The Outlaw - Part 2 A new Bond

Perumal had become the local hero in no time, and now, people had an option in front of them where they would get justice more quickly. The demarcation was obvious; it was between right and wrong. Even though the methods sought by Perumal were outside the law, he was trying to do the right thing, but in his way. In a short span itself, a lot of cases had been lodged against Perumal and his men for taking the law into their own hands, but it never materialized as nobody came forward as a witness in the court even though everything happened in the daylight.

Rana had tried his luck multiple times by offering money and whatnot to people for coming forward and testifying against Perumal, but all his attempts were in vain.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Rana knew he had to take another path to curb Perumal before it became too late. In an evening gathering at Rana’s house, he asked his advisors, “Does anyone of you have an idea to put an end to the reign of this Perumal? I am sure he is making all your lives difficult. He seems to run a parallel government. People have lost their fear of us and don’t even care to mind. If this is how things are going, he will soon become the uncrowned King Ragapatinam. Is that what all you guys want? Did we all work hard and build a well-oiled machinery like this for that?”

At the gathering, the Director General of Police (DGP) was also present. He spoke, “Sir, for the people, it is a very easy choice in front of them between right and wrong. What if we make it difficult for them to choose? What if the choice becomes between Right and Right? Then who will they choose?”

Intrigued by the proposition, Rana asked the DGP to explain his idea further. The DGP explained his plan, “Sir, let us bring in an honest and straightforward police officer as the city police commissioner. That officer will be working for the people. In the meantime, we will give him a target to curb the activities of Perumal as it is taking the law in hand. During this time, we will shut down our illegal activities so that the officer does not turn against us. Once he finishes off Perumal, we will post him to some other place and set things in place as earlier.”

Rana responded to the idea, “The idea seems to be very good, but we need a person who will not get enamored by the tales of Perumal and support him. A fanboy police officer is the last thing we want at this moment. We should create a situation where these people face off against each other and do not have a choice but to take either one’s life. That is the only way to put an end to Perumal. There is no point in locking him up in jail. He will come back much stronger, and we have seen that in the past, an encounter is what we need here.”

Agreed, DGP responded. I have an officer in mind currently; he is under a punishment posting. He is a straightforward police officer but has less patience and is quick to act. This trait will be very useful to us.

Rana laughed at the description of the officer and said It seems we have the right man for the job. It seems amusing just to think of the situation when two impatient people are going to clash with each other. It will surely be interesting to watch as a spectator from the gallery.

Rana asked the DGP what was the name of this officer. The DGP responded that he is one of the youngest and most dynamic IPS officers we have in the force; his name is Shourya.

Okay, then set the things in motion. I want Shourya to take charge immediately as the city police commissioner. We will make sure he gets the full support from the government; we will give him a free hand with no restrictions till Perumal’s file is closed. Once he takes charge, the first thing he should see should be the list of cases charged against Perumal and his men but did not stand well in the court of law. From day 1, we should make sure he hates Perumal and considers him as the enemy of the law.

DGP responded, “Sure, sir. Will get the things done as you suggested.”

Rana smiled wholeheartedly after a long time and said Perumal was way too righteous a man to take the life of an honest cop. So, he will have to die for sure, no other option.

The game was rigged to attain the results wanted by the orchestrators. The players did not even know they were playing a game of death that would only end with one man in the coffin.

Shourya and his wife Pratibha moved to Ragapatinam. Shourya was taking his time to understand the landscape of the city. Who are the big players in the town, what do they do, and to whom are they connected? Meanwhile, Pratibha was busy setting up the house and exploring the neighborhood.

Pratibha had gone to visit a temple, and on the way, she stopped to purchase some flowers for offering to the deity. The flower shop was run by some reformed goons; even though they had been reformed, their attitude had not changed. She asked for some jasmine flowers, and the shopkeeper told her Rs 200/- and packed some flowers and gave them to her. Hearing the exorbitant price, Pratibha was shocked and asked the shopkeeper, How can you sell the flowers at a high cost like this, I can understand you want to make a profit, but you should not be looting people.

Agitated by the serious accusations the shopkeeper snatched the flower from Pratibha’s hand and replied I know your type. You guys dress up like big shots but are simply lookers who do not want to spend money but just want to make passing comments. I do not want to sell my flowers to you even if you pay me Rs 500/- now get the hell away from my shop, It is peak business hours and I do not want to waste my time with possers like you.

Feeling insulted, rage was pumping up in the nerves of Pratibha. She looked around. There were hefty build men around the shop. Without bothering too much, she served the shopkeeper with a tight slap on the face and flew from the scene before he could react. She caught her breath after running to the side of a tea shop little bit away from the flower shop. She was thinking if she should call her husband and tell him but then she will have to also tell him that she slapped a guy, which would not receive much appreciation from him as he was strictly against people taking the law into their own hands. In her mind, she was also thinking that if she had her elder brother by her side, he would have trashed this guy into a pulp by now. The thought of her deceased brother brought tears to her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a hand coming and falling on her head, followed by a question in a gentle and soft voice asking her, “What happened, kiddo? Why are you crying?”

Somehow, it felt like it was her own brother asking her what had happened and why she was crying. Pratibha was a not person who would open up to an unknown person, but somewhere she felt comfort and familiarity which she used to feel when she heard the voice of her long-lost brother.

Pratibha burst out explaining what had happened and asked, "Do not we have the freedom to say something is overpriced if we feel so? Are we not living in a democracy?"

The man kept patting her on the head with a slight smile to calm her down. Seeing how angry she was, he said, “Okay, take me to the flower shop. Let us have a chat with the owner.” Pratibha replied that the guy does not speak nicely, and it is simply going to be a waste of time if you are planning to talk some sense into him. The man smiled and replied I am known to talk sense to people who do not usually understand. Let us see, kiddo.

Pratibha replied, “As you wish, I gave you fair warning.” The man replied, “Yes, you did, dear. ”

Both reached the flower shop, and the man asked, Can you get me some jasmine flowers. Without looking at who was in front of him, the shopkeeper wrapped up the flower in a lotus leaf and handed it forward. While extending the flowers, he looked up and saw the woman who had slapped him. In anger, he cried filthy bitch you took a cheap shot at me and ran, how dare you come back here. Suddenly, he felt a hand falling on his collar, and in no time, he felt like he was flying. Before his mind could process what had happened, he had hit the ground. He shouted to his men, saying I want both chopped, he tried to get up, but he felt a leg smashing on his chest, it was like an angry elephant stomping on his chest.

His men, with knives and swords in hand, had surrounded Pratibha and the man. From the crowd, one person pointing his finger toward the man screamed. "It is Perumal." There was a chill silence in the air, the silence was broken by the sound of the thugs dropping their weapons. In no time, the shopkeeper understood he was on his own, and his men had left the scene in fear for their lives. One thing that everyone knew was Perumal was not a patient guy, very low on tolerance, and no one could predict what would be his next move.

The shopkeeper requested mercy, being afraid he would lose his life knowing how Perumal worked. Perumal looked at the shopkeeper and said It's not me to whom you should ask for forgiveness. You treated her with disrespect. If she forgives you, I am fine, or you will pay the price with your blood. A sudden shiver ran through the body of the shopkeeper. He requested mercy and forgiveness from Pratibha, asking for one chance to rectify his mistakes and promising he would be a reformed man.

Pratibha, after hearing the plea from the shopkeeper, said I am giving you one last chance. Be respectful to people and do not loot them; try to make an honest living. And next time, I will not save you from the wrath of my big brother.

Hearing the declaration of Pratibha, considering him as her big brother brought a pleasant, happy smile on the face of Perumal.

Pratibha took Perumal's hand in hers and said Now we go to our house, big brother. I will treat you to my famous coffee as you did a lot of work today. As they were entering the house, Perumal saw the board on the wall: “Shourya, IPS.” To his astonishment, Perumal asked You are Shourya’s wife. To which Pratibha replied sarcastically Sadly yes, and from today I am also your younger sister. No backing out now. To this reply, both laughed.

Pratibha made the coffee and was serving Perumal, She felt like God had given back her elder brother whom she had lost long ago. She felt like the family was complete now. While this thought was dancing in her mind, she heard the sound of her husband’s car. Pratibha ran to receive him, and with full energy, she took him to the dining room, saying I want you to meet someone special. It’s my elder brother. I just adopted him today, with a smile on her face.

Shourya couldn’t believe his eyes and the man in front of him, whose photo he had seen multiple times during the last couple of weeks he had been in Ragapatinam.

Shourya was in shock; different thoughts ran through his head. Has he come to kill me and my wife? Or has he come to give me a warning to stay out of his lane? While these thoughts were buzzing in his mind, he opened his gun holster to be on the safer side, as he did not want to take any risk as Pratibha was also in the home.

Calming himself, Shourya spoke, “Mr. Perumal, I never expected to meet you like this. I have been hearing your name since the moment I stepped foot on this ground. You seem too famous for all the wrong reasons, though."

Seeing the commissioner all worked up, Perumal smiled and extended his hand. Nice to meet you, Shourya. I have come here only in the capacity as Pratibha’s elder brother, pointing towards the open gun holster. So you do not have to worry about anything else. And I would not do anything to harm my little sister. Rest all other business matters we can always discuss outside.

There was chillness in the air as if you could cut it with a knife. Pratibha jumped in from the kitchen, saying Boys play nice with each other. She turned to Perumal and asked Big brother, are you staying for dinner. Perumal replied No, kiddo has some work to be taken care off.

With a frown on her face, Pratibha replied Okay, your loss. Perumal and Shourya laughed at her snide comment. While walking out of the home, he gave a hug to his sister and a small pat on the head. Then turned to Shourya and said So we will meet on the field, Mr Commissioner. To which Shourya replied Indeed we will.

To be Continued……………………………………………….