It was in 1995 when I was posted at a place called Tissa in Arunachal Pradesh. It was centrally located from where two routes bifurcated in two different directions both about 60 to 70 Kms away to the farthest point from there. There were no proper pucca (permanent) bituminous roads then and the hill was freshly cut with bulldozer, left for 2 to 3 years for the soil to settle down for finally paving them subsequently.
As a result of these uneven freshly cut roads the speed limit was restricted to 10-15 Kmph resulting into increase of travel time to 3 hours one way. One road led to a place called Wakka and the other to Pongchau.
Midway to Wakka was a place called ‘Nginu’ where we had a detachment for meeting our administrative requirements like fuel, water, rations etc with some road construction stores : Bitumen drums, tools etc. This detachment had one in charge with 6 to 7 men under him to look after it. The detachment was completely secluded from my location at Tissa and higher Headquarters except on a link with a radio set which remained non functional most of the time keeping us out of contact with each other.
Midway to Wakka was a place called ‘Nginu’ where we had a detachment for meeting our administrative requirements like fuel, water, rations etc with some road construction stores : Bitumen drums, tools etc. This detachment had one in charge with 6 to 7 men under him to look after it. The detachment was completely secluded from my location at Tissa and higher Headquarters except on a link with a radio set which remained non functional most of the time keeping us out of contact with each other.
When the detachment in charge wanted to relax and not be disturbed he would switch off the radio set or spoil it by short circuiting it and sleep to glory.
In order to deal with such situations we followed a Phantom style of communication of a ‘Tom Tom’ runner system, where a labourer would be given a leather bag slung across his shoulder with the necessary document containing messages in it and was asked to go running to the next detachment for handing over the same to another person waiting for him who would continue this relay race till the message finally reached its terminal destination. This would take 6 to 7 hours.
Since all the time round the clock vigil could not be maintained so they had adequate opportunities and freedom for doing mischievous acts at times.
The area was very remote and people were years beyond civilisation of modern India so much so that they moved nearly nude. All a male person wore was a small cloth around his lower body just bare enough to cover his genitals (like a langoti) in the form of a belt inside which he would tuck in his 'Dah' (about one and a half feet steel blade fixed over a two feet long bamboo shoot) with which he did all his work right from making smallest art pieces of wood to hunting of wild animals. They belonged to the traditional ‘Wanchu’ hunter tribes.
Their rules and regulations were very strict and everyone worshipped their village Chieftain, whom they addressed as 'Raja' like a God. He could even order the harshest of the punishments to those found guilty: even death by execution as there was no one to check them. Although the area was divided beat wise by the police but generally neither did any policemen visit such a remote location nor they interfered in the village administration as they were themselves part of those places. They moreover faced a resource crunch with no vehicles to ply on those roads. If the vehicle went off road one was at the mercy of God because no civil transport was available for help.
Police only intervened in very critical cases and that also after taking help from the local Army, Border Road Organisation and Assam Rifle units. So jungle rule prevailed but one could rely on their system as was speedy, fair and just unlike our modern system taking years to impart justice. If you had left your wallet or dropped important item while travelling you would still find it there unless some wild animal had disturbed it.
The females also sailed in the same boat as they wore what the men wore with no exception to cover upper part of their body except the local jewellery made of bones and bamboos. Their breasts were openly visible since were not covered by cloth or animal skin either and it looked very odd especially to the newcomer in the area when he watched them running with their dangling organs.
Visiting a civilised area after a considerable gap would astonish everyone on noticing clothes on human bodies as we were used to seeing half naked bodies all the time. In fact it gave a feeling of being out of place during leave or on temporary duty when we ventured into civilised areas. The ladies carried conical basket of bamboos on their back containing 3 to 4 pieces of huge bamboo hollow shoots filled with water inside it. One bamboo shoot had enough capacity to hold about two to three buckets of water inside it. The womenfolk were very hard working like ants and did the major household work. The men were lazy: they would only do hunting and fond of drugs but were basically warriors and every old one of them had killed at least two to three other men of other tribes during their routine fights. After the fights they tattooed equal no of lines as per their kill on their chests in the form of V akin to a lady’s necklace. These were considered as their medals of bravery which were clearly visible on their chests.
They (both men and women) covered their teeth with a thick black shiny coating in order to preserve them making them no longer look white in colour. The younger generation who were out in the cities however were devoid of this custom due to being slightly educated.
The house of Raja was built in a day if required. The manpower for such a work would involve participation of each and every person of the village in hundreds who worked together in an organised way. The work involved cutting a huge tree trunk, placing it as the pillar at various places equidistant from each other in a single line and there after covering the roof with thatch on the already made wood rafters with their Dahs. The whole process finished by evening.
The size of the hut would be not less than 70 to 80 m in length and about 7 to 8 metres in width. It had lot of rooms inside it like a steamer ship with a cabin for each queen of the Raja. The Raja had a privilege of keeping about 15 to 20 wives as a custom.
There would also be a place for the cattle in the same hut and a big room at the entrance with a fire burning in the centre of the room around which all the queens and the accomplices of Raja sat on a specially elevated place with their guests. A big animal game properly skinned down would always be found hung over the fire like a barbeque which was continuously smoked to keep it in ready to eat state taking care of the hygiene aspect also.
All the side walls contained huge bison (Mithun) skulls hung systematically all around. The men and their ladies would eat and drink their special wine called ‘Lopani’ (some would vomit on smelling it) of white colour made of rice and what not. They had a peculiar tradition; All the young boys and girls of the complete village slept in a long hut made for them and after the girl got pregnant would be married to the so called illegal Father in our language.
We had to employ local casually paid labour(CPL) for our work so the right source to ask for them for the manpower would be this Raja who would sent a team of his men for enrolment for work like clearing of landslides, road and bridge construction etc.
It was his local law that one person of Raja would always be kept on the rolls whether he works or not but in return he helped us in all the administrative and management matters related with the labour force and provision of firewood for our use which proved beneficial for the organisation so no one tempered with that old tradition.
At ‘Nginu’ there was a person named Ashok who although was good by nature but would remain the same only in presence of his detachment commander. On getting an opportunity of being left alone he would make best use of it to his advantage not bothering whether the action done by him was right or wrong. The men living in the detachments were away from their families so longed for leave to go home. Although all attempts were made as per the policy guidelines in vogue to send every person on leave on regular basis after every 3 to 4 months to reduce their frustration but some of them still found it difficult to control their emotion at times. There was no other source of entertainment in the middle of the jungle except for playing carom and cards in the spare time for their recreation or to watch TV for a short period of time with the help of a truck battery. There were no dish TVs in 1995 in those days. The men therefore spent their time after the day’s work in such activities after taking a bath in the evening to finally end their day with a drink and dinner before going to sleep.
Ashok had a habit of watching the local ladies passing in front of our roadside detachment (det) and felt restless after starring at their naked body parts. He looked forward for the first opportunity to contact them. On noticing them approaching he would at once come out near the gate and start sweeping the area in front of it from where these girls passed in order to cover up his act utilising the opportunity to watch them more closely. The girls would simply laugh at him and run away in shyness.
One day when the det Incharge was away for some work, Ashok happened to be alone with some two old personnel in the det. When the girls passed carrying water on their backs Ashok made some remark and beckoned one of them to come near him. Noticing this the girls also responded with a smile and one of them beckoned him in reciprocation just for the sake of fun. Seeing her response he went near her and could not resist himself embracing her due to the momentarily created emotional outburst, the action in which he also fondled with her breasts. As a result of this sudden unexpected move she got annoyed and shouted. All her mates who were accompanying her jointly pushed and hit him hard with whatever they had in their hands supplemented with kicks and blows all over his body. Later they all ran away from there throwing away their stuff. Ashok quietly came back, had a drink and lied down to sleep.
After about half an hour there was village crowd which quietly besieged the det from all the sides. Their head came to the gate shouting for the det in charge. Since the in charge was not present at that time so the next old man went out to inquire about the matter and when he came to know the purpose for which the villagers had gathered there, he was shocked.
The villagers did not listen to him and threatened that they would take him instead if the right person is not handed over to them. So fearing this he called everyone out. As they saw skirmishes on Ashok’s head they asked him to confirm what it was caused due to and what had he done to their village girl. He instead of apologising himself blamed the girls for provoking his sentiments hitting him in a group. This was enough to convince and identify the culprit. So without saying a word further they tied him up with jute ropes and forcibly took him to their village to produce him in front of their Raja.
The old man who was officiating as the det in charge could do nothing but request them to pardon him but they did not pay any attention to his pleadings. Unfortunately the radio sets were also down and there was no labour available for carrying the Tom Tom phantom message even although one of the labourer was present but he refused to go fearing the Raja as it was now a matter of village prestige. The old man thus had no choice and started to walk down to cover a distance of 12 kms in order to get help from Tissa leaving just one other old man behind to look after the det.
He started off at night all alone by himself for Tissa with no weapon but just a lathi (a big stick) and a torch in his hand to deal with the wild animals. While he was on his way about 4 kms ahead from Nginu towards Tissa he met three labourers who were coming towards Nginu det itself not knowing about the incident. He immediately told two of them to return, take the written message and handover to the officer at Tissa. He explained the gravity of the situation to those runners by mentioning that the message is very urgent as someone is lying unconscious in the det needing immediate medical attention and police help. Hearing this both the runners immediately started back towards Tissa for handing over the message to me late in the night.
Meanwhile the old man returned to the det with the one remaining labourer. On the way when he narrated the actual incident to the labourer accompanying him but in turn he got petrified with fear as the local labourer further frightened him explaining that in such cases the Raja orders killing by Dahs (long blade) and if something is not done soon he may be killed by next evening as the time between verdict and execution is generally kept very less in such cases.
Someone knocked my door at about 11 pm in the night. I got up and after opening the door saw a Tom Tom runner with a message who narrated me what all was briefed to him by the det I/C and handed over the message slip to me. After going through it I understood the whole situation which was amply clear in it. I immediately went to my friend cum colleague Kashmir Singh, discussed the matter and we chalked out a plan. He gave me a radio set to keep in constant touch with him. We wanted to avoid taking help from the police and endeavouring that the matter be sorted out at our level itself for avoiding complications. It was no use advertising the issue as would bring bad name to the unit reflecting poor man management on our part also.
I took my essential stuff, called the driver and along with the Tom Tom labourer started off for Nginu in my vehicle. We reached there within an hour and inquired about the current situation. The Det Incharge was petrified with fear but became stable when he saw my presence with others. He was worried about Ashok and feared physical harm to him by the Raja. The situation was soon clarified as it was our man’s fault but the matter was to be dealt in such a way that we were able to extract Ashok out of their clutches in one single piece as otherwise the things would take a serious turn. The local labourer knew the way to Raja’s house which was about 4 kms from our det by foot as the vehicle could not be taken there being a hilly foot track. So I along with two labourers and one detachment Incharge started off in the middle of the night to Raja’s house.
We travelled through the forest in the dark. The cricket noise was at its full, jackals howling could be heard from a distance and whispering winds passing past the tree branches could be clearly heard. The patrol comprised of one labourer with his Dah leading in the front followed by me, the det incharge and the second labourer at the rear. The weather was cold so we were wearing our jackets while the labourers were in their loin cloth.
While on the way I kept discussing about the Raja’s habits and his likes and dislikes since it all depended on him to diffuse the situation. He was fond of rum I already knew so had carried three bottles in my bag which was with the person following me. I had also carried some cash which although was of no use as it did not carry any meaning for him because he was more interested in the stuff like liquor than anything else.
We reached at around 3 AM in the morning. The Raja was sleeping in his hut. On knocking the door by one of the labourer he replied loudly in his language to come in. As we all entered, he got up rubbing his eyes near his fireplace with two of his queens by his side who had covered themselves with the Yak skin using it as a blanket over a bamboo mat. He shook hands while sitting and asked us to sit in a corner where elevated wooden planks were laid to sit for the guests. I felt a bit awkward entering into his private room as the so called queens were fast asleep but that was the way of his life. He spoke in broken hindi welcoming us,
”Aoo Sahib baitho” (Come sir please sit down)
I started the topic,
“The det incharge told me that one of our men had misbehaved with some girl of your village after which your men had brought him here as a captive”.
“Yes Sir he is locked in the cellar where we keep our cattle fodder and his punishment will be decided tomorrow in the morning after those girls come and give their statements in front of everyone”, the Raja replied.
There were few more hours for outbreak of dawn and the place was stinking inside except for the fireplace where one could feel the smell of burning wood which subsided the filthy smell. The corner was cosy so I pulled a stool lying near the plank, placed it near the fire and sat down to warm my hands in the cold. He told me to relax on his yak skin bed which was spread on the floor like a carpet to which I also did not hesitate to stretch my legs after a long walk. I also tried to be homely so that he is also relaxed in order to reduce his annoyance further as the ball was in his court.
It was about 4 AM in the morning, the fire was burning both outside and inside me as I feared any stupid decision from his side would put me also in trouble if Ashok is harmed physically. While relaxing near him I casually asked him,
“What decision is expected in such cases if proved guilty?”
The Raja said,
“Had he been one of his own men it was death for sure”
“And if he is an outsider?”I asked
Then as the men decide which may also be death or amputation of some body parts like fingers, limbs, ears or nose etc” he replied.
“But are you sure he committed the act alleged on him?” I asked him again.
“That is the thing on which everything depends but we believe the words of our girls as gospel truth” Raja continued.
“What if they tell lies and thus result into punishment to an innocent?” I tried to probe further.
“No we do not go by that, their statement is considered to be final as there were three girls along with the girl affected” The Raja clarified.
“Will you have a drink at this time ?” I asked him to divert from the issue for the time being to bring him at ease poking on to his weakness.
Smilingly he replied,
“I don’t mind as your Rum is very tasty as usual”
I asked one of the helper along with me to take out the bottle and pour two large neat pegs without water for the Raja as they did not use water with the drink. Soon he had two pegs in his bamboo glass and sipped it cheerfully.
“What about you ?” he asked me
“As you know I don’t like this so I have my own drink with lemon” I said.
My helper was already ready with the lemon drink by then which he handed over to me from my back side.
“Can something be done for the alleged culprit to free him after giving a minor punishment for the sake of our friendship of two years here?” I asked the Raja with a hope.
“Minor?” he said loudly.
“Ok major but I have a request.” I said emphatically.
“What?” He asked with a deadpan face.
“I’ll punish him if you permit in front of all of you but you should not do any physical harm to him as in turn I will be punished from the authorities for not reporting the matter to the police or the army and you know the procedures there are very lengthy which would in fact be more of harassment to me rather than the culprit himself” I tried to convince the Raja with my restraints.
“Sahib itna fikar mat karo usko punishment lene do usne galat kaam kiya hai”(Sir do not worry so much let him be punished as he has done a wrong act) said the Raja in half drunk state and sipping the remaining rum from the glass.
“There would be a problem for you also along with your men” I said to the Raja to bring him slightly on to the defensive.
“What?To me! How ?” Asked the Raja curiously.
“Yes, if the matter of physical assault reaches the higher authorities there would be investigations in which you all will be called at the office to give your statements and that will not be a day’s job, it may take more time and you will have to come forcibly because it will be done by the Defence authorities. Moreover Assam Rifles will be called in case your men offer any resistance” I explained it to him to put in the fear of Assam Rifles from which they usually feared the most.
“So I was thinking why not to clear the case at our level itself since it is between you and me only at present,” I added.
Raja was lost in thoughts for some time as was mum for few moments.
“Ek aur peg daliye“(Pour in one more peg please), he said
And two pegs were immediately poured out of the Old Monk bottle into his bamboo mug.
He was four high now with his eyes slightly turning red into a joyful mood but slightly worried this time.
I could soon hear birds chirping due to outbreak of dawn.
He called for his men to gather along with those girls and within half an hour the village elders started appearing near his hut.
I asked him to take me to the place where Ashok was kept as a captive as he had refused me to show him during the night on my arrival since it was slightly far away and the route was slushy. I went with him to the hut located about half a km away from the main hut where 3 of his guards with Dah were standing outside to prevent him from escaping.
As we entered the hut I saw Ashok lying on the thatch without his shirt with his face and body swollen at places due to mosquito bites and was shivering with cold. His eyes reflected the fear clearly. As he saw me he came running to me and started to cry like a child holding my leg pleading himself partially guilty. I felt pity on him but did not express my sympathies to him as would have infuriated the Raja further. I rather scolded him and said after kicking him on his backside with my right toe,
“Tere ko aisa kaam karte huay sharam nahin aaii ab maro yahaan par”(Didn’t you feel ashamed while doing such an act? Now you die here only)
“Nahin sahib main to uske hansne aur bulanay par hi uskay paas gaya tha” (No sir I went to her only after she reciprocated with a smile and beckoned me) he said honestly trying to convince me of the true fact.
As we came out I could make out from the expression on the Raja’s face that he was satisfied more than I expected with such an act of mine which further clarified my mind on how to proceed ahead for tackling the situation increasing a bit of self confidence in me.
I asked Raja to start the process and finish off with his decision soon so that we can go back to our place for the work. He ordered some of his stooges to gather the old men and those girls quickly into his hut. As we reached back to his hut they all had already reached there and the girls were waiting outside chatting with each other. The Raja meanwhile told other men to bring Ashok also after giving him his clothes. I went and asked those girls,
“Kiske saath woh cherchar kiya tha?” (With which one of you did he misbehave?)
They just laughed and ran away inside the hut. Seeing me the Raja also laughed and said smilingly,
“Woh aapko dekhkar sharma gayee hai”(She is feeling shy after seeing you) They were shy because they saw a stranger in me seeing a turban on my head as they had never seen a sikh person like me and not because they were half nude.
Anyway everyone was seated around the big bonfire in the middle of the room. The Raja with one of his head queen adjacent to him, some old men of the jury, other queens, me diametrically opposite facing the Raja in the circular row and some other people as mere spectators.
The girls were first called in and were asked to narrate what happened. They all said what they saw but in their language of which I could not make a head or tail of it except for the fact that they were not serious enough as if it was some game going on which I could not digest. I asked the labourer sitting next to me to translate it to me what she said. I came to know that that one of the friend’s of the affected girl had stated that she liked Ashok’s action so she beckoned him just for fun in response. This was indeed the point to be noted and I noted it properly in my mind to blurt it out at the right opportunity.
After the girls gave their statements they went out and the Raja discussed the matter seriously with his old men. Later Ashok was called who had already reached the hut and was waiting outside to be called in.
As he entered he was made to stand in the centre of the circle near the fire. I missed no time in getting up and again slapping him on his face to gain public sympathy for him and reduce their anger on him. I was respectfully taken back to my seat as expected by some elders to calm me down.
Ashok was down with shame as a scene had been created by me with an intent to soften the judges to some extent. He was then asked to narrate the incidence which he truthfully narrated word by word which was corroborated with the evidence of the girls and the matter was very unambiguous.
It came out after discussion that the girls were at fault of beckoning him who never expected that he would catch hold of them but Ashok was more at fault as he had lost control over his mind and could not resist temptation so deserved a punishment.
Now the million dollar question was,
What quantum of punishment?
The jury again got engaged into a discussion in their language so I asked the same labourer as what were they upto now and was shocked to hear from him when he replied,
“They are discussing about the number of his fingers to be chopped off with which he had touched her body.”
I was losing my patience now as such a thing would take a very serious turn later on. So I interrupted in between and told them if such a punishment can be avoided by them because the girl was equally at fault as she provoked him with her smile. Had she been really serious she would have got angry or might have abused him in return instead of smiling back at him but she never exhibited any such act. I also emphasised that if in lieu I can punish him. I also lured them that I would give them whatever is within my means for the development of their village which will benefit everyone of them.
They were lost into thoughts once again and this appeared to be diverting them from their plans of punishment. They again went into a discussion. Meanwhile I got a message on my radio set from my friend Kashmir Singh at Tissa in Punjabi,
“Oh sort out ho gaya ki pheja ik platoon. Assam rifle da company commander mere naal hi baitha cha pi riha hai” (Has the matter been sorted out or should I send about 40 men as I am sitting and having a cup of tea with the Company Commander from Assam Rifles? )
I replied,
“I will tell you after about 15 minutes” and closed the radio set. This gave me some moral strength as I was feeling very lonely till now. I told the Raja,
“Kya socha hai tumne. Woh log isko dhoond rahey hai aur agar sham tak yeh nahin mila to Assam rife wale idhar aa jayaengay” (They are searching for him and if he does not return by dusk then Assam Rifle men will come here)
This had some effect on the Raja and he conveyed the same to the jury of old men sitting there. I could make out that their thoughts were softening on the issue as they also did not wanted to raise the issue and invite unnecessary trouble for themselves as the girls were also at fault. Moreover they were offered an opportunity to get their village benefitted which they did not wanted to lose. I told them to hurry up in their decision.
After some time the Raja went out of the hut and called me to discuss the matter alone. I also went out and the Raja clarified the latest situation and informed me that they are planning to give lighter punishment in which his five finger nails will be removed instead of chopping his fingers as a special case for finishing the matter.
I was still shocked as there was no treatment which could be given to him in the state of bleeding fingers and moreover that involved violent pain which would be difficult to bear. I at once denied in anger and said that I will protest to the jury and tell them in clear terms that he should be handed over to us otherwise I will call the security through my radio set. The Raja at once replied not to adopt this way as it will lead to fight since the honour of the village was concerned. They were all really very serious so I also cooled down. The Raja tried to convince me that such an act cannot be even thought of by him but Ashok had done it so he deserves to be given adequate punishment commensurate to his act. Now I clarified to him in clear terms without any hesitation and said,
“You have never lived without your queens even for a single day as are always with 18 of them together each day and each night and if you are told to live without any of your queens for 5 months at a stretch, at a place like our det will you be able to live without any such thought as Ashok had in his mind and that also after being provoked by a half nude girl the culture to which we are not accustomed to ?”
The Raja was speech less.
I carried on further, ”If then such a girl passes in front of your house, beckons and smiles at you what would you do? Ashok had been living away from his family for the past 18 weeks without his wife can you now think of his state he would be in when he took that action on provoking. I agree he has committed a mistake but is this severe punishment commensurate to his act considering his state of mind at that time ?”
“Sahib aap to dimaag ko ghuma rahey ho? “(Sir you are boggling my head) he said to me.
“Nahin main tumko bata rahan hoon jo baat theek hain.”(No I am telling you what is right).
Watching him go into thoughts I also gave him assurance that I will get some of their village work done in the bargain with my available resources if his men cooperate in this. I thus motivated him to advice them accordingly. I also told him that I had come with a hope to sort out the matter having faith in him and thereafter had planned to celebrate with these two bottles of Rum and barbeque as a token of our friendship to make him emotional. I expressed my annoyance for not paying any heed to my advice.
Hearing this he caught hold of my hand, lowered his head, smiled and pulled me towards the hut to enter in. We both entered the hut and he got into detailed discussion with his old men. After some time he came to me and again asked me to come out.
We both came out and he said that they have agreed to the following conditions;
1 Ashok will be thrashed by the girls in open in front of everyone for half an hour.
2 You will have to give Bulldozer for a day for making a route to our village from the main road.
3 Ashok will no longer be seen in this area thereafter or else will be killed without informing anyone by our men.
“I cannot do anything more than this as otherwise I would lose the credibility of being their Raja” said the Raja raising both his hands up. I, seeing the situation agreed but told him that the girls will not use any object to hit him which may cause injury and secondly I will myself hit him first and if the girls still feel they can join hands with me to which he agreed.
We both entered the hut for the last time for the day and after discussion the jury told the Raja to announce the punishment. The Raja said in clear words which everyone understood and clapped giving a loud applause of which I understood nothing. I only assumed that he must have said what he had discussed with me outside as the language was mandarin for me. But the labourer who was sitting next to me smiled at me and raised his hand towards me in happiness conveying that the matter has ended at last which was reasonably acceptable.
Now it was the time to execute the punishment.
Ashok was nearly half dead by now but had yet to undergo about one more hour of torture and humiliation for him to come out of the rut in which he had got himself entangled. He was taken out in an open ground and asked to stand. I had to take the initiative of punishing him such that the punishment should look like a punishment and also to take care that no severe injury is caused to him. I asked him to start rolling on the ground first so that his state becomes more pitiable. He was hardly able to walk as was having sleepy eyes, swollen face and totally demoralised.
He started to roll, then side rolled, then came to a rooster position which he could hardly do and fell no of times resulting into entertainment of the villagers. I went and kicked, slapped, punched, pushed and threw him onto the ground number of times to pass time so that he is away from their punishment for that much of duration.
While I was doing this the girls came forward and they took on. They hit him with their bare hands on his stomach, chest, face as a result he bowed down and finally fell flat on the ground. It was then a bashing by them with their heels on to his stomach which he even got two near his groins and then turned over with his back facing the sky. The process continued for good about half an hour and soon everyone was tired of bashing. One of the girl fetched a long bamboo seeing which I indicated to Raja not to allow this and he stopped that girl. After that I could see sense of relief in everyone’s eyes and they were satisfied.
The men appeared to be furious still so I went again and slapped Ashok and made him fall down for the last time and kicked with my toes. The anguish reduced and I could now see all eyes satisfied and that was the end of his punishment.
I asked the Raja to let us carry Ashok now so that he is given some water lest he may fell unconscious again to which he agreed. He was thus carried by two men as he walked with them in limping position with his arms on to their shoulders for the support. They took him towards the stream flowing nearby. The crowd dispersed and everyone went for their work. I quietly asked Ashok
“Are you ok”?
He nodded in affirmative with his head hanging down.
He washed his face and lied down there in pain.
I allowed him to rest for 15 minutes undisturbed to allow him to be out of shock and asked the labourers accompanying me to help him out with a soft massage on his chest. I meanwhile went to the Raja and thanked him handing the remaining two bottles of rum so that he does not come back to his senses for the next 24 hours and remains in the jovial mood. I also told him not to worry about the village road and we will provide all the necessary help. I waved my hand to those girls who were watching me which they reciprocated with a smile giving me an impression that were satisfied with the punishment and had nothing against him.
I then took Ashok and asked him to move immediately from there and we were on our way back. With great difficulty we could bring him dragging all those four kms till our det where our vehicle was standing. On the way we had to literally lift him at times when he gave up walking as I did not allow them to stop or take rest. Immediately on reaching the det I put him in the vehicle, took his essential items and started from there to Tissa and by lunch time I was back. He was immediately given dressings on his invisible swelling wounds, asked to take bath and to doze off without speaking a word to anyone if he does not want to get into further trouble. He did exactly what was told.
I narrated the whole story to Kashmir Singh and he listened to as a child listens a demon tale. Soon everything was normal and the next day Ashok started showing signs of improvement and within next three days he was in a presentable shape.
I asked him then,
“What if that female asked you to marry her and you had no way out what would have you done”
He replied,
“Sahib ab bus bhi karo mujhe woh din yaad mat dilao aur yahaan se dusri det me bhej do” (Sir I have had enough please do not make me remember those days and have me shifted to some other det)
The labourer who was listening to this said,
“Woh aise nahin kehti” (She would not have said like that)
“Why?”, I asked him curiously
He clarified that because she did not get pregnant and only a pregnant girl can ask for marriage as per their rules.
“Oh ! I see so he had to stay there for making her pregnant to get married” I said to him to which he nodded and said,
“Yes sir”
Strange traditions indeed.
I wondered if such a punishment formed a part of our Indian Penal Code, the crime rate of the nation would not take more than two days to show a drastic improvement.
An effective punishment indeed.
The area was very remote and people were years beyond civilisation of modern India so much so that they moved nearly nude. All a male person wore was a small cloth around his lower body just bare enough to cover his genitals (like a langoti) in the form of a belt inside which he would tuck in his 'Dah' (about one and a half feet steel blade fixed over a two feet long bamboo shoot) with which he did all his work right from making smallest art pieces of wood to hunting of wild animals. They belonged to the traditional ‘Wanchu’ hunter tribes.
Their rules and regulations were very strict and everyone worshipped their village Chieftain, whom they addressed as 'Raja' like a God. He could even order the harshest of the punishments to those found guilty: even death by execution as there was no one to check them. Although the area was divided beat wise by the police but generally neither did any policemen visit such a remote location nor they interfered in the village administration as they were themselves part of those places. They moreover faced a resource crunch with no vehicles to ply on those roads. If the vehicle went off road one was at the mercy of God because no civil transport was available for help.
Police only intervened in very critical cases and that also after taking help from the local Army, Border Road Organisation and Assam Rifle units. So jungle rule prevailed but one could rely on their system as was speedy, fair and just unlike our modern system taking years to impart justice. If you had left your wallet or dropped important item while travelling you would still find it there unless some wild animal had disturbed it.
The females also sailed in the same boat as they wore what the men wore with no exception to cover upper part of their body except the local jewellery made of bones and bamboos. Their breasts were openly visible since were not covered by cloth or animal skin either and it looked very odd especially to the newcomer in the area when he watched them running with their dangling organs.
Visiting a civilised area after a considerable gap would astonish everyone on noticing clothes on human bodies as we were used to seeing half naked bodies all the time. In fact it gave a feeling of being out of place during leave or on temporary duty when we ventured into civilised areas. The ladies carried conical basket of bamboos on their back containing 3 to 4 pieces of huge bamboo hollow shoots filled with water inside it. One bamboo shoot had enough capacity to hold about two to three buckets of water inside it. The womenfolk were very hard working like ants and did the major household work. The men were lazy: they would only do hunting and fond of drugs but were basically warriors and every old one of them had killed at least two to three other men of other tribes during their routine fights. After the fights they tattooed equal no of lines as per their kill on their chests in the form of V akin to a lady’s necklace. These were considered as their medals of bravery which were clearly visible on their chests.
They (both men and women) covered their teeth with a thick black shiny coating in order to preserve them making them no longer look white in colour. The younger generation who were out in the cities however were devoid of this custom due to being slightly educated.
The house of Raja was built in a day if required. The manpower for such a work would involve participation of each and every person of the village in hundreds who worked together in an organised way. The work involved cutting a huge tree trunk, placing it as the pillar at various places equidistant from each other in a single line and there after covering the roof with thatch on the already made wood rafters with their Dahs. The whole process finished by evening.
The size of the hut would be not less than 70 to 80 m in length and about 7 to 8 metres in width. It had lot of rooms inside it like a steamer ship with a cabin for each queen of the Raja. The Raja had a privilege of keeping about 15 to 20 wives as a custom.
There would also be a place for the cattle in the same hut and a big room at the entrance with a fire burning in the centre of the room around which all the queens and the accomplices of Raja sat on a specially elevated place with their guests. A big animal game properly skinned down would always be found hung over the fire like a barbeque which was continuously smoked to keep it in ready to eat state taking care of the hygiene aspect also.
All the side walls contained huge bison (Mithun) skulls hung systematically all around. The men and their ladies would eat and drink their special wine called ‘Lopani’ (some would vomit on smelling it) of white colour made of rice and what not. They had a peculiar tradition; All the young boys and girls of the complete village slept in a long hut made for them and after the girl got pregnant would be married to the so called illegal Father in our language.
We had to employ local casually paid labour(CPL) for our work so the right source to ask for them for the manpower would be this Raja who would sent a team of his men for enrolment for work like clearing of landslides, road and bridge construction etc.
It was his local law that one person of Raja would always be kept on the rolls whether he works or not but in return he helped us in all the administrative and management matters related with the labour force and provision of firewood for our use which proved beneficial for the organisation so no one tempered with that old tradition.
At ‘Nginu’ there was a person named Ashok who although was good by nature but would remain the same only in presence of his detachment commander. On getting an opportunity of being left alone he would make best use of it to his advantage not bothering whether the action done by him was right or wrong. The men living in the detachments were away from their families so longed for leave to go home. Although all attempts were made as per the policy guidelines in vogue to send every person on leave on regular basis after every 3 to 4 months to reduce their frustration but some of them still found it difficult to control their emotion at times. There was no other source of entertainment in the middle of the jungle except for playing carom and cards in the spare time for their recreation or to watch TV for a short period of time with the help of a truck battery. There were no dish TVs in 1995 in those days. The men therefore spent their time after the day’s work in such activities after taking a bath in the evening to finally end their day with a drink and dinner before going to sleep.
Ashok had a habit of watching the local ladies passing in front of our roadside detachment (det) and felt restless after starring at their naked body parts. He looked forward for the first opportunity to contact them. On noticing them approaching he would at once come out near the gate and start sweeping the area in front of it from where these girls passed in order to cover up his act utilising the opportunity to watch them more closely. The girls would simply laugh at him and run away in shyness.
One day when the det Incharge was away for some work, Ashok happened to be alone with some two old personnel in the det. When the girls passed carrying water on their backs Ashok made some remark and beckoned one of them to come near him. Noticing this the girls also responded with a smile and one of them beckoned him in reciprocation just for the sake of fun. Seeing her response he went near her and could not resist himself embracing her due to the momentarily created emotional outburst, the action in which he also fondled with her breasts. As a result of this sudden unexpected move she got annoyed and shouted. All her mates who were accompanying her jointly pushed and hit him hard with whatever they had in their hands supplemented with kicks and blows all over his body. Later they all ran away from there throwing away their stuff. Ashok quietly came back, had a drink and lied down to sleep.
After about half an hour there was village crowd which quietly besieged the det from all the sides. Their head came to the gate shouting for the det in charge. Since the in charge was not present at that time so the next old man went out to inquire about the matter and when he came to know the purpose for which the villagers had gathered there, he was shocked.
The villagers did not listen to him and threatened that they would take him instead if the right person is not handed over to them. So fearing this he called everyone out. As they saw skirmishes on Ashok’s head they asked him to confirm what it was caused due to and what had he done to their village girl. He instead of apologising himself blamed the girls for provoking his sentiments hitting him in a group. This was enough to convince and identify the culprit. So without saying a word further they tied him up with jute ropes and forcibly took him to their village to produce him in front of their Raja.
The old man who was officiating as the det in charge could do nothing but request them to pardon him but they did not pay any attention to his pleadings. Unfortunately the radio sets were also down and there was no labour available for carrying the Tom Tom phantom message even although one of the labourer was present but he refused to go fearing the Raja as it was now a matter of village prestige. The old man thus had no choice and started to walk down to cover a distance of 12 kms in order to get help from Tissa leaving just one other old man behind to look after the det.
He started off at night all alone by himself for Tissa with no weapon but just a lathi (a big stick) and a torch in his hand to deal with the wild animals. While he was on his way about 4 kms ahead from Nginu towards Tissa he met three labourers who were coming towards Nginu det itself not knowing about the incident. He immediately told two of them to return, take the written message and handover to the officer at Tissa. He explained the gravity of the situation to those runners by mentioning that the message is very urgent as someone is lying unconscious in the det needing immediate medical attention and police help. Hearing this both the runners immediately started back towards Tissa for handing over the message to me late in the night.
Meanwhile the old man returned to the det with the one remaining labourer. On the way when he narrated the actual incident to the labourer accompanying him but in turn he got petrified with fear as the local labourer further frightened him explaining that in such cases the Raja orders killing by Dahs (long blade) and if something is not done soon he may be killed by next evening as the time between verdict and execution is generally kept very less in such cases.
Someone knocked my door at about 11 pm in the night. I got up and after opening the door saw a Tom Tom runner with a message who narrated me what all was briefed to him by the det I/C and handed over the message slip to me. After going through it I understood the whole situation which was amply clear in it. I immediately went to my friend cum colleague Kashmir Singh, discussed the matter and we chalked out a plan. He gave me a radio set to keep in constant touch with him. We wanted to avoid taking help from the police and endeavouring that the matter be sorted out at our level itself for avoiding complications. It was no use advertising the issue as would bring bad name to the unit reflecting poor man management on our part also.
I took my essential stuff, called the driver and along with the Tom Tom labourer started off for Nginu in my vehicle. We reached there within an hour and inquired about the current situation. The Det Incharge was petrified with fear but became stable when he saw my presence with others. He was worried about Ashok and feared physical harm to him by the Raja. The situation was soon clarified as it was our man’s fault but the matter was to be dealt in such a way that we were able to extract Ashok out of their clutches in one single piece as otherwise the things would take a serious turn. The local labourer knew the way to Raja’s house which was about 4 kms from our det by foot as the vehicle could not be taken there being a hilly foot track. So I along with two labourers and one detachment Incharge started off in the middle of the night to Raja’s house.
We travelled through the forest in the dark. The cricket noise was at its full, jackals howling could be heard from a distance and whispering winds passing past the tree branches could be clearly heard. The patrol comprised of one labourer with his Dah leading in the front followed by me, the det incharge and the second labourer at the rear. The weather was cold so we were wearing our jackets while the labourers were in their loin cloth.
While on the way I kept discussing about the Raja’s habits and his likes and dislikes since it all depended on him to diffuse the situation. He was fond of rum I already knew so had carried three bottles in my bag which was with the person following me. I had also carried some cash which although was of no use as it did not carry any meaning for him because he was more interested in the stuff like liquor than anything else.
We reached at around 3 AM in the morning. The Raja was sleeping in his hut. On knocking the door by one of the labourer he replied loudly in his language to come in. As we all entered, he got up rubbing his eyes near his fireplace with two of his queens by his side who had covered themselves with the Yak skin using it as a blanket over a bamboo mat. He shook hands while sitting and asked us to sit in a corner where elevated wooden planks were laid to sit for the guests. I felt a bit awkward entering into his private room as the so called queens were fast asleep but that was the way of his life. He spoke in broken hindi welcoming us,
”Aoo Sahib baitho” (Come sir please sit down)
I started the topic,
“The det incharge told me that one of our men had misbehaved with some girl of your village after which your men had brought him here as a captive”.
“Yes Sir he is locked in the cellar where we keep our cattle fodder and his punishment will be decided tomorrow in the morning after those girls come and give their statements in front of everyone”, the Raja replied.
There were few more hours for outbreak of dawn and the place was stinking inside except for the fireplace where one could feel the smell of burning wood which subsided the filthy smell. The corner was cosy so I pulled a stool lying near the plank, placed it near the fire and sat down to warm my hands in the cold. He told me to relax on his yak skin bed which was spread on the floor like a carpet to which I also did not hesitate to stretch my legs after a long walk. I also tried to be homely so that he is also relaxed in order to reduce his annoyance further as the ball was in his court.
It was about 4 AM in the morning, the fire was burning both outside and inside me as I feared any stupid decision from his side would put me also in trouble if Ashok is harmed physically. While relaxing near him I casually asked him,
“What decision is expected in such cases if proved guilty?”
The Raja said,
“Had he been one of his own men it was death for sure”
“And if he is an outsider?”I asked
Then as the men decide which may also be death or amputation of some body parts like fingers, limbs, ears or nose etc” he replied.
“But are you sure he committed the act alleged on him?” I asked him again.
“That is the thing on which everything depends but we believe the words of our girls as gospel truth” Raja continued.
“What if they tell lies and thus result into punishment to an innocent?” I tried to probe further.
“No we do not go by that, their statement is considered to be final as there were three girls along with the girl affected” The Raja clarified.
“Will you have a drink at this time ?” I asked him to divert from the issue for the time being to bring him at ease poking on to his weakness.
Smilingly he replied,
“I don’t mind as your Rum is very tasty as usual”
I asked one of the helper along with me to take out the bottle and pour two large neat pegs without water for the Raja as they did not use water with the drink. Soon he had two pegs in his bamboo glass and sipped it cheerfully.
“What about you ?” he asked me
“As you know I don’t like this so I have my own drink with lemon” I said.
My helper was already ready with the lemon drink by then which he handed over to me from my back side.
“Can something be done for the alleged culprit to free him after giving a minor punishment for the sake of our friendship of two years here?” I asked the Raja with a hope.
“Minor?” he said loudly.
“Ok major but I have a request.” I said emphatically.
“What?” He asked with a deadpan face.
“I’ll punish him if you permit in front of all of you but you should not do any physical harm to him as in turn I will be punished from the authorities for not reporting the matter to the police or the army and you know the procedures there are very lengthy which would in fact be more of harassment to me rather than the culprit himself” I tried to convince the Raja with my restraints.
“Sahib itna fikar mat karo usko punishment lene do usne galat kaam kiya hai”(Sir do not worry so much let him be punished as he has done a wrong act) said the Raja in half drunk state and sipping the remaining rum from the glass.
“There would be a problem for you also along with your men” I said to the Raja to bring him slightly on to the defensive.
“What?To me! How ?” Asked the Raja curiously.
“Yes, if the matter of physical assault reaches the higher authorities there would be investigations in which you all will be called at the office to give your statements and that will not be a day’s job, it may take more time and you will have to come forcibly because it will be done by the Defence authorities. Moreover Assam Rifles will be called in case your men offer any resistance” I explained it to him to put in the fear of Assam Rifles from which they usually feared the most.
“So I was thinking why not to clear the case at our level itself since it is between you and me only at present,” I added.
Raja was lost in thoughts for some time as was mum for few moments.
“Ek aur peg daliye“(Pour in one more peg please), he said
And two pegs were immediately poured out of the Old Monk bottle into his bamboo mug.
He was four high now with his eyes slightly turning red into a joyful mood but slightly worried this time.
I could soon hear birds chirping due to outbreak of dawn.
He called for his men to gather along with those girls and within half an hour the village elders started appearing near his hut.
I asked him to take me to the place where Ashok was kept as a captive as he had refused me to show him during the night on my arrival since it was slightly far away and the route was slushy. I went with him to the hut located about half a km away from the main hut where 3 of his guards with Dah were standing outside to prevent him from escaping.
As we entered the hut I saw Ashok lying on the thatch without his shirt with his face and body swollen at places due to mosquito bites and was shivering with cold. His eyes reflected the fear clearly. As he saw me he came running to me and started to cry like a child holding my leg pleading himself partially guilty. I felt pity on him but did not express my sympathies to him as would have infuriated the Raja further. I rather scolded him and said after kicking him on his backside with my right toe,
“Tere ko aisa kaam karte huay sharam nahin aaii ab maro yahaan par”(Didn’t you feel ashamed while doing such an act? Now you die here only)
“Nahin sahib main to uske hansne aur bulanay par hi uskay paas gaya tha” (No sir I went to her only after she reciprocated with a smile and beckoned me) he said honestly trying to convince me of the true fact.
As we came out I could make out from the expression on the Raja’s face that he was satisfied more than I expected with such an act of mine which further clarified my mind on how to proceed ahead for tackling the situation increasing a bit of self confidence in me.
I asked Raja to start the process and finish off with his decision soon so that we can go back to our place for the work. He ordered some of his stooges to gather the old men and those girls quickly into his hut. As we reached back to his hut they all had already reached there and the girls were waiting outside chatting with each other. The Raja meanwhile told other men to bring Ashok also after giving him his clothes. I went and asked those girls,
“Kiske saath woh cherchar kiya tha?” (With which one of you did he misbehave?)
They just laughed and ran away inside the hut. Seeing me the Raja also laughed and said smilingly,
“Woh aapko dekhkar sharma gayee hai”(She is feeling shy after seeing you) They were shy because they saw a stranger in me seeing a turban on my head as they had never seen a sikh person like me and not because they were half nude.
Anyway everyone was seated around the big bonfire in the middle of the room. The Raja with one of his head queen adjacent to him, some old men of the jury, other queens, me diametrically opposite facing the Raja in the circular row and some other people as mere spectators.
The girls were first called in and were asked to narrate what happened. They all said what they saw but in their language of which I could not make a head or tail of it except for the fact that they were not serious enough as if it was some game going on which I could not digest. I asked the labourer sitting next to me to translate it to me what she said. I came to know that that one of the friend’s of the affected girl had stated that she liked Ashok’s action so she beckoned him just for fun in response. This was indeed the point to be noted and I noted it properly in my mind to blurt it out at the right opportunity.
After the girls gave their statements they went out and the Raja discussed the matter seriously with his old men. Later Ashok was called who had already reached the hut and was waiting outside to be called in.
As he entered he was made to stand in the centre of the circle near the fire. I missed no time in getting up and again slapping him on his face to gain public sympathy for him and reduce their anger on him. I was respectfully taken back to my seat as expected by some elders to calm me down.
Ashok was down with shame as a scene had been created by me with an intent to soften the judges to some extent. He was then asked to narrate the incidence which he truthfully narrated word by word which was corroborated with the evidence of the girls and the matter was very unambiguous.
It came out after discussion that the girls were at fault of beckoning him who never expected that he would catch hold of them but Ashok was more at fault as he had lost control over his mind and could not resist temptation so deserved a punishment.
Now the million dollar question was,
What quantum of punishment?
The jury again got engaged into a discussion in their language so I asked the same labourer as what were they upto now and was shocked to hear from him when he replied,
“They are discussing about the number of his fingers to be chopped off with which he had touched her body.”
I was losing my patience now as such a thing would take a very serious turn later on. So I interrupted in between and told them if such a punishment can be avoided by them because the girl was equally at fault as she provoked him with her smile. Had she been really serious she would have got angry or might have abused him in return instead of smiling back at him but she never exhibited any such act. I also emphasised that if in lieu I can punish him. I also lured them that I would give them whatever is within my means for the development of their village which will benefit everyone of them.
They were lost into thoughts once again and this appeared to be diverting them from their plans of punishment. They again went into a discussion. Meanwhile I got a message on my radio set from my friend Kashmir Singh at Tissa in Punjabi,
“Oh sort out ho gaya ki pheja ik platoon. Assam rifle da company commander mere naal hi baitha cha pi riha hai” (Has the matter been sorted out or should I send about 40 men as I am sitting and having a cup of tea with the Company Commander from Assam Rifles? )
I replied,
“I will tell you after about 15 minutes” and closed the radio set. This gave me some moral strength as I was feeling very lonely till now. I told the Raja,
“Kya socha hai tumne. Woh log isko dhoond rahey hai aur agar sham tak yeh nahin mila to Assam rife wale idhar aa jayaengay” (They are searching for him and if he does not return by dusk then Assam Rifle men will come here)
This had some effect on the Raja and he conveyed the same to the jury of old men sitting there. I could make out that their thoughts were softening on the issue as they also did not wanted to raise the issue and invite unnecessary trouble for themselves as the girls were also at fault. Moreover they were offered an opportunity to get their village benefitted which they did not wanted to lose. I told them to hurry up in their decision.
After some time the Raja went out of the hut and called me to discuss the matter alone. I also went out and the Raja clarified the latest situation and informed me that they are planning to give lighter punishment in which his five finger nails will be removed instead of chopping his fingers as a special case for finishing the matter.
I was still shocked as there was no treatment which could be given to him in the state of bleeding fingers and moreover that involved violent pain which would be difficult to bear. I at once denied in anger and said that I will protest to the jury and tell them in clear terms that he should be handed over to us otherwise I will call the security through my radio set. The Raja at once replied not to adopt this way as it will lead to fight since the honour of the village was concerned. They were all really very serious so I also cooled down. The Raja tried to convince me that such an act cannot be even thought of by him but Ashok had done it so he deserves to be given adequate punishment commensurate to his act. Now I clarified to him in clear terms without any hesitation and said,
“You have never lived without your queens even for a single day as are always with 18 of them together each day and each night and if you are told to live without any of your queens for 5 months at a stretch, at a place like our det will you be able to live without any such thought as Ashok had in his mind and that also after being provoked by a half nude girl the culture to which we are not accustomed to ?”
The Raja was speech less.
I carried on further, ”If then such a girl passes in front of your house, beckons and smiles at you what would you do? Ashok had been living away from his family for the past 18 weeks without his wife can you now think of his state he would be in when he took that action on provoking. I agree he has committed a mistake but is this severe punishment commensurate to his act considering his state of mind at that time ?”
“Sahib aap to dimaag ko ghuma rahey ho? “(Sir you are boggling my head) he said to me.
“Nahin main tumko bata rahan hoon jo baat theek hain.”(No I am telling you what is right).
Watching him go into thoughts I also gave him assurance that I will get some of their village work done in the bargain with my available resources if his men cooperate in this. I thus motivated him to advice them accordingly. I also told him that I had come with a hope to sort out the matter having faith in him and thereafter had planned to celebrate with these two bottles of Rum and barbeque as a token of our friendship to make him emotional. I expressed my annoyance for not paying any heed to my advice.
Hearing this he caught hold of my hand, lowered his head, smiled and pulled me towards the hut to enter in. We both entered the hut and he got into detailed discussion with his old men. After some time he came to me and again asked me to come out.
We both came out and he said that they have agreed to the following conditions;
1 Ashok will be thrashed by the girls in open in front of everyone for half an hour.
2 You will have to give Bulldozer for a day for making a route to our village from the main road.
3 Ashok will no longer be seen in this area thereafter or else will be killed without informing anyone by our men.
“I cannot do anything more than this as otherwise I would lose the credibility of being their Raja” said the Raja raising both his hands up. I, seeing the situation agreed but told him that the girls will not use any object to hit him which may cause injury and secondly I will myself hit him first and if the girls still feel they can join hands with me to which he agreed.
We both entered the hut for the last time for the day and after discussion the jury told the Raja to announce the punishment. The Raja said in clear words which everyone understood and clapped giving a loud applause of which I understood nothing. I only assumed that he must have said what he had discussed with me outside as the language was mandarin for me. But the labourer who was sitting next to me smiled at me and raised his hand towards me in happiness conveying that the matter has ended at last which was reasonably acceptable.
Now it was the time to execute the punishment.
Ashok was nearly half dead by now but had yet to undergo about one more hour of torture and humiliation for him to come out of the rut in which he had got himself entangled. He was taken out in an open ground and asked to stand. I had to take the initiative of punishing him such that the punishment should look like a punishment and also to take care that no severe injury is caused to him. I asked him to start rolling on the ground first so that his state becomes more pitiable. He was hardly able to walk as was having sleepy eyes, swollen face and totally demoralised.
He started to roll, then side rolled, then came to a rooster position which he could hardly do and fell no of times resulting into entertainment of the villagers. I went and kicked, slapped, punched, pushed and threw him onto the ground number of times to pass time so that he is away from their punishment for that much of duration.
While I was doing this the girls came forward and they took on. They hit him with their bare hands on his stomach, chest, face as a result he bowed down and finally fell flat on the ground. It was then a bashing by them with their heels on to his stomach which he even got two near his groins and then turned over with his back facing the sky. The process continued for good about half an hour and soon everyone was tired of bashing. One of the girl fetched a long bamboo seeing which I indicated to Raja not to allow this and he stopped that girl. After that I could see sense of relief in everyone’s eyes and they were satisfied.
The men appeared to be furious still so I went again and slapped Ashok and made him fall down for the last time and kicked with my toes. The anguish reduced and I could now see all eyes satisfied and that was the end of his punishment.
I asked the Raja to let us carry Ashok now so that he is given some water lest he may fell unconscious again to which he agreed. He was thus carried by two men as he walked with them in limping position with his arms on to their shoulders for the support. They took him towards the stream flowing nearby. The crowd dispersed and everyone went for their work. I quietly asked Ashok
“Are you ok”?
He nodded in affirmative with his head hanging down.
He washed his face and lied down there in pain.
I allowed him to rest for 15 minutes undisturbed to allow him to be out of shock and asked the labourers accompanying me to help him out with a soft massage on his chest. I meanwhile went to the Raja and thanked him handing the remaining two bottles of rum so that he does not come back to his senses for the next 24 hours and remains in the jovial mood. I also told him not to worry about the village road and we will provide all the necessary help. I waved my hand to those girls who were watching me which they reciprocated with a smile giving me an impression that were satisfied with the punishment and had nothing against him.
I then took Ashok and asked him to move immediately from there and we were on our way back. With great difficulty we could bring him dragging all those four kms till our det where our vehicle was standing. On the way we had to literally lift him at times when he gave up walking as I did not allow them to stop or take rest. Immediately on reaching the det I put him in the vehicle, took his essential items and started from there to Tissa and by lunch time I was back. He was immediately given dressings on his invisible swelling wounds, asked to take bath and to doze off without speaking a word to anyone if he does not want to get into further trouble. He did exactly what was told.
I narrated the whole story to Kashmir Singh and he listened to as a child listens a demon tale. Soon everything was normal and the next day Ashok started showing signs of improvement and within next three days he was in a presentable shape.
I asked him then,
“What if that female asked you to marry her and you had no way out what would have you done”
He replied,
“Sahib ab bus bhi karo mujhe woh din yaad mat dilao aur yahaan se dusri det me bhej do” (Sir I have had enough please do not make me remember those days and have me shifted to some other det)
The labourer who was listening to this said,
“Woh aise nahin kehti” (She would not have said like that)
“Why?”, I asked him curiously
He clarified that because she did not get pregnant and only a pregnant girl can ask for marriage as per their rules.
“Oh ! I see so he had to stay there for making her pregnant to get married” I said to him to which he nodded and said,
“Yes sir”
Strange traditions indeed.
I wondered if such a punishment formed a part of our Indian Penal Code, the crime rate of the nation would not take more than two days to show a drastic improvement.
An effective punishment indeed.
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