A body of a woman is lying down in front of the house. She has a bullet through her head and her clothes have been ripped off. She was my mother.
A man is beside her, pointing and shrieking at the stars and sobbing uncontrollably. That is my father. He says, they came and killed her, because he had joined the Special Police as a sweeper for some extra money. He says the Police had killed one of them and they will kill him too. They always do.
The people around him keep looking at him, stoic and expressionless. A few days ago, my father was one of them. Now somebody else has taken his place.
He tells me that he will take me to the city, to Raipur. He says he will find a new job and send me to school. I do not understand. I ask him what will happen to Kanu, Mishi and Keero from the village school. He tells me their fathers are one of them. He says he will kill them for what they have done. I still do not understand. I cry from remorse, despair and fear within me. Mother s face keep coming into my mind; I cant look at her and I want to run to the school, in the hope that she will be there at the door, as always when I return. My mind goes to the half boiled rice which Mother used to cook for me after school. Somehow my instincts tell me that she is gone. I feel angry now, angry for what they have done.
Aunt holds me tightly as she weeps. She tells me that god will make everything alright. Sooner than later everything will be forgotten. Today its one family, tomorrow it will be another.
Soon police convoy will be here. They will take photos of the body and take it away. They will say Naxal people came and murdered her. Soon they will kill some of the villagers and claim death of the rebels. They will take money from villagers by threatening them with death. Non compliant villagers will be killed as encounters. And then they go away. After that, the rebels come. They take money, food, women and children. Defiants will be shot and bludgeoned to death; the entire family wiped away at the executioner's command. In one way or the other, the ones killed will always be us.
The sun has moved all the way across the house. Before the night ends, I will want to go to the city. We will pack for the night and go away, for ever.
Before long,we would want to get lost in the milling crowd.
A man is beside her, pointing and shrieking at the stars and sobbing uncontrollably. That is my father. He says, they came and killed her, because he had joined the Special Police as a sweeper for some extra money. He says the Police had killed one of them and they will kill him too. They always do.
The people around him keep looking at him, stoic and expressionless. A few days ago, my father was one of them. Now somebody else has taken his place.
He tells me that he will take me to the city, to Raipur. He says he will find a new job and send me to school. I do not understand. I ask him what will happen to Kanu, Mishi and Keero from the village school. He tells me their fathers are one of them. He says he will kill them for what they have done. I still do not understand. I cry from remorse, despair and fear within me. Mother s face keep coming into my mind; I cant look at her and I want to run to the school, in the hope that she will be there at the door, as always when I return. My mind goes to the half boiled rice which Mother used to cook for me after school. Somehow my instincts tell me that she is gone. I feel angry now, angry for what they have done.
Aunt holds me tightly as she weeps. She tells me that god will make everything alright. Sooner than later everything will be forgotten. Today its one family, tomorrow it will be another.
Soon police convoy will be here. They will take photos of the body and take it away. They will say Naxal people came and murdered her. Soon they will kill some of the villagers and claim death of the rebels. They will take money from villagers by threatening them with death. Non compliant villagers will be killed as encounters. And then they go away. After that, the rebels come. They take money, food, women and children. Defiants will be shot and bludgeoned to death; the entire family wiped away at the executioner's command. In one way or the other, the ones killed will always be us.
The sun has moved all the way across the house. Before the night ends, I will want to go to the city. We will pack for the night and go away, for ever.
Before long,we would want to get lost in the milling crowd.
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