Banana Republic (Part 2)

Please read part 1 if you haven’t (http://vimalpillai13.blogspot.in/2014/08/banana-republic-part-1.html 

Most often, there is one virtue that not only does a lot of good but also causes a lot of problems for the same human being. The reason being that he sticks to this virtue at all times. For Mr. Gupta, it was his ability to stick to his gut feeling and for Mr. Khan – it was his honestly.

By the time, Mr. Khan put his thinking cap; it was nearly18 hours from when the incident had taken place. The road where the incident took place was deserted at night but it was a busy street from 5 a.m to at least 11 p.m everyday.

Khan surveyed the area and found some potholes which could have been one of the reasons. He got to know that the motorbike was moving way beyond the speed limit and a sudden obstruction in the form of a pothole may have led to the accident. 

He decided that the best way to go ahead would be to inspect the bike. He took a keen look at the motorbike and its tyres.

Mr. Khan had contacts. He had friends ranging from mechanics to forensic experts to beggars. All these people were just a phone call away.

He called the mechanic and the forensic expert to aid him in this. After over an hour of inspecting the bike, the conclusion drawn was that Mr. Gupta’s son tried to monoeuvre the bike at great speed around a pothole and skid over two banana peels due to which he lost balance.

Mr. Khan knew well that neither the pothole nor the banana leaf could be great evidence to prove that it was a planned attack on the young boy. He, however, decided that he will find out who threw the banana peel.

A beggar who stayed in the vicinity was his first port of call. The beggar was his informer and made some money by giving vital information to police officers like Khan.

Mr. Khan asked him if he had any clue about the accident. The beggar could tell him that the last car to pass this stretch of the road before the accident was a white Toyota Qualis. On being asked how he was so sure, the beggar said that he had seen this vehicle before lying down and the next thing he heard was the loud thud. He said that he was awake all the time.

Mr. Khan asked him if he could remember anything peculiar about the Qualis. The beggar replied that someone from inside the car had thrown two banana peels outside.

Khan knew that he had to discover the car and its owner. He surveyed the accident spot again at night to check if he could find more details about this car. Opposite to where he was standing was a Jewelry shop with Close Circuit cameras focusing outside the entrance of the shop.

The next morning, he made a visit to the shop before it would open to customers. He talked to the owner about the case and told he wanted to see if there were footages of the accident. He did not reveal his real intention which was to check the details of the car from which the banana peel was thrown. He requested the shop owner to let him view the images alone. The owner of the Jewelry shop was happy to oblige.

After zooming in and out, he could find the registration number of the car. He called his contact in the regional transport office to understand whose name this vehicle was registered under.

What he heard next made him numb. He wasn’t able to speak. The voice on the other side kept repeating “Sir, Are you there?” Khan quickly regained composure and said “Thank you”.

He sought a personal meeting with Mr. Gupta. Mr. Gupta was happy to see Khan and knew that the no-nonsense man would not dish out a stupid theory about the accident.

So Khan, “Who is the bastard who killed my son? And he repeated the same sentences that he had said in Khan’s residence when he met him. ” I want that bastard alive. I want you to not report it to the cops. I want you to hand over that ______ (a list of expletives) to me. I think all such criminal will make our country a banana republic. The only punishment for such people is death.”

Mr. Khan briefed Mr. Gupta about his version, which to Mr. Gupta sounded believable. So, who threw the banana peel?

“It is you Mr. Gupta. You threw that banana peel. Your car was the last vehicle to pass before the accident took place. Whether it is the pothole or the banana peel, your son’s death is a murder and politicians like you are the cause of the same.” said Mr. Khan.

“You wanted that bastard alive… here you are. You wanted me to not report him to the cops… I won’t. You wanted me to hand over that ______ (a list of expletives) to you... I have just done that. You think all such criminal will make our country a banana republic...I couldn’t agree more. The only punishment for such people is death… I completely agree so go ahead and do it. However, if you don’t have the guts for that, please do something good for the people of the state and the country. That would be enough.” said Mr. Khan left Mr. Gupta’s residence without uttering another word. 

Banana Republic (Part 1)

A loud noise was heard. A head banged into the divider between the two roads. The rider didn’t wear a helmet. He died on the spot.

It was not even a mile from where he was warned by the cops to wear his helmet. The helmet could be seen safely fastened to his bike while his head lay smashed. The rest of his body had some minor bruises.

If he had listened to the cops, he would have lived to see another day. The cops, however, dared not fine him or talk rashly to him. He was the son of Ramnaresh Gupta, and he played the “Do you know who my father is” card to his advantage all the time.

Mr. Gupta was one of the shrewdest politicians India had seen. It is not often that a banana vendor rises to become a state’s chief minister. He was known for his authoritarian and ruthless ways and wouldn’t allow anything to come in between his ambition and him. The ambition which topped the list was to see his only son become the prime minister of India.

Mr. Gupta’s ambition and preferred prime ministerial candidate was taken to a nearby hospital where the body was to be kept till parents or relatives could come and claim it. Two junior inspectors on night patrol took him to the hospital. They were tense themselves for obvious reasons.

Mr. Gupta was about an hour away from the accident spot when he got a call from the hospital authorities. “Sir, please rush to the City hospital immediately”, was all he could hear a trembling voice speak. He was sure that something was amiss. He asked his driver to turn back.

The driver followed the master’s orders and drove fast to the city hospital. It was about 4a.m and Mr. Gupta was travelling back into the city through roads which were completely deserted. His secretary, Mr. Iyer, was seated with him. As Mr. Gupta rushed into the hospital, he was ushered to the third floor by some staff.

“What’s the matter?” asked Mr. Gupta. No one dared to tell him the bad news. Finally, a doctor came to him and said,” Sir, we offer our apologies and heartfelt condolences to you and your family in these trying times. Your son was dead before he was brought here. We couldn’t do anything.”

Mr. Gupta was shocked beyond words and could not believe what had happened. As he regained composure, his emotion changed from shock to anger. Suddenly, he summoned the doctor and all key people in the room. “I want all the details of how this happened. I will leave no stone unturned to find that bastard and make his life miserable.” said Mr. Gupta in a fit of rage.

His loss was irreparable but Mr. Gupta wanted to get to the crux of how this happened. His first doubt was on his political rivals. He called the heads of the police department in the state and served them the ultimatum- 24 hours.

Yes, he wanted to know how this happened within 24 hours. As he got busy with activities pertaining to the last rites of his son, the police set up a special team to investigate this.

12 hours had passed and the police couldn’t find any evidence to conclude that it was a murder. It was an accident in their eyes. The road was deserted and Mr. Gupta’s son had just lost balance. The head of the police department told Mr. Gupta that he had put his best officers on duty and there was not even a slightest trace of this being a planned murder. “It was an accident”, he repeated, several times to Mr. Gupta.

However, Mr. Gupta dismissed him and refused to believe that it was an accident. It was his power of conviction that had got him this far. He refused to believe in the theory given by the state police.

As he began to think of an alternative solution to get to the bottom of the murder (according to him) within his self-imposed deadline, one image that flashed in his mind was that of Mohammed Khan.

Mr. Khan was a decorated officer but had retired from the job a year ago. He was the head of the anti-terrorist unit. A terrorist group had killed his wife and daughter to seek revenge as he had killed an important member of the group.

Mr. Khan was not his usual self after the incident. The intelligent and sharp Mr. Khan was now a loner, living a life of solitude. He was asked by the state to join back and handle some special projects but he declined each time.

Mr. Gupta knew for sure that this was a murder and he also knew that he had to meet Khan himself to get him to investigate the case.

It was a daunting task but then Mr. Gupta has his charm. He was as wily as they come. He had always encouraged Khan and given him responsibilities and accolades.

He came out of Mr. Khan’s house with his word. Mr. Gupta knew that if Mr. Khan gave his word, it was rest assured that he would do the job.

The last words that Gupta spoke before coming out of the house were “I want that bastard alive. I want you to not report it to the cops. I want you to hand over that ______ (a list of expletives) to me. I think all such criminal will make our country a banana republic. The only punishment for such people is death.”

To be continued…