Murder in the Bylanes, authored by Aloke Lal and Maanas Lal, is a gripping novel that revolves around the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition and describes the communal disharmony with the role of the police and bystanders tearing at the social fabric. The following is an excerpt from the novel.
Laid-back evenings in Kanpur were rare and hard-earned. The late afternoon meetings usually spilled over into the evenings and there was always a lot of work pending after that. We cherished the days when we could close work and leave our offices at a reasonable time to be with family and loved ones.
It was the hottest part of the 1993 summer. I was expecting to wind up work, for a change, at a decent closure hour. Naturally, I was not pleased when my boss called to tell me that a couple close to him, Ashutosh and Kangana Mishra, wanted to see me after office hours. I accepted reluctantly.
The punishing sweaty evenings of the Indo-Gangetic plains demand high physical stamina, while draining us of our mental energy. Even making light conversation and small talk can feel like too much work. I was wrapping up for the day, when I became aware of an unfamiliar fragrance. It was easy to get distracted by it in a stuffy room where my survival depended heavily on the lone air conditioner.
‘Uff, I must say, you really know how to torture those who adore you.’ I looked up to find a heavily decked-up young woman. She seemed to be around twenty-eight years of age. ‘Making us wait in a claggy waiting room crammed with visitors while sitting in the comfort of your AC is third-degree torture,’ she sing-songed plaintively.
She was carrying a bouquet of flowers, which she offered to me. ‘Kangana Mishra. You can call me Kangana.’
I had completely forgotten about the couple I had promised to meet! ‘Mrs Mishra, wasn’t your husband Ashutosh coming with you?’
‘Yes, he came. But he could not wait too long, he had some other appointment, you know. But I could not have gone without meeting you. I was, you know, dying to meet the dashing young big boss of Kanpur.’ She was being coy. ‘And listen, don’t break my heart by calling me Mrs Mishra. Aren’t we already close enough to graduate to first names, Aloke ji?’
Close enough? I could see that she was trying hard to make an impression. Her style was a bit too filmy to be attractive. She appeared to be making a conscious effort to present her most attractive angles and she kept smiling mysteriously.
When the pause in our conversation had gone on for too long, I asked, ‘What has brought you here, Mrs … I mean Kangana ji? IG sahib did not tell me the purpose of your visit.’
‘I just wanted to meet you. That is the sole purpose. I was away at my Nanaji’s place in Banaras, so I could not come earlier. And I have not come to meet the DIG, I want to meet Aloke! Why are we here in your office? Can’t we go to the ante-room?’ She nodded in the direction of the adjoining room.
I ignored her last suggestion. ‘Your Nanaji?’
‘As if you don’t know! Didn’t your boss give you my full introduction?’
‘He told me that you come from a family of prominent politicians of Banaras, who have held important portfolios in the Indian and state government cabinets. He did not tell me any details.’
‘Aloke, I don’t believe you! How can you not know my family connections? My grandfather is my access to any place and person, and here you are, a cop manning a politically sensitive post, feigning that he has no clue!’ I eventually learned that she came from the famous Trivedi family of Banaras, which included a senior minister in the cabinet at the Centre, a Chief Minister and two key people in the UP government. I managed to look impressed.
‘My husband, Ashutosh, can accurately predict your future. Your boss Vinod is a great friend because we had told him that he would continue in his current position for at least two more years. He follows all the rituals my husband had prescribed to keep himself safe from transfers. You must meet Ashutosh to ask him how to secure your position here.’
I could not suppress a smile as I thought how unbothered I was about continuation in my assignment. I was amused to discover that my boss had these insecurities about his position. I did not want to be rude to Kangana by being honest about my opinion of her husband’s “art”. Instead, I said, ‘Let us meet when your husband has the time to join us and we can discuss my future.’
Kangana took the hint. ‘Before I go, I would like you to know how keen I am for you to continue here and for us to develop a strong association. I will visit again with Ashutosh and we can chalk out some plans for ourselves.’
I started to get up to indicate that our meeting was over, but she seemed to be in a mood to stick around, ‘Won’t you offer me a cold drink, Aloke? It’s so warm today!’
‘Certainly, but please allow me to take your leave now. I have to go to a friend’s place for dinner. I will get a cold drink served to you.’ I moved to the door that led to my residence.
I could see that Kangana was not pleased with my sudden move. She smiled. ‘Well, I cannot enjoy the drink unless you are here for company.’
As soon as she said that, the constable on duty came in to announce that her husband had come to pick her up. She got up from her seat and put on her charm. ‘I have become your fan in just one meeting. How sad it is that you are in a hurry to go. I cannot wait to be back here. Bye for now, but I will be looking forward to seeing you again very soon!’ She sauntered out of my office.
(This excerpt from ‘Murder in the Bylanes’ by Aloke Lal and Maanas Lal has been published with permission from Bloomsbury.)
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