Newspapers had it in bold & Capitals, on the front page. On the TV, it was being shown with the caption "Biggest breaking news".
People were talking about her. She had grabbed the attention of the entire nation, an overnight sensation.
Her city, her neighborhood, her family, folks; everybody was recalling the connection with her. "She used to go to this school and was a rank-holder throughout her academics" - some forty plus gentleman of her colony, told the press guys.
"I always used to give her example to my daughters. She was almost flawless. A bright student, a champion in debates, sports, good looking who was a helping hand to her mother in need" as quoted by her relative. People were praising her, her home was full of crowd, so many flowers, garlands.This is what is she wanted. All her life. Someday, she'll make her name counted. She had a dream that some day people would look at her parents and say "They're HER parents", an iconic moment for any parent in the world. All this was happening. She must be happy, must be thanking Gods, must be proud. But she wasn't there for all this. She's unreachable, completely disconnected to check the news, to respond to the phone calls or even to hug her parents.
What was wrong with her. Where is she? Why is she hiding?
Of course she was aspiring to be an IAS, and those who knew her, had hardly any doubt of her cracking through the tests and interviews. She was unbeatable!
But destiny is cruel. It writes its script in its own weird ways. Perhaps it finds pleasure in it. And it had chosen the weirdest script for the lead of this story - the unbeatable lady.
It was like just another day in her life, getting up early, morning study with cup of tea made by her doting mom. She got ready, took her bag, bike keys, said bye to her parents. Very usual.. Mom came out of kitchen to say bye while passing the tea to her dad, and dad waved at her taking his eyes off newspaper. She was their lifeline, and so were they, for her. Only unusual thing was, none of them knew it'll the last goodbye!
And since then, unusual things started happening. Her bike's tire got flat. She had to take a taxi. She had left on time but she couldn't reach her class. In fact, she never did, ever since that day. But time doesn't stop. Never. For anybody. And so did it. Morning to evening, she used to be back by 6 PM, unless she had to go elsewhere, but she used to call mom & update that she'll be late. By 6.30, a little worried mom dialed her number "number is currently unreachable" was the answer. Clock was ticking. By now, mom & dad were trying all possible numbers, friends, family, classmates, teachers... but nobody knew where she is. A search became mandatory. Some local uncles & bhaiyas offered help checking in nearby areas for any clue. Last option, a police complaint. A very big thing in a normal middle class family. But parents had no options.
Mom had already wished 'n' number of mannats for her. Dad was trying to keep calm but heartbeats don't lie. Lot many people had gathered at her place. Asking her parents to stay strong while doubting their own words. It was around 3 AM that dad's phone rang. OMG, it was her name on display. But the timing was a mismatch. He picked up the call as soon as he could. "Hello", said a male voice! No... No... God can't be this cruel. She is alright. She is... Uttered a Dad's heart in silence. Mom was reading his expressions. "We've found her near the city border, but I'm sorry.... She's dead". What? No, he must have heard it wrong. Must have. "What did you say..." This sentence wasn't this fluent when he said this. A repetition of the old statement, from the other end. Yes, she was no more. Dad didn't have the courage to share it with mom. But a mother's heart sensed it. Amid flood if tears in their eyes, they took the car out to move towards the destination informed by the caller. Her cousin volunteered to drive as Dad was found ineligible to, by the family. Few other relatives joined in them riding their own vehicles. It took 2-3 hours to reach to the place.
First rays of morning had broken, and what they could see with the sunrise was, the dead body of their lives, covered in some sheet. She was murdered, brutally, her face was hardly recognizable. The sheet was to cover her femininity. So, was she? Mom couldn't hold further, neither could dad. The soft spoken, polite people screamed at loudest of their voice. Perhaps they wanted the Gods to hear it.
She was, oops... Her body was sent for post-mortem. Mom, dad, cousins, family why are you not saying bye? All they were doing was, crying and trying to console each other.
The autopsy reports said, brutally raped and death followed by 'inhuman acts of cruelty'. It was later reported that the Doctor quoted it as one of the most complicated cases of cruelty.
What? But why? It started on a happy note, right? The limelight, the gatherings, the 'talk of the town' dream vs 'talk of the nation' reality. The only difference was, she was not there to witness all these. The TV, the newspaper, the public, the garlands; everything was for her. But she was not there. Didn't I tell you she was unreachable? Yes, forever unreachable.
She made it to the headlines, but her family wasn't happy. Crowd had covered her place but her folks were unable to welcome them. The garlands were not for her, but for her body. Yes, she had become just a body, who used to be full of life. Parents didn't have happy tears in their eyes while calling her name every now & then. All that could be done now, was performing her last rites, and doing a backtrack to know how, when and who?
She remained in news for 10-20 days. However, moving from main news to some news and from front page to inside pages. The police could track the culprits. It wasn't the taxi guy. The taxi was hijacked by 4 guys in the middle of the day near some famous place of this metro city. This is all the taxi driver could say. He had also had his share of pain. A broken hand & deep wound on head. He went unconscious is what he remembered last. He was found unconscious on some footpath, miles away from her body. Even her clothes were quite a good kilometers away from where they belonged to.
So why did those 4 guys do this to these 2 people? Taxi driver is still clueless. She knew it perhaps, just before her death. She had seen one face, she could have identified. And that's why she's dead now. Otherwise, they were well prepared, with covered faces and proper planning. The only change was, hijacking a taxi rather than bike.
After some days of questioning, trials, tortures... The truth came out. She had rejected his proposal. How dare she? He was a handsome guy, rich and well built. All this was backed with father's status as well. How could she reject such a proposal. She must be punished. And justice was done. She was punished. In the worst possible way. Not only her, but her family, friends, society... All of them were punished. Why didn't they teach her not to say no? She was a girl after all. A middle class girl. She had no rights to say no. It was her fortune that the rich fellow's eyes caught her. It was a blessing that among millions of girls, she grabbed his attention. Yes, she deserved the punishment. And that's why he punished her, with the help of some other 'judges' who found her guilty. Her body belonged to him, so he raped her. And as a token of friendship to his 'best friends', he shared with them too. Her life was less important compared to his, and his dad's reputation. So, she was killed, and even the death was celebrated with friends by torturing her in all inhumanly possible ways.
And those who were culprits by law, are undergoing trials. From one hearing to another, from one court to other. Years changed, Lawyers changed, judges changed; but the fight is still on. Her parents are fool to waste money and effort running from courtrooms to police stations to press to every possible hope. Don't they know they'll end up losing whatever they've? Their hard earned money. The other party is stronger. For them, this is not even the pocket money they get. They've money, they've reach, they've connections. They know that the candle march, the protest, the headlines, the media coverage all of them will be erased from people's mind as soon as there's another "hot" story in the market. May it be a 500 crore plus movie or some politician's pet lost, or some sporting achievement. Anything... Just anything. And that will be the time, they'll break free and emerge as victorious with some give & take policy. After all, when was the last time justice was served on time, in this country. Forget the time, let alone be justice. When?
Her parents are so adamant. Not ready to settle it out of court which was offered by the other party. Big fools. They don't understand that even if she had become IAS, they had to pay huge sum to get her married. A girl's parents. Their life revolves around adding and saving funds to find a suitable match for their 'sin'. By the way, there's no spelling mistake. A son is a son and a daughter is a 'sin' in middle class families. So, here her parents are being offered to be paid quoted amount but they're refusing the offer. They say they've hope and faith in God.
I don't know the ending but I'm just speechless and numb. But that's a phase, because I'm a part of the public that did the protest, the march, the angry slogans. Soon enough, I won't have time to even check the news as I don't do micro reading of newspapers. TV channels have already forgotten the story. Everybody will. After all who was she? Just another sin?
People were talking about her. She had grabbed the attention of the entire nation, an overnight sensation.
Her city, her neighborhood, her family, folks; everybody was recalling the connection with her. "She used to go to this school and was a rank-holder throughout her academics" - some forty plus gentleman of her colony, told the press guys.
"I always used to give her example to my daughters. She was almost flawless. A bright student, a champion in debates, sports, good looking who was a helping hand to her mother in need" as quoted by her relative. People were praising her, her home was full of crowd, so many flowers, garlands.This is what is she wanted. All her life. Someday, she'll make her name counted. She had a dream that some day people would look at her parents and say "They're HER parents", an iconic moment for any parent in the world. All this was happening. She must be happy, must be thanking Gods, must be proud. But she wasn't there for all this. She's unreachable, completely disconnected to check the news, to respond to the phone calls or even to hug her parents.
What was wrong with her. Where is she? Why is she hiding?
Of course she was aspiring to be an IAS, and those who knew her, had hardly any doubt of her cracking through the tests and interviews. She was unbeatable!
But destiny is cruel. It writes its script in its own weird ways. Perhaps it finds pleasure in it. And it had chosen the weirdest script for the lead of this story - the unbeatable lady.
It was like just another day in her life, getting up early, morning study with cup of tea made by her doting mom. She got ready, took her bag, bike keys, said bye to her parents. Very usual.. Mom came out of kitchen to say bye while passing the tea to her dad, and dad waved at her taking his eyes off newspaper. She was their lifeline, and so were they, for her. Only unusual thing was, none of them knew it'll the last goodbye!
And since then, unusual things started happening. Her bike's tire got flat. She had to take a taxi. She had left on time but she couldn't reach her class. In fact, she never did, ever since that day. But time doesn't stop. Never. For anybody. And so did it. Morning to evening, she used to be back by 6 PM, unless she had to go elsewhere, but she used to call mom & update that she'll be late. By 6.30, a little worried mom dialed her number "number is currently unreachable" was the answer. Clock was ticking. By now, mom & dad were trying all possible numbers, friends, family, classmates, teachers... but nobody knew where she is. A search became mandatory. Some local uncles & bhaiyas offered help checking in nearby areas for any clue. Last option, a police complaint. A very big thing in a normal middle class family. But parents had no options.
Mom had already wished 'n' number of mannats for her. Dad was trying to keep calm but heartbeats don't lie. Lot many people had gathered at her place. Asking her parents to stay strong while doubting their own words. It was around 3 AM that dad's phone rang. OMG, it was her name on display. But the timing was a mismatch. He picked up the call as soon as he could. "Hello", said a male voice! No... No... God can't be this cruel. She is alright. She is... Uttered a Dad's heart in silence. Mom was reading his expressions. "We've found her near the city border, but I'm sorry.... She's dead". What? No, he must have heard it wrong. Must have. "What did you say..." This sentence wasn't this fluent when he said this. A repetition of the old statement, from the other end. Yes, she was no more. Dad didn't have the courage to share it with mom. But a mother's heart sensed it. Amid flood if tears in their eyes, they took the car out to move towards the destination informed by the caller. Her cousin volunteered to drive as Dad was found ineligible to, by the family. Few other relatives joined in them riding their own vehicles. It took 2-3 hours to reach to the place.
First rays of morning had broken, and what they could see with the sunrise was, the dead body of their lives, covered in some sheet. She was murdered, brutally, her face was hardly recognizable. The sheet was to cover her femininity. So, was she? Mom couldn't hold further, neither could dad. The soft spoken, polite people screamed at loudest of their voice. Perhaps they wanted the Gods to hear it.
She was, oops... Her body was sent for post-mortem. Mom, dad, cousins, family why are you not saying bye? All they were doing was, crying and trying to console each other.
The autopsy reports said, brutally raped and death followed by 'inhuman acts of cruelty'. It was later reported that the Doctor quoted it as one of the most complicated cases of cruelty.
What? But why? It started on a happy note, right? The limelight, the gatherings, the 'talk of the town' dream vs 'talk of the nation' reality. The only difference was, she was not there to witness all these. The TV, the newspaper, the public, the garlands; everything was for her. But she was not there. Didn't I tell you she was unreachable? Yes, forever unreachable.
She made it to the headlines, but her family wasn't happy. Crowd had covered her place but her folks were unable to welcome them. The garlands were not for her, but for her body. Yes, she had become just a body, who used to be full of life. Parents didn't have happy tears in their eyes while calling her name every now & then. All that could be done now, was performing her last rites, and doing a backtrack to know how, when and who?
She remained in news for 10-20 days. However, moving from main news to some news and from front page to inside pages. The police could track the culprits. It wasn't the taxi guy. The taxi was hijacked by 4 guys in the middle of the day near some famous place of this metro city. This is all the taxi driver could say. He had also had his share of pain. A broken hand & deep wound on head. He went unconscious is what he remembered last. He was found unconscious on some footpath, miles away from her body. Even her clothes were quite a good kilometers away from where they belonged to.
So why did those 4 guys do this to these 2 people? Taxi driver is still clueless. She knew it perhaps, just before her death. She had seen one face, she could have identified. And that's why she's dead now. Otherwise, they were well prepared, with covered faces and proper planning. The only change was, hijacking a taxi rather than bike.
After some days of questioning, trials, tortures... The truth came out. She had rejected his proposal. How dare she? He was a handsome guy, rich and well built. All this was backed with father's status as well. How could she reject such a proposal. She must be punished. And justice was done. She was punished. In the worst possible way. Not only her, but her family, friends, society... All of them were punished. Why didn't they teach her not to say no? She was a girl after all. A middle class girl. She had no rights to say no. It was her fortune that the rich fellow's eyes caught her. It was a blessing that among millions of girls, she grabbed his attention. Yes, she deserved the punishment. And that's why he punished her, with the help of some other 'judges' who found her guilty. Her body belonged to him, so he raped her. And as a token of friendship to his 'best friends', he shared with them too. Her life was less important compared to his, and his dad's reputation. So, she was killed, and even the death was celebrated with friends by torturing her in all inhumanly possible ways.
And those who were culprits by law, are undergoing trials. From one hearing to another, from one court to other. Years changed, Lawyers changed, judges changed; but the fight is still on. Her parents are fool to waste money and effort running from courtrooms to police stations to press to every possible hope. Don't they know they'll end up losing whatever they've? Their hard earned money. The other party is stronger. For them, this is not even the pocket money they get. They've money, they've reach, they've connections. They know that the candle march, the protest, the headlines, the media coverage all of them will be erased from people's mind as soon as there's another "hot" story in the market. May it be a 500 crore plus movie or some politician's pet lost, or some sporting achievement. Anything... Just anything. And that will be the time, they'll break free and emerge as victorious with some give & take policy. After all, when was the last time justice was served on time, in this country. Forget the time, let alone be justice. When?
Her parents are so adamant. Not ready to settle it out of court which was offered by the other party. Big fools. They don't understand that even if she had become IAS, they had to pay huge sum to get her married. A girl's parents. Their life revolves around adding and saving funds to find a suitable match for their 'sin'. By the way, there's no spelling mistake. A son is a son and a daughter is a 'sin' in middle class families. So, here her parents are being offered to be paid quoted amount but they're refusing the offer. They say they've hope and faith in God.
I don't know the ending but I'm just speechless and numb. But that's a phase, because I'm a part of the public that did the protest, the march, the angry slogans. Soon enough, I won't have time to even check the news as I don't do micro reading of newspapers. TV channels have already forgotten the story. Everybody will. After all who was she? Just another sin?
Too Good Rakhi!!! Well Said!!
ReplyDeletei dnt knw wats wrng wid dese guys yaar..whenever i hear dese types of news,i feel so insecure to go out in taxi or any other place alone.. y r v nt safe.. jst bcoz v r "gals"..
ReplyDeleteRakhi, u r too good..wat a solid nd powerful way to raise voice.
looking forward for more aspiring articles..
Thanks a lot dear :)
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