Delhi one day I met the same ‘Safari man’ who had The Red Safari Suitcase, in the market and after shaking hands over a gossip came to know that he had to spend about Rs 10000/- in getting out of the case with nothing in writing left against him. He also told me that he had given Rs 500/- in advance to the same TTE who had come to check our tickets, for getting the seat in the compartment and the total loss to him was thus Rs 10500/-. Above all the same TTE also had to pay the police Rs 3000/- or else would be in trouble for the bribery case of fleecing money from the ‘Safari man’ as he had stated in writing to the police that TTE had taken Rs 500/- from him for the seat.
So justice was done to all but at the expense of the Government.
“God! Save this country from corruption and grant wisdom to all for dealing with such type of situations.”I prayed.
The train was about to leave the station and everyone was running near the edge of the platform to get in or out of the train. A loud whistle was heard and the train started to move .
Bye! See you! We will meet again ! Flying kisses ,waving of hands and all such last minute gestures were being exchanged amongst various people who had come to see off their near and dear ones . Soon the train sped up leaving the station behind. People were adjusting their luggage near their seats over and under it while some were adjusting their berths to a comfortable position as per their convenience. I had boarded a 2nd AC bogie and got a lower berth facing the direction of move . It was right in the middle of the coach and hence the least disturbed cabin to which I was contended with the seat allotted. My cabin co travellers were also having confirmed tickets so there were no hiccups in our cabin as some passengers were tense since did not have the confirmed seats .They had got into the compartment to strike a deal with the TTE for getting their seats as the journey was long.
The train took a good speed within half an hour as soon as it left the station and crossed the limits of the city of Jodhpur. We were going to Delhi which many of the passengers had already named it the “City of Thugs” in their discussion over a cup of tea, the discussion topic being on ‘hiring of taxi’ after they get down at Delhi. I probably thought that they would hesitate to address the country capital like that as there might be some permanent residents of Delhi travelling in it which confirmed the fact to me that there was no one from Delhi in our cabin of 4 persons. Soon the topic changed to ‘terrorism’ and everyone started to discuss the safest city in India to go to during such a time and definitely Delhi was one of the last cities in their list to visit inspite of the ‘security’ they discussed in handling the terrorists at the Delhi railway station. Their talks were ironical to their statements made earlier. I could not stop myself from participating in the discussion and interrupted ,
”Then why are you going to such a place if you think that way?
One of them replied,
” We are going to see the Republic day parade as one of our friend had sent free passes for the VIP enclosure seats in the parade ground from where the soldiers would pass so why to turn down his request and annoy him?”
“To make your friend happy or to ensure that the cost of the pass is utilised in full which you got it for free” I said to myself
“What do you do at Jodhpur?” I asked to know about them better.
“We run a small business of sweets,” said one of them
“All of you?” I again asked curiously.
“No one of them is in Railways who is taking us all on a free pass”, He replied.
“And what does the third one do ?”I inquired again.
“He is running a small cloth shop?”he said.
“Then the high quality clothes you are wearing would also be available at the concessional rates ? “,I said smilingly to him.
“No they are all from sample cloth which is not available in the market but is given by the company’s to earn goodwill of the retailers”, he replied laughing heartily and I also joined him but was cursing them in my mind that at least one thing they should have had after spending some money from their pockets. Misers!
After sometime the TTE came to check the tickets and after checking my ticket and their passes he got up to leave the compartment lifting the curtain of the cabin. Just before leaving, he asked about the luggage placed in the cabin which we all had adjusted on and below the seats .
“This is your bag ?”the TTE inquired from me.
“Yes”, I said confirming with my finger pointing towards my bag.
“And this suitcase”, he asked from other person sitting on the lower birth opposite me
“That’s mine” he replied keeping his hands on his chest.
“And those two baskets and that bottle hanging on the hook next to the mirror”, he asked the remaining two persons sitting adjacent to me on the lower birth and they also responded accordingly in affirmative.
And finally pointing to the Red suitcase kept on the upper birth diagonically opposite me he asked “This one”
“No not mine”, I replied in negative.
Taking his eyes off me and turning his head to others in slow continuous motion he asked others the same question but no one replied anything and kept quiet, rather they looked at each other like fools expecting each other to answer but still no one gave confirmation that the red suitcase belonged to any of them. I finally told him ,
” I think it does not belong to anyone of us and you should probably ask from the person sitting on the other side of the curtain in the gallery as he might have kept it here due to the shortage of space in the gallery seats”.
The TTE then confirmed from the other two passengers sitting in the gallery seats but they also denied its ownership. The TTE held his patience and waited thinking that someone would come and pick his leftover luggage after sometime as might have gone to free himself in the toilet or for lighting a cigarette outside our bogie in the adjacent one. I also did not bother much as was tired and felt like having a small nap till next stop. The three misers also were busy reading the newspapers which the TTE had given it to his friend in railways on whose pass the other two were travelling on. The newspaper was being read in three parts all independent of each other as the cost was to be recovered in full.
The train was moving smoothly without any reduction in its speed. There was pin drop silence in the sense that one could only hear the Thak! Thak! of the tracks , the sound of the fans running inside the compartment and nothing else. The TTE went ahead to carry out his duties of checking the tickets and allocating the vacant seats to the passengers approaching him. After about an hour the TTE came back to us and asked,
“Did anyone come to take this suitcase?”
I was half asleep and could hear the miser no1 conversate with the TTE, who replied ,
”No one till now.”
And the TTE then proceeded in the other direction. I was still not bothered and carried on sleeping. However the other misers started the discussion as to who has left his suitcase for such a long time since it was over an hour now and no one was traceable. Finally they concluded that the concerned person must have gone in the other bogie in search of seat and must be liaisoning with some TTE to get it. I was recalling what all I had discussed with them and their topics of discussion and got struck at the word ‘Terrorism’. One of the possibility which arose in my mind was that this briefcase might contain a bomb! Oh my God ! This very much possible. But how foolish will it be on my part if someone just comes and carries away it saying that it is his suitcase and he turns out to be a respectable person.
“I will cut a very sorry figure in front of him then”, I thought.
“ No ! No! It cannot be a bomb”. I falsely tried to convince my own self.
But such thoughts were not going to leave me so easily and they kept bouncing in my mind again and again which was further trying to convince me that this is how the bombs and explosives are actually planted by the terrorists if someone has to plant it. I however kept my trap shut and thought it better to keep silent for some more time on the pretext that one should have patience as half the problem dies its own death if patience is exercised. Another hour also passed by but nothing happened and the ‘Red Safari Suitcase’ was as it is at the same position, undisturbed, without any fear of being stolen and it appeared to me as if it was starring at me and saying.
“ Do you have guts to touch me?”
I replied to the suitcase in my mind,
“ Shut up ! you non living thing of coloured plastic I can not only touch you but also throw you out of the moving train within no time without anybody even noticing it.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” said the Suitcase.
“Come! come !pick me up and let’s see your guts.” provoked the suitcase.
I got up and went near it to see how it was placed precisely and if there was any indication of wires projecting out or if some unusual thing was visible from its external appearance. Everything looked normal except I noticed the cracked handle and letter ‘VK’ pasted on it with the plastic sticker on the slots of opening latches as everyone generally pastes the letters containing the initials of the name at those places .
Now I desired to have a feel of its weight. My hand went near its broken handle to move it but suddenly something stopped me from my inside from touching it.
“Was I afraid as the suitcase had challenged me ? “
No!
It would have been foolish on my part to touch it as it could have exploded for if it had a bomb inside it. There was every likelihood that it could have been fixed with some ALD(Antilift Device) or ADD(anti disturbance device) which would have blown it off instantly on lifting or disturbing it . I immediately shifted my hand and caught hold of the chain of the upper birth thereby changing my decision at the last moment.
Now the things started getting serious in my mind. But still I thought it better to keep quiet for some more time and quietly went back and sat on my seat.
Suddenly the miser no 2 casually said,
”What could be in the suitcase? I do not presume anything costly should be inside it as the owner has left it unattended for such a long time. I hope it does not contain any bomb shomb in it”.
That was it as he had blurted out my thoughts into his words and I supported his statement,
”Yes it could be very much possible as the days are bad in this nation and every second day we keep hearing such news on TV etc.”
Oh my God ! then the discussion started on this and we four were into discussing the various ways the bombs are planted and the items in which they are planted starting from the baby toys to cars , trucks and what not.
Soon the TTE came again and asked the same question
“Did anyone come to pick his luggage?”
The answer was a collective NO from all of us together and the Miser no 3 said bluntly and loudly to him,
“Arey bhaiyya dekh lo theek se kahin bomb to nahin hain iske ander nahi to hamara aamlate ban jayega (Hey! dear brother have a proper look at it and check out if it contains a bomb or else we will all become omelette very soon).
That spark was enough for the others to get ignited on the issue and the person outside the curtain of our cabin who was sitting on the gallery seat ( parallel to the direction of move) got curious and got up asking the TTE to check as to what is inside the suitcase and requested him to call the concerned person to ensure safety at the earliest. Hearing this, the passengers in the next cabin also got after the TTE and soon the word spread like a wildfire in the complete bogie and heartbeat of everyone tripled its pace. The TTE himself was now afraid of even standing near it and started to slip away from there saying that he will ask the police to check and he is going to see where the policeman is resting in the other bogie and vanished in thin air.
Everyone was afraid to go near it and soon people started to flee from that cabin towards the toilets on either side of the bogie. Some carried their luggage while some left it there itself. Even those who had very tough faces in their appearance also looked like a dog with his tail inside clung to the stomach from the ventral side. Some were even commenting while walking that there is nothing to fear but one should not take chances. The crowd was soon getting wild and people were roughening up each other to get space for quick evacuation. Things were getting real serious. I thought to take initiative now and shouted at the top of my voice to the person who were trying to create haste, to go slowly and stood in the gallery outside our cabin requesting everyone to divide themselves in two groups so that the ladies and kids can move slowly and asked two of the passengers to join me in pulling the chain of the train as would ease off the situation.
First time in my life I pulled that chain which all my life I had been looking at wondering what will happen if this is pulled whenever I went on my summer vacations to my Granny’s house by train. I remember once I got a slap from my Father as I tried to hold the handle of the chain for getting down from the upper birth (where my mother had placed me to sleep) thinking that the red hanging handle is meant for holding it as a support to get down from the upper berth.
I applied adequate strength to pull it but believe me it is not so loose as one foresees. Three of us applied all the strength to pull it and then it screeched out of the slots . It only appeared that the train had started to slow down and it did but very slowly as I had expected it to come to a sudden halt in a very short time. The train initially reduced its speed slowly but later then the intensity of brake application grew stronger every second and finally the train came to a grinding halt. Everyone jumped out of the bogie. Some had already gone to the adjacent bogies through the vestibules in front and rear of our bogie. I got down from the bogie to see if anyone is coming to sort out the problem. Then after sometime I saw someone in uniform approaching our bogie, he was the guard.
“Who had pulled the chain ?”,He asked from the gathered crowd outside the bogie on the sides of the track.
Now the passengers who helped me pull the chain disappeared from the scene as did not want to get into the questioning answering session with the authorities. The three misers could be in the toilets I guessed as were also not seen in the crowd. Suddenly one of the passenger to whom the guard approached to talk pointed the finger towards me and said to the guard,
”That Sardarji”
The guard then turned his eyes towards me and asked ,
”What happened?”
I felt like a fool seeing that everybody else kept quiet and looked towards me. Understanding the situation that no person wanted to get involved in the matter due to faulty rules of our nation where the person offering help is harassed I narrated the whole incident to him and asked him to verify the facts also from the three misers and the TTE who had come to check our tickets.
The matter became further serious as the train could not move now as the bomb had to be either diffused or the bogie separated for the safety of other passengers. I asked the guard to have a look at the place where this suitcase was placed to convince him further but he also agreed to my words and took it as gospel truth and did not dare to go near the door of the bogie leave aside the cabin inside it. I asked him what action is he going to take now as per the SOP(Standard Operating Procedure) of railways in such issues and how much time will it take.
“We will first have to ask all the passengers in the train if this belongs to anyone and if no one agrees then have to inform the HQ who will detail a bomb squad team which will reach here and diffuse the bomb. Only then the next action can be thought of.”He replied descriptively.
“ And what will be the next action?”, I asked curiously from him.
“You are a wise man and should have understood by now what will be the next action .The action of moving the train to its next destination what else? The old guard replied uncomfortably taking a deep breathe
“And this will take how many hours?”, I asked again.
“It would depend upon the HQ how fast they would act “, again replied the guard.
I could clearly make out now that it is going to take not less than a complete day, for this problem to sort out and so did everyone else. Some even took a quick decision of moving out from there and started to take out their luggage from the adjacent bogies but those of this bogie still did not gather enough guts to get inside it and were stuck there. Soon the news travelled to the other bogies and everyone on the train came to know about it.
“No one will move out from this place till we give clearance and I request you to please cooperate.” Shouted the guard at the top of his voice to everyone on both the sides of the train
The CRPF security personnel took positions on either side of the standing train on the orders of the guard and did not allow anyone to leave the area but requested everyone to be away from the affected bogie.
The following message spread to everyone,
“Does a 36 inch size Red coloured Safari Suitcase belong to anyone”
And everyone started to inquire from each other to carry out first step of the SOP of railways .
About one hour passed like this and there was no response from anyone. The guard waited for one more hour to be clear of the fact that it belonged to some genuine passenger. Finally he gave up and gave a ring on his mobile to his HQ. Now we were sure that we cannot move out and are stuck for the rest of the day. People started to request the guard to let them off as they would catch the bus from the road running parallel to the railway track and reach some safe place before the dawn as there was no pantry car available in the train that day and ladies and kids would be in real problem after sometime. The guard said that as soon as the Bomb squad arrives he will request their incharge, the security officer to leave the ladies and kids. But when will the Bomb squad arrive was the million dollar question. We waited for 2 more hours then could hear the siren followed by no of vehicles arriving on the road which finally stopped and the security personnel came out with lot of equipment and sand bags . They contacted the guard and took stock of the situation. Soon the crowd was asked to clear off from the 2nd AC bogie and we were just spectators. Two security men, one of whom was an officer asked the guard to accompany them and show the exact place where the suitcase was lying, the face of the guard turned pale as he was afraid and secondly he did not know the exact place where it was kept as had not gone himself to see it earlier. He smartly told the security officer it will be better to take the person who had reported the matter and this would save the time of everyone . Now anger arose inside me that why I am being made the scape goat everytime so I made up my mind to be stubborn this time.
“Seat no 41 which is his seat,” I said to the security officer pointing my finger on my friend the miser No 2 who was watching the scene from a hidden position in the crowd just in front of me as if some hindi film shooting was going on.
“Yes you please accompany us”, said the tall, well built security officer firmly and politely to him. The legs of Miser no 2 started shaking and he joined both his hands to the security officer as if had committed some crime and is asking the policeman to pardon him this being his first mistake and said,” Sir,I am suffering from hypertension and am afraid of going inside so kindly leave me here only. Since the Sardarji has already told you my seat number there will be no difficulty in searching it”.
The security officer did not agree to him and tried to convince him that nothing will happen to him as he is with him and immediately after recording his statement he will let him off soon. He then fell at the feet of the officer and started to nearly cry holding the trousers of the officer . Feeling pity on him the officer told him to stay there only and not leave the place as he would be taking his statement after he comes back from inside the bogie. The officer with one more of his assistant went inside the bogie to have a first hand look of the ‘Red Safari Suitcase’ placed on the berth which had created such a havoc. About 10 minutes passed, then 15 minutes and then 20 minutes but nobody came out of the bogie. We all wondered what all is going inside the bogie as the bomb disposal team was waiting outside to start the operation as soon as they get the green signal from their officer who had gone in to study the situation. Suddenly the officer came out and shouted at the guard.
“Please call the Sardarji who had reported the matter and also the other person who was fearing to go inside on whose seat the suitcase was planted”
I wondered curiously what was the matter that again my need has been felt along with the miser no2 whose BP must have also shot up by now if he had told the truth to the officer. We both came near the bogie door where he was standing holding the railing of the door facing us.
“Yes we are here, what’s the matter?” we both asked together.
“Which seat did you say?” he asked again
“Seat no 41”, I again repeated to him and miser no 2 confirmed the fact to the officer.
“Please come and show it yourself” the officer asked both of us to come inside and show the suitcase to him.
We both mounted the bogie once again and went to our seat and were astonished as the suitcase was not there at all.
Missing!
How can that be ? It was definitely not a dream as so many of us had seen it including the TTE. The miser no2 also supported my statement and said for the first time that the suitcase was there then but is not there at the moment.
“You people waste our time and it is because of this that our nation is suffering”, shouted the officer at both of us.
I was spellbound for the reason that I was lost in the thoughts as to where could the suitcase has vanished. Before speaking back to the officer to give him a suitable reply I looked all around the compartment over the seats ,underneath them ,on the gallery berth and in the adjacent compartments but could not locate it anywhere .Where the hell could it have vanished I thought and thought and thought again but all in vain . Now it was a matter of keeping your self respect intact which was at stake as 1500 passengers were waiting outside to know the outcome of it and for all I knew the TV channel teams could also have been on their way to give such a crunchy news which would have been sold like hotcakes. I went to the officer and introduced myself showing my Identity card that I am an Army officer and narrated the whole incident to him convincing that whatever I told him was actually the truth. He giving due respect to me said that he is convinced with what I have told him but there has to be some evidence and the evidence was missing. He also told me that if I had been in his place what would have I done. I then kept quiet for the moment and replied that I can understand his situation also and told him to carry out further action as he deems it fit as I had no other option but to agree to him. I advised the officer to take written statements of everyone who had seen the suitcase as they would vanish once he gives the clearance to move to everyone as that was the only way I could prove myself right to which he agreed. The officer then went outside the bogie and asked the TTE of our coach along with the other two misers to come in for recording their statements. The secret that the suitcase was missing was still not out of the bogie. People outside were thinking that some serious planning to diffuse the bomb was going on.
The secret was soon out to the witnesses who came inside the coach and they started to discuss with each other as to how could a suitcase disappear like this. I gave the statement first ,followed by the TTE and we were busy in shuffling and fixing the pages on the clipboard while the others were sitting at the same place where a few hours back we were enjoying the journey. Now came the turn of miser no 1 to give his statement . Before starting to write he said to all of us sitting there
‘Is it really required?”
“What do you mean?,” the officer said
“No! No! I was just asking because it will unnecessary waste your time since nothing concrete can be deduced from my statement,” Said miser no1 to the officer
“Why?” asked the officer curiously.
“Because actually I did not see the suitcase properly I only think I saw it so the statement cannot be taken as confirmed from me hence it would waste your time. However if you still insist I will write this in my statement” replied the Miser no1 adroitly for fleeing off from the scene so that thinking it to be a waste of time the officer would leave him and he would be able to get out of the rut forever.
I was really disheartened by seeing his behaviour and thought this is why the nation is not progressing as no one wants even to tell the truth in order to just avoid taking the pain for bringing the real truth to surface. Thank God the TTE had already given the statement by now and so did the miser no 2 which was at least enough that I did not dream and it was the reality that suitcase did exist in the past on seat no 41. Now at last the miser no 3 also gave a very weak statement that he also did not see it directly as was sitting right under the seat where the suitcase was planted so had nodded to the TTE without seeing it casually although was clear in his mind of the fact that he actually saw it when the TTE had come time and again to us to inquire about the suitcase.
It was late afternoon now and after taking the statements the Officer came out and told the guard to let the passengers requesting to go in the buses to go if they want as it would take another one hour to search the adjacent bogies for ensuring extra safety along with their equipments and the team started off their drill quickly thinking that it would just take a few minutes after which they will be free for giving the report that search has been carried out as per the rules to their higher HQ knowing fully well that the bomb is not there at all now. I also got down from the bogie and and stood near the tracks waiting for their drill to finish after which the train would move with a big question in my mind ,’Where has the Red Coloured Safari Suitcase gone’?
As I was watching some of the people who were leaving the train and proceeding towards the buses on the road (as some of them had decided to go by bus) I saw a person carry a similar red safari moving towards the road holding it in a direction away from our coach so that it is not visible clearly in full towards our coach. I could not stop myself from shouting towards that person to stop knowing full well that it could be some other suitcase and I would again face embarrassment if it turns out to be the wrong addressee.
“Hey! please stop”, I shouted again at him
The person did not stop rather speeded up his pace further which convinced me of the fact that he had heard me as he acted just after I shouted. This `raised suspicion in my mind that something is wrong somewhere. I again shouted at him to stop but he did not and started to run now. Then my anger rose to seventh heaven and I shouted at the security guards and police person to catch him as he had the suitcase. The security staff could also see him running with the suitcase so they probably thought that he may be some thief and ran after him to catch him and after a few minutes he was caught by them and brought near our bogie to inquire the matter to clarify it from me. I saw the same red coloured suitcase and said
“This is the same suitcase which was there? “after identifying the broken handle and letters ‘VK’ written on it. Now I took a sigh of relief that at least the suitcase existed. I immediately went inside the bogie and called the officer after narrating the fact that the suitcase has been found. The TTE also agreed that it was the same one which he saw there on the upper berth. The officer hauled the person who was with the suitcase and asked him to explain how the suitcase vanished from there but he denied. I then asked him
“If that be the case why did you run on my calling as you were not running before that,” to bring out the facts from him.
He just could not answer anything as was confused and could not formulate a false answer immediately. I took the officer to one side and confirmed him that this person is telling lies and nothing else and explained him how I identified the suitcase from the broken handle and letters ‘VK ‘written on it. Convinced by my statement and due to the good image of Army he decided to take out the truth from him; the police way. Soon that person was taken in the toilet of the bogie and the interrogation started in closed doors inside the toilet of 2nd AC Bogie. Just to have a look I went near the toilet door to see how the truth is taken out from the liars but could only hear the voice of policemen speaking and asking from him whether he will speak out the truth or not and could hear only oooooh! Oooh! from that person. To open the suspense as to what they were doing I opened the toilet door slightly to have a view of what’s going on.
I saw that the person was sitting on the WC (Water Closet) with one fourth of the rifle barrel in his mouth and the butt end of the rifle being held by a policemen. This carried on for about 30 seconds and then everyone was out of the toilet after that. The person then narrated the following which later took the form of his statement in writing.
“ Sir, actually I had left my red coloured safari suitcase at seat no 41 on the upper berth and had gone to other Bogie to search for the TTE as I did not have a confirmed seat. I searched for him for about an hour and when I asked him for a seat he told me to wait and contact him later as presently the seat was not available so I waited there itself and sitting on someone else’s seat went to sleep. When I got up I found that the TTE was not there so I again went further to search for him . Meanwhile I came to know about the bomb incident and understood everything. In order to get out of the situation quietly and to avoid public bashing I quietly went to the empty bogie picked up my suitcase and quietly came back which was easy as no one could notice me from outside due to heavy curtains and tinted glass of the windows and later I covered the suitcase with my jacket so that it does not fall into anybody,s eyes directly and give him idea of the red suitcase being talked about. After that as I was leaving to catch for the bus I heard someone calling and came to know that now I will be caught ran out of fear. After that you are aware of what happened. I am extremely sorry for this act .Please save me as I have someone waiting for me at the station and have small kids.”
The tension of bomb probability which had gripped everyone till now fell like a riped mango from a tree and everyone laughed inside the bogie. The public waiting outside was however still not clear of the complete situation and we assumed that would get furious once they come to know of what actually happened and may even bash the person owning this suitcase once he goes out of the bogie. So we told him not to venture out in any case.
His statement was taken and a fine of Rs1000/- was immediately put on him for the inconvenience caused to finish off the matter officially then and there itself and he was asked not to move out from the train. Soon the guard told everyone to mount the train saying that the matter will take long to settle as there was some confusion which is being sorted out by the police and there is no fear of any bomb now. Since the matter was nobody,s concern and everyone was already in a hurry to move so they agreed to the words of the guard and followed his instructions. The train soon started to move with two third of the original strength as one third had already left by buses.
I asked the officer what will he report about the delay imposed on the train and what if the TV reporters receive us on the railway station?
“Firstly there will be no witness left as everyone will vanish once the train reaches the station and secondly there is fog and thirdly some technical fault had occurred due to which the train got delayed”, he replied smilingly
“And what about this person? “I asked pointing at the Red Safari man.
“We will deal with him separately,”said the officer
“Now what will you do with him”, I asked the police officer specifically showing curiosity.
“Well ! He will act as our ATM machine for two more days and then his statement which he had given will be put in the paper shredder”. Came the reply instantly from his mouth.
“Do you think this is justified”? I asked him showing sympathy for the ‘safari man’
“Of course! The person has got punished as you can make out from the harassment he has undergone and the fine he has been levied upon. It doesn’t matter to whom the money goes but it has gone and will go from him”.said the officer convincingly.
“And what about the passengers who denied their statements of seeing the suitcase” I asked the officer to involve the misers too as it was my wish to have them punished too.
“Well my inspector has already fined them without receipts”, the officer assured me confidently.
“But on what charges”? I asked amazingly
“On the charge of excusing them to come to police station later”,
“Oh ! I see”, I said.
And I found out to my surprise that those misers had paid Rs 500/- each to the police inspector. At last they had spent to save themselves from further damage which whey would have to spend it otherwise had they not paid it then by coming to police station number of times and would have spent at least Rs 2000/- each apart from the harassment and wastage of time. They in fact saved here also I felt later by taking this wise decision.
“One last querry”, I asked from the officer.
“You have had so much faith in me that told me all about your plan ? One reason why you trusted me so much? What if I report this to higher ups of yours?” I said hesitatingly.
He had a hearty laugh.
“You appear to be a very simple person”, he said while laughing and further added,
“My dear brother, Firstly you will not do it as I can make out from your face, secondly I have a very esteemed image of Indian army since I know it very well as my brother is also in the Army, thirdly even if you do it no one will bother as everyone up the ladder does not bother about such issues till the time there is concrete evidence with them which will never be there in this case and fourthly it is a routine affair for us as we deal with hundreds of such situations and can make out at the first glance of the culprit and here there is no culprit, it is just a misunderstanding . The world goes on like this my friend as the system is designed like this only”.
“Thank God the system in the Army is much better”, I said to myself.
Soon the train reached station and people got in and out and the journey carried on. After reaching Delhi one day I met the same ‘Safari man’ who had The Red Safari Suitcase, in the market and after shaking hands over a gossip came to know that he had to spend about Rs 10000/- in getting out of the case with nothing in writing left against him. He also told me that he had given Rs 500/- in advance to the same TTE who had come to check our tickets, for getting the seat in the compartment and the total loss to him was thus Rs 10500/-. Above all the same TTE also had to pay the police Rs 3000/- or else would be in trouble for the bribery case of fleecing money from the ‘Safari man’ as he had stated in writing to the police that TTE had taken Rs 500/- from him for the seat.
So justice was done to all but at the expense of the Government.
“God! Save this country from corruption and grant wisdom to all for dealing with such type of situations.”I prayed.
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