29. Muslims are angry with the Commando

CHAPTER 29

Muslims are angry with the Commando

Ram started questioning Kadar. His answers and behaviour made Ram suspicious. But Kadar refused to speak. Hence Ram resorted to electric treatment to make his speak.

Kadar was seated on a chair. Current was passed. Kadar shouted with pain.

Ram asked, “Since how many years do you know Jilani?”

“Since last 20days, that’s all.”

“Don’t tell lies.”

“Really sir.”

Ram slapped him. “I will peal your skin if you don’t tell the truth.”

Kadar shouted in pain. “Aillah ki kasam. I know only that much.”

Ram approached him and caught hold of his hair. “You knew very well that he was not a flower contractor. And yet you gave him the flower contract. I am sure that you know him well. I will open everything. Just watch.”

He called his assistants and pointed to a place. “Tie him over there.”

They tied Kadar’s hands and put water at high force on him. He screamed with pain. “Sir that Maula Afriddin recommended him to me.”

Ram said, “Ah! Good. Now you are opening your mouth.”

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Maula Afriddin was brought at mid night. When Muslims came to know of this, they all gathered near the Masjid.

One Muslim said, “This is great injustice. Instead of catching the terrorists, they are catching our Maula. Do we all look like terrorists to those commandos?”

Another Muslim said, “We must protest. We should not allow them to torture innocent Muslims.”

Third Muslim said, “Let them catch those terrorists and give them to us. We ourselves will cut them to pieces. Those anti-nationals deserve to die.”

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Human rights function was going on. Chairman Jaiprakash spoke on TV.

Jaiprakash said, “This is injustice. Kadar’s father is a very good retired school teacher. He is also a freedom fighter. How can the son of such a man be a terrorist? Regarding that Maula Afriddin, you can ask his neighboring Hindus what a good man he is.”

TV interviews:

One old man said, “Maulasab got my daughter married as his would do to his own daughter spending a lot of money.”

Priest Shastri said, “They have done a wrong deed by arresting our Maula. Once he gave me blood and saved my life.”

Chairman   said, “These commandos are arresting godly people and torturing them instead of catching the terrorists.”

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Sangita was watching TV. A torture scene appeared. Kadar was given current and he shouted in pain. Sangita was shocked. Public was shocked. Sangita sat staring at the TV screen.

Sangita said, “What brother Ram is doing is wrong. No doubt he should catch the terrorist but not by arresting good people.”

Kadar’s father appeared on TV. The TV showed photo of Gandhi and Subash Chandra Bose in his house. “I have listened to speeches of Gandhiji and Subash Chandra Bose. I walk on the path shown by them. I always wear Kadhi dress. I have brought up my son Kadar also in the same lines. How can they arrest such a good boy by branding him as a terrorist? I feel like my life is ending.”

Then he became serious. “But if he has really done such a job, I will kill him myself.”

TV showed the book shelves.

Father said, “This is mine and this is his. There is Quran, Bible and the Bhagwath Geeta. Books on Gandhiji. His science books. You can search the whole house. There are no books on Jihad here. He can’t read Urdu. He reads books in Kannada by Sri Vishwanath Satyanarayana also.”

Sangita was shocked. She thought, “I have to fight for these people. I have to go to Bangalore.”

She got up and took her coat.

Mother Srilaxmi was surprised. “Where are you going?”

“I am going to Bangalore.”

“Are you going to see Ram?”

“No I am going to fight against what he is doing. He is torturing innocent Muslims. I will fight for them and get them released.”

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Maula Afriddin talks

Ram was sitting in front of Maula. “You teach Quran and make the people walk on the right path. How is it that such a man like you have connections with a man like Jilani?”

Maula said, “I will promise on the Quran or on my own son. Jilani started visiting the Masjid regularly to do namaaz 5 times a day just 20 days back. I was most impressed. One day he came to me and introduced himself as a small flower contractor from a village nearby. He started to come to talk to me regularly. One day he came to me and said that he was in a bad financial condition. He requested me to find a job for him.”

Ram said, “Go on.”

Maula said, “I knew Kadar’s father from long and Kadar used to come to the Masjid often. I called him to my house”