3 years have passed on since that night ,still its memory haunts him. That nightmare had changed his life overnight- from a simple family man to a lonely crusader against all odds. He fought for justice continuously. But all his emotions and colours of his life have been draining through the tears he has been shedding everyday .Today on the verge of winning the battle against the injustice, he felt numb. He may have won the battle but the war is lost.
“Get some rest now Tarun, the verdict of the case will be annonced tomorrow in court. And believe me the culprits will get severe punishment.” Advocate Santanu Dutta assured him. But Tarun couldn’t feel joy of winning -for his loss was and still is not compensable .What did he sin to receive such a curse in his life,he still couldn’t understand.
Mr. Dutta noticed his expressionless face and said sympathetically,” You look tired. Don’t worry Tarun .For the crime they committed they will be punished. I know I can’t bring back your family, but this is the only thing I can do.” Tarun answered with a wry smile,” You did your best, and I am so grateful to you for it. I believe now my wife’s and my son’s souls will find solace. But what is lost is lost. I cannot rewrite my destiny.” His voice choked with emotions and eyes became moist.
Mr. Dutta couldn’t reply. He felt the grief and pain that Tarun had been bearing for three years and will bear for the rest of his life too. Mr.Dutta’s only satisfaction is that he managed to bring justice to Tarun by winning this case. The conversation with Tarun ended shortly.
Tarun gave Mr. Dutta a traditional ‘namaste’ and left. His pale face, dry uncombed hair signals of his miserable aimless life. A man without a family is like a tree without leaves or flowers.
Mr. Santanu Dutta ,a reknowned criminal lawyer of the high court came in touch with Tarun’s case with help of Bijay Kumar, a High Court clark. Tarun’s son Bittu was a friend of Bijay’s son. In that relation the two families knew each other. When Bijay saw Tarun desperately and vainly trying to get justice, he decided to stand by him. Bijay introduced Tarun with Mr. Dutta and briefed him about Tarun’s case. It was very hard for Tarun to explain the incidents of that night. Sometimes his voiced choked with pain, his eyes became moist. So he paused for a while and started again. The tale of that cursed night saddened Mr. Dutta too…
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Tarun used to work in a jute mill in Chandannagar. He, his wife Sarmistha and son bittu used to live in a local colony near the railway station of Chandannagar. In this colony most of the residents are lower middle classes, most of them working as labours in jute mills. Tarun’s house was a one storeyed small one which his father had managed to build for him through years. Beside Tarun’s house a new housing complex project was going on-”SHANTINIKETAN”. And that was the source of troubles in his life. The promoter of that project, Dibyendu Samanta was a local political powerman and also ex-councillor of that locality. Dibyendu wanted to extend his project. But the problem was he didn’t have more lands for that. So he offered an amount of money to the residents of the colony whose house was located near “SHANTINIKETAN” to vacate their lands and sell it to him. Some were already bought into the offer. Tarun had the offer too. Dibyendu one day came to his house and told him ,”I want your plot. I will give you six lakh rupees and a flat in this complex when my project will be finished. Sell your house and plot to me and leave. Till getting the flat live in a rented house.” But Tarun refused,” No, I don’t want to sell my only property ,Dibyendu babu. This was my ancestral land where I spent my childhood. My parents had died in this house. All their memories were in this house. I can’t leave this house.” Dibyendu tried to persuade him by giving some more amount of money. But Tarun refused again and again. Dibyendu’s face hardened and he threatened Tarun before leaving,” Nobody says `no’ to me. One day or another you will be obliged to sell your fucking property to me. You will regret for refusing me, I promise you that. And I am a man of my word.”
The words of Dibyendu came repeatedly in Tarun’s mind since then. He got worried about his and his family’s future. Dibyendu Samanta had a turbulent history. Dibyendu himself was accused of many crimes- from political murders to abduction of local businessmen, but nothing was proved against him. And when he became councilor his power increased. He became rich while dwelling in construction business. Then leading to a political chaos in the party against him, he quitted. But his power wasn’t reduced. From police to MLA, municipality to lawyers everybody is under his powerful influence. Thinking all these Tarun was feeling a duality in his decision about the house. His wife, Sarmistha , tried to gave him courage,” Don’t worry. We will go to the police station to complain. They will protect us.” But her facial expressions were saying something else. She was scared..
Tarun went to the police station the next day, but they didn’t book his f.i.r. But from that day he was receiving more threats and harassments. Some local goons threatened him to kill his son and rape his wife. Tarun repeatedly asked for help from the police. But they turned into mute an deaf spectator as always. One day while returning from the mill, Tarun was beaten black and blue. Another day his house was ransacked, utensils and clothes thrown here and there. At last Tarun filed a case in the local court against Dibyendu Samanta and asked for police protection. The court ordered an enquiry of this case and arranged police protection. For some days all threat calls and disturbances stopped. But what Tarun couldn’t understand that there was a conspiracy weaving to strike him with the final blow. The silence was nothing but the hint of the storm coming.
It was the day before Holi. The police withdrew the protection for his family in that day as there was no disturbance for almost two months. Tarun was on the mill. His duty hours were about to finish. Around 7pm his mobile phone beeped. It was a message – you messed with wrong person, now see the result. Tarun panicked. He cried in fear and speeded in his cycle as fast as he can. When he was only two blocks away from his home he saw his house ablaze. He almost jumped of the cycle and ran towards his house. There was already a crowd in front of his house. Some of his neighbors were there. They said they couldn’t enter the house to pull his wife and son out. They were trying their best to extinguish the fire with buckets of water. But the fierce flames were beyond control. The screams of Tarun’s wife echoed in the whole neighborhood. Tarun lost his mind and was trying to enter the burning house through the flames. But he was stopped by the local people.
The fire brigade came and extinguished the fire. But it was too late. Two burnt dead bodies, one of a woman and one of a boy were found. Tarun couldn’t tolerate the scene of mutilated burnt dead bodies of his beloved wife and son. He fainted. The colours from his life were gone forever.
The cause of the fire was ignition due to gas leakage, the police report said. But Tarun didn’t believe that it was an accident. He blamed Dibyendu for conspiring and setting his house in fire.
But the weak are always stampeded under the shoes of the strong. So nobody did ear his complaint. Tarun went to police commissioner’s office, district magistrate’s office. He filed a case in the district court seeking re-investigation of the case. But all his effort was fruitless. Seeing no other way to get justice, he became frustrated. He couldn’t rebuild his burnt house again. Actually he didn’t want to live in that cursed house. He moved to Bijay’s neighborhood. Life seemed to him like hell.
After a year, with help of Bijay the case came to Mr. Dutta. Hearing his case, Mr.Dutta assured Tarun of getting him justice and promised that he will not charge Tarun a penny. So the case was reopened in the High Court. The case investigation was running at sloth’s pace. Clearly Dibyendu bribed the local police for slow investigation. But for Mr.Dutta’s influence, the local police was obliged to hand the case to C.I.D for re investigation. And this time Dibyendu couldn’t use his money or power to buy Mr. Dutta or any C.I.D officers into his side, though he tried hard. Then one day Tarun was attacked by a bunch of hooligans while returning to his residence from court. But the youngsters of the local club intervened, and this attempt of silencing Tarun was also failed…
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2 months ago the investigation ended and the C.I.D submitted their charge sheet report in the court. Dibyendu Samanta, two local police officers, some hooligans were arrested in this regard. They were charged for conspiracy, murder, intimidation and attempt to remove the proofs related to the case. Dibyendu and others appealed for bail, which was refused by the court. The court announced that it would announce its verdict on 15th March,2014- just a day before holi. It may be coincidence or it may be written in his destiny. The same day that snatched Tarun’s dearest ones from him, will offer him justice.His pain cannot be healed, but he will find solace in his life.
