UDAAN- New OS by BlueMystique, Pg 39, 27 Nov, New! - Page 14

Wonderful shot.

Glad that the Udaan series has finally taken flight. Much love. :)

Amazing update

amazing os

THE EVERYDAY EVE

Inspector Arnav Singh Raizada pinched the bridge of his nose; the point where his headache usually began whenever he was caught in situations like these. Well not entirely like the one that had been thrown at him right now, but the rising ache was an indication, an intuition that the day was going to be as crappy as it had started.

He didn't like to get caught in a stronghold like this one but there was nothing he could do right now. The phone call had been clear; he was not supposed to do anything about the complaint. And these weren't orders from his superior; the corporator had placed the call himself just so to make sure that his darling son didn't suffer from so much as a scratch. He hated it when he was made to do this but couldn't help but concede that to the fact that his hands were tied. The phone call triggered another memory; an occurrence that had taken place not many hours ago.

"Your subordinate says that he cannot write the complaint because the victim hasn't come to the police station to file one." There had been no premeditation or words said; she had just jumped on to the crux of the situation and so it had caught him unawares. But he composed himself soon and kept the poker face that he had learned to keep through many years in the service, trying his best to smother the perplexity that arose out of the entire situation and the person in front of him.

"What is the case about?" He folded his hands and leaned back on the dilapidated wooden chair that caused more discomfort than it did the job of relieving his legs from having to stand for long hours.

She hesitated at that but only slightly as a look of determination glinted in her eyes and made her say in a firm tone. "Molestation. I am here to file a case against a person for molestation." She dismissed the look of concern that flitted across his face with a curt answer. "It is about my friend Lavanya Kashyap. She is the one who has been victimized and owing to what has happened she is unable to come in person and file a criminal complaint against the offender."

He shook his head, effectively cutting off any further words from her before saying, "I'm sorry but when it comes to a criminal complaint, the victim is the one who is supposed to file the complaint. I cannot do anything about it."

Her mouth closed in a thin firm line at his statement. Slinging her long handled cloth bag around her shoulder she turned around and strode out of the police station with her head held high but not before saying, "I just hope that the reluctance to coordinate is not owing to the identity of the offender."

That had been in the afternoon and it was nearing dusk now. He would be leaving soon but something told him that the call from the corporator and then a visit from his superior wasn't going to be the end of it. Silently he wished it wouldn't be so. And just as he thought of it, he heard the jingle from the bag that she carried, her face livid, judging from her expression as also the deep shade of scarlet that was currently flushing her face. She was accompanied by another girl of her age and he supposed it was an easy guess that she was the one who was the victim. He waited until they had come closer before confirming his conjecture. The girl did look thoroughly shaken, her gaze rooted on the ground but there was something about her that made him feel as though she wasn't like any other victim. And his thoughts were proved true soon.

"She is here inspector", Khushi said as she pulled out a chair waiting till Lavanya had sat down before taking one for herself. "And because you were the one who made me aware of the rule that the victim needs to make a complaint, I think you are the right person to file it down." Arnav didn't protest; the rebel in him was happy that even if it be in the form of just writing down a complaint, he was not complying with the restrictions that had been imposed on him. Beckoning a constable to bring the FIR file to him, he waited till Lavanya was ready to talk.

"My name is Lavanya Kashyap", she began before relapsing into silence. It was only when a reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder by Khushi that she regained the strength to speak again.

"And I am here to file a complaint against Naman Khurana, son of the local corporator Mr. Dinanath Khurana."

Her gaze remained fixed at one portion of the ground even as a multitude of emotions flitted on her face. She struggled to pull herself together; at one moment it seemed as though she would bolt right out of the police station. But then just the next moment, she calmed down partially, unclasped her hands the knuckles of which had turned white and began to give her statement.

"It all began a month ago. Naman, or NK as he is commonly called by his peers began with hoot calls every time I passed by his way. At first I ignored him thinking that if I don't retaliate, he would eventually lose interest, and if I were to admit my thoughts, move on to some other girl."

Her eyes shifted nervously to another point in the room as she remained undecided on continuing with what she had to say. She closed her eyes and mentally coaxed herself to not stop at this juncture.

"I was a fool to believe so, of course", she continued where she had left. "I don't know what he took of my dismissal but soon he began to follow me around campus and also after college. Sometimes he would just follow me from a distance and say deprecating words and at other times he would come with his car halting it beside me whenever I waited at the bus stop and suggesting things that could be done in his vehicle that I cannot even bring myself to say."

A sob escaped her lips as she recollected one such incident and Arnav's face hardened. The woman in front of him was finding it hard to even think of what had happened and he felt his blood begin to boil at that. But keeping the mask of nonchalance on, he urged her to continue with her statement.

"Of course I couldn't have said nothing at that moment. I lashed out at him, warned him, and threatened him with dire consequences if he wouldn't stop from following me around and harassing me. No one could have doubted my conviction when I said the words that I said and when he didn't retaliate for a moment I thought that my words had had the desired impact."

She paused yet again, her face hardening at the prospect of what she was about to say next and Arnav saw her shiver a bit before she said,

"But I was wrong. He laughed at me...a high pitched belittling laugh that made me afraid of him for the first time. And he didn't just stop at that. The words that he said will never be forgotten by me, as also the leer that housed his face."

'This was nothing babes. I haven't even begun with you.'

Arnav felt like strangling the person who had done this. He had never met NK; in fact had only come to know about him after his father's phone call but he hated him already. Money and power had a way of taking over a person's sanity causing him to attain a state that bore no semblance to righteousness and was detrimental to both the person and all those surrounding him. From what he had heard today, it wasn't difficult to categorize NK under this category.

"Don't bristle just yet Inspector." Arnav looked up, surprised at the voice. He hadn't expected Lavanya to start speaking so soon as also utter the words and with the underlying acrimony mixed with resolution. Raising his hand to his temple involuntarily, he leaned towards the table in front of him just as he heard the words that sent him further into the throes of confusion.

"For I haven't yet come to the best part."

Her nostrils were flared, her eyes filled with malice of a non measurable intensity, even though he could see that it was as much of a true expression as a faade to cover for what she was actually feeling right then.

"He stayed true to his word of course. Our last conversation...though that wouldn't be the right word to describe what had transpired between us; occurred two days ago. And this duration was enough for him. So today as I walked into the college premises, unsuspecting of what was to follow that he came across me. He didn't say anything; it was that contemptible smile coupled with the ogling that he threw at me was his way of letting his message be known. I didn't see much into it and thanked the almighty thinking that he might have lost interest in me since he didn't go through the usual round of mouthing lecherous words. But I think I said my thanks too soon."

Several hot tears erupted from her eyes, scalding her cheeks as they continued to flow, not paying heed to her desperate attempts to contain them. Khushi immediately pulled close to her, placed a hand on her shoulder and began to console her even as her own face convulsed with pain at the torment her friend had had to undergo.

But Lavanya was stronger than she was given credit for. She turned towards her; letting her know wordlessly that she would say what she had come here for and not lose her control again, thus impeding her purpose.

"Only an hour later, I found myself caged against his hefty form, fighting my way out of his grip." She shuddered at that, her sunken eyes seeming hollower than ever.

Her lower lip trembled as she struggled to form words that could convey what had to be articulated as also not cause her to go through the affliction again. She soon found her voice. "God knows I gave a fight. But fear has a way of incapacitating you and after a while, when I had exhausted myself from raking my nails through him my mind just couldn't function anymore. No, I wouldn't give him any credit and say that it was all him and his triumph over me that kept me from fighting back; I think of it as my brain not wanting me to remember anything that was happening to me."

"Don't say any more Lavanya", Khushi cut in before she could venture into recalling and subsequently saying things that would drive her into an ocean of malady. "You've said all that was necessary to file the complaint and I don't want you to bring upon yourself the misery that someone else heaped upon you. Don't do this to yourself."

Lavanya didn't reply anything to that, merely cradled her head in her hands, the only indication of any movement being the tears that were rapidly pooling on the worn out wooden table.

"Inspector", Khushi began and once again Arnav flinched at the insinuation behind the address. "I think this is enough. Or is she going to have to go through some more?"

Her gaze was met with his in equal intensity and he carried on with the procedure of the rule book.

"Any witnesses?" His gaze lowered when Khushi looked at him sharply, causing him to explain his question. "It will help in strengthening the case."

She looked at Lavanya with tenderness in her eyes, giving out a sigh of resignation and as her best friend, wanting to make every worry of her disappear. But wishful thinking however bright and heartening it would be was just wishful and in this case it wasn't possible to turn the clock.

"She didn't give the entire account." From the corner of her eyes, she saw that Lavanya had closed her eyes and she said out quickly what would form the crux of the whole case.

"What happened with her took place in front of the entire college."

He felt his insides crumbling when he heard that. He knew what was to follow. It wasn't new; there had been several instances in the past that he had come across and even if they had affected him this one hit close to home. He knew that coming to the police station wasn't one of the proceedings that had been carried out by the victim and Khushi; it had been the only option. One that was almost closed as well. He couldn't cogitate much upon this, for he heard Khushi say, "I think we ought to leave. I have to take her to the hostel. She stays there. And no, despite all that happens she still insists against not coming home with me. Still, I shall do my best to change her mind; she needs someone with her."

She made Lavanya get up and waited until she had taken a couple of steps forward. "I hope...and I can only hope that you haven't been converted already, Arnav."

Saying this, she strode ahead unaware that her hand had reached for the strand of beads around her neck. As she was about to cross the final threshold to the police station, he came to a quick yet intractable decision.

"Wait!" his words stopped her in her tracks and asking Lavanya to stay where she was, Khushi came back to him.

"Whatever decision she takes regarding her stay, I'll make sure that she isn't on her own always. I shall assign her a constable at the earliest."

He saw her nod at his words but didn't witness the expected relief. Her next statement gave the reason behind it.

"A constable's a good idea, as long as it isn't the leering constable Shyam Jha who it seems has positioned himself by the entry just so that he can prove himself to be a paler example of people like Naman Khurana."

He said nothing at that. Why acknowledge another addition to the already vast list of people which was increasing day by day? It was a mess, one that needed thorough cleaning and there were to be a thousand barriers in the process. It wouldn't be easy...he knew it would be very, very difficult to try and then turn those efforts into positive outcomes. But that wasn't going to stop him. If he could make a difference with even a minimal amount of such cases, it would make some difference. Thinking this Arnav settled back into his chair, thinking of a fitting reply to give to the corporator so that the message that his darling son wouldn't escape from a place behind bars reached him clearly.

Note: Eve teasing/ molestation was the topic of this one. A crime which isn't considered as grave as many others that are rampant in the society. Moreover not many cases on the same are filed with numerous reasons being cited by women on the same. But these are the crimes which if not curbed now are going to escalate into something much more critical.

Another point that I have wanted to throw light upon is public apathy to crimes in general. They are okay with watching the whole crime unfold before them or even go to the extent of recording it, but helping the victim accounts to dirtying their hands.

Non cooperation from the police...well that's entirely another matter. There are laws for convicting the offenders of the above mentioned crimes but the route to the court is tortuous and sometimes competes with the agony of the crime itself. The solution isn't simple but isn't impossible as well. All it is going to take is a few minds that can see and act upon the difference between right and wrong.

its awesome simply beautiful...
sooo emotional...

Its really a shame to see that the people misuse their power in a disgusting way.
I am glad you came up with something on this. Because life isn't a fairy tale as the writers write on the forum. There are several hardships being faced by people out there.

It was an emotional one😭 I hope khushi's strength & support will help lavanya to recover soon. And also that NK should be behind the bars soon😡

Arnav & khushi are married here na?

The crimes that are reported Vs the one that are not,