Is Governor at all required?

The big question is is the ceremonial post of Governor at all required? It's not only wasteful, but also against the federal structure of the country. There has been umpteen instances where the post of Governor has been used as a tool for Centre's strong-arm tactics against the state governments.

The post of Governor assumes significance during the government formation when there is a hung-assembly, and recommendation for President's rule in the state in case of a law and order breakdown. Unfortunately, so far, in none of the cases the Governors could show impartiality.

The concept of discretionary power is against the rule of law. The Sarkaria Commission had recommended a set of rules to be followed in case of a hung-assembly. But in many instances that is not followed by the Governors due to political reasons. In the recent past, we have seen how the Governor of Tamilnadu sat on the legitimate claim of Shasikala to become the CM of the state. When she took claim, there was no information when the verdict of the SC was going to be pronounced. The Governor didn't know what the verdict was going to be. Even though he was morally right in not calling Shasikala, who was eventually given 4 years imprisonment by the SC, the Governor was bound by the Constitution to call Shasikala, which he didn't. In case of Manipur and Goa, we have seen how the Governors acted as the agents of the BJP.

It is categorically mentioned that in case of no pre-poll alliance, the single largest party has to be called. But the Governor of Goa didn't, and Nitin Gadkadi, the candy man from  the Centre offered candies to the newly elected MLAs, and garnered the required support in no time. The clowns  in the sold-out media (read Anand, Navika etc) jumped up and down in joy, and didn't utter a single word of condemnation for this flagrant violation of democratic spirit. The Governor of Manipur probably had some qualms, as she took some time to take her decision. However, in the end, she too, succumbed to the pressure exerted by the Centre, and made the wrong decision. There are plenty of instances of misuse of power in the Congress era also.

So, if the the post of Governor is abolished, who will take the decision of inviting the suitable candidate for the post of a CM, and what will happen when there is a genuine case of constitutional breakdown in a state? Who is going to send report, and recommend Article 356 for a state? I think in the former question, the President can take the added responsibility of inviting a suitable candidate for the post of a CM. Of course, necessary amendments have to be made in the Constitution. Regarding answer to the later question, I think a joint parliamentary committee of the Parliament set for this specific purpose can take stock of the law and order situation in a troubled state, and send recommendations to the President.

But the important point is that none of the political parties will show the guts to abolish the titular post of Governor mainly due to two reasons. First, no matter how much a party cries when it is in opposition, it does not want to lose a chance to interfere in the affairs of a state when in power at the Centre. Secondly, it is a nice, lucrative place to put the disgruntled lot in the party.

Picture taken from the net

Religion: Is It Required At All?

I have no objection with people's belief. What I am expressing is a personal opinion of mine. If you don't agree with it, you are welcome.

In the modern era of advanced science and technology, it's indeed astonishing that some people still adhere to the age-old dogmas laid down by the middle men of religion! You can send a message to a person situated at 5000 km away from you in a second; various space organisations across the world have sent their space missions to the distant corners of the galaxy -- and you can see the pictures sent by them with awe. Scientists have been able to produce a baby from three parents in the UK, organ transplant has become as easy as drinking a glass of water. The list is endless, but still you want to worship an animal, viz, Gaumata! Ha ha!

I wonder when will man understand that religion is a bane and not a boon! The concept of God is a hoax created by the middle men of religion to befool people. No religion can be particularly chosen as guilty of violence. It's true that Islam has been defamed most due to their open advocacy of violence, but you should know that hands of all religions are bloody.

But I agree most of them have become pacifists except Islam. Some people advocate reforms from within, but I think that's not going to happen. As an object suffers from state of inertia, and external force has to be applied to change its state, external pressure has to be applied on Islam for its reformation. Hinduism suffered from some nasty customs, which many people don't like to discuss, such as human sacrifice, child marriage, burning of the widow alive with her dead husband etc. These customs were eventually abolished, and people within the Hinduism, such as Raja Rammohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar etc played a prominent part into it. But they would have surely failed, had they not got the support of the British rulers.

We worship Gods, but little do we realize that British rulers were the real Gods, who advanced our Civilization, and rescued us from the hands of demons, that is very regressive Muslim rulers!

If you are Hindu, you must have read in the Hindu scriptures (mythologies) how on many occasions Gods saved humans from the tyranny of Demons! Lord Vishnu is said to have appeared on earth, in the form of Avatars, to save people of earth on multiple occasions. So, Gods visited earth to help the habitats of earth. There are archaeological evidences where name of Indra was inscribed in stone. If you think logically, you should come to the conclusion that the so-called Gods and Demons were nothing but humans, but of different races. Even the so-caled Vanaras described in Ramayana were not monkeys, but they belonged to a jungly tribe. Same were the cases for Yakshas, Vasus,  Gandharvas etc. They were people of different races. The Gods had a very advanced civilization, and they possessed innovative technologies. For example, Gaduda! Was it a heavenly bird? No way, it was a plane. Yes, a plane! As it flew in the sky, native people who had never seen any aeroplane, thought it was a bird. Ravana's  pushpak rath,  which he stole from the Gods, was nothing but a helicopter.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, India and Britain were living in two completely  different civilizations. While Britain had undergone industrial revolution, progressed enormously in science and technology, had a great democratic structure  (thanks to the bloodless Glorious Revolution), despite having a King, India was under the dark rule of Muslim rulers. The wish of the Badshah   or the Nabab was the rule. He could take the lives of people even if they hadn't done anything, he could take any woman, whom he considered as beautiful. Education in India meant religious education, that is, reading Koran for the Muslims and Vedas for the Hindus. There was no study of science. Yes, some beautiful structures were built during the Mughal rule, but the engineers and the labourers were brought from outside India. Even the majority rulers of Mansabs, that is, small provinces, were foreigners. There was no industry. Agricultural techniques were primitive, and lakhs of people died during famines. Medical system was primitive ( Hakims and Vaidyas) , infrastructure was primitive.

In such a grim scenario, the Britishers came like Gods, uplifted our Civilization by installing modern education, modern infrastructure and the rule of law. They defeated the tyrannical, regressive Muslim rulers. Yes, in the process they took a price. But so did the Gods. They too extracted hefty prices for their favour. Remember how  Lord Indra attacked  Vrindavan because Lord Krishna,  who was in his avatar form and whom Indra could not recognise, refused to him offerings.

Yes some of the Britons were very cruel and sometimes they tortured native people. But so were the Gods. Indra was lecherous, who even had the gall of taking disguise of a Rishi, to have intercourse with the wife of the said Rishi. Indra's son Jayanta was no saint either. He cast his evil eyes on Sita and tried to rape her.

So, in my opinion, Britons were Gods who came to uplift  our Civilization and rescue us from the cruel, tyrannical, oppressive and regressive Muslim rulers.

Not everything about religion is bad, though. They inculcate moral values, which in turn ensure a less violent and more altruistic society. I have no problems with that. But, I can not tolerate the middle men of religion who exploit common people in the name of God. How is it justifiable that you cannot communicate with the God without the help of Brahmins, and for that you have to pay a hefty sum to them? Why do you have to feed a bunch of Brahmins when something good or bad happens to you? If this is not cheating what it is?

True, priests and Imams also exploit people in the name of religion. However, Brahmins are a bit different due to the following reasons:
1. They monopolised education, and denied lower caste people any right to education for a very long time.
2. They stratified society on the basis of birth. They indulged in the worst form of crime in the history of mankind by making a section of their fellow humans untouchables.
3. They institutionalised their supremacy and made it hereditary.

Let us discuss how the concept of God evolved in the early parts of civilization across the world. Primitive men suffered a lot due to the vagaries of nature. Suddenly, a very shrude section among them, known as priests class, evolved, who claimed that these natural forces were being  controlled by Gods, and if the Gods could be pleased, the forces could be controlled. They claimed to have a divine knowledge to communicate with the Gods, and to make their case full proof, they invented a lot of obscure rituals and mantras to please Gods. In the name of offerings to God, they made a  fortune for themselves.  As is the case even today, this was a win-win  case. For example, if it worked, they claimed it was due to them. If if didn't work, they said the God was very angry, and blamed someone or something for that. They created such an atmosphere of fear that doubting them was beyond  question.

As one should know that there is no God behind these natural forces -- nowadays  even artificial rain can be created -- clearly those men were misleading people in the name of God for their personal gains. They were the middle men and their concept of God was a hoax.

Pictures taken from the net 

Debki and her friends

"Hurry up, rush towards the temple", Debki shouted at the top of her lungs. As a leader, which she thought of herself, of the group of 3 female friends, she led from  the front, and ran towards the temple. Priya and Rina followed her like obedient students.

Debki wore jeans and T-shirts. She had plain sandals on her feet. That's why she didn't have much trouble running on the wet, muddy field. Rina, too, didn't have much trouble with the dress, as she wore salwar kamiz. But her high heel footwear was not at all suitable for walking let alone running on a wet field. She stumbled after every three steps. Debki looked back at her ordeal, and ordered her to take her shoes off.

"I can't throw them. Do you know how much did they cost? Rs 3000!" Rina protested stubbornly.

"You Dumbo, I didn't tell you to throw them. Take them off, and carry them in your hand."

Priya was in a same precarious situation. She actually threw her high heel shoes. She again went back and held the shoes in her hand. But, she was having a horrid time with her dress, as she wore a sari. The spear like rains, the cause they were running for a cover, were accompanied by a very strong north-western wind. Like a molester, the wind was not letting to keep her sari in the proper place. The moment Priya put it on her bosom, the wind again undressed her. The din of continuous thunders and the silvery lines in the sky made them very scared.

Debki again looked back and watched Priya's hapless condition. She consoled her, "Hey pretty girl, relax! No one is watching ya."

"Hell with the freaking car! Couldn't it find a better place to break down?" Rina almost caught up with Debki.

Debki wanted to protest, as the  Maruti Swift Dzire belonged to her, and she loved her car. In the last 5 years, it had never betrayed her. The road to Pakhiura, a border village in the Indo-Bangladesh border area where they went for a tour related to a project, could have been a nightmare for the tyres of any car. It was their mere bad luck, as Debki thought, that not once but twice their tyres burst.  They had only one spare tyre on the car. So, when the car broke down at an odd place at an odd hour for the second time, they were left with no option but to take a shelter for the night. In this remote village near the Indo-Bangladesh border not a single soul roamed outside after the sun set.

The temple looked like a forlorn place. The banyan tree in front of the temple looked so old to Debki that she thought it must have been present there since time immemorial. The innumerable aerial  prop roots spread over a large area gave it a monstrous look. There was a red circular rock surrounding the very thick stem. Debki thought may be 500 years ago people used to sit here. There  was a broken wooden door, and complete darkness inside.

"Should we keep the shoes out?" Priya was short of her breath. She finally managed to catch up with her friends.

"Are you mad? Do you want to be bitten by a nice little rat on your soft toes? And in case it's a bad, smelly, mole, it can take a piece of meat from your leg!" Before entering inside, Debki was inspecting the surroundings like a lady version of Sherlock Holmes.

"Hell No", Priya nodded her head in disapproval so vigorously that Debki thought it would fall off from her shoulder. In a very timid voice Priya again enquired, "Do you mean to say there will be rats inside?"

"Only rats? There will surely be  plenty of spiders and cockroaches. There may be bats. Who knows one or two of them may be vampires!" Debki said in a cold voice.

Watching Priya's pale face, Rina rebuked Debki, "Why are you scaring the already terrified girl? Have you looked at her face? She might start crying. "

Finally understanding that Debki was making fun at her, Priya said, "No, no! I was not afraid. Don't I know there can't be demons in the abode of Gods?"

"Okay girls, let me open the door. You two stand at a safe distance. When I say come in only then you move." Debki was leading from the front.

Rina and Priya stood at the stairs, as Debki put on the torch in her mobile phone. She slowly opened the broken wooden door and entered inside the forlorn temple.

Whoosh! A screeching sound came from inside. Priya clung to Rina's shoulder, as two small bats, disturbed by a human's intrusion to what they thought was their safe home,  came from inside and flew past her.

"Good news folks! Come inside", a very confident voice came from inside. Rina and Priya looked at each other. The sign of worries on their faces turned into happiness, as they entered     inside. There was complete darkness inside. Priya could not see anything for a while. She was also bothered by the cobwebs that got adhered to her body when she entered. However, within a minute, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she could see Debki was trying to light a lamp of mud with a match stick.

"We are lucky!  Someone used to live here around 5 or 6 months back, I guess. Lot of useful stuff here!"

The temple was probably closed for quite a long time, Priya understood from the smell. Rina had kept the door open with the help of latches. As the new air entered inside, the foul smell was going off rapidly, but there was no light outside. The rain was pouring down with the same force. Very strong wind was blowing and that was not letting Debki to light the lamp.

"You have to close the door Rina", Debki ordered.

Debki lit the lamp after wasting 10 matchsticks. Had it been other time, Priya would have loved to make fun of Debki, as she didn't get much chance to do that. But considering the gravity of the situation, she controlled herself. With the light of the lamp, very dim though, the room could at least be clearly seen.

Debki looked at Priya and said, "You think it's very easy to light a lamp with a year old almost dry oil, pretty girl? Ha? Do you know how damp the match sticks were?"

Priya constricted her throat, and said, "Hey, I didn't say anything."

"Huh! This is an unbelievable place! Are we in India or somewhere else? I have no network in my both sim cards! Check your phones to see whether there is network or not!"

Rina checked her phone and lamented, "No! That means no Vodafone,  Airtel and BSNL here!"

She suddenly looked towards Priya and with a shine in her eyes said, " Yours is Idea network, ain't it? I saw in the villages some people were using Idea network. Your phone should have the network."

Watching Priya still standing like a doll,  Debki shouted, "Have you become deaf? We have to make important calls immediately. Check your phone."

The phone was in Priya's hand right from the beginning. Without saying much she gave it to Debki.

"Holy mess! What have you done to it?" Debki thought of strangulating Priya.

Like a convicted criminal, who had been awarded a death penalty,  Priya confessed, " It had fallen off from my handbag onto the water when I was running. Since then it's not working!"

"Wow, wow, wow! Clap, everyone please clap. Only one phone that could be used is gone! Without network, our phones are like junk materials."

Debki wanted to throw her phone away. But she realised it didn't behoove a leader like her to act in this manner in front of her already scared friends. So, she controlled herself, and came outside to check the condition of rain.

"Hell with the rain God! Looks like he has waged a war on earth! No signs of receding!" Debki came inside grudgingly. Indeed the the raindrops were falling like shrapnel.

Rina was frantically trying to ring someone. Debki said, "Don't waste the battery. No electricity here to charge it."

"But we need to contact Suresh Sir. How else do we get out of the quagmire? " Rina said helplessly.

"Hey pretty girl, give me your phone, let me see how much damage you have done to it."

Debki dismantled the Priya's slick looking orange-coloured Lava phone. It was completely wet. Debki wiped the water from the parts with her hankie, and placed them near the lamp. She said,  "Can't say anything before the parts become dry!"

 "Hey Debki, how long the oil will last", Priya asked. They were sitting on a rugged mat that was once in possession of someone who once lived here. They also found a rugged towel made of cotton, which came handy in drying their hair.

"Hardly one hour, I bet!" Rina opined in a frustrated manner. Since Debki didn't say anything it appeared that she too held the same opinion.

"You should have brought Shyamal da with us! He could have helped us finding a way out of this mess." Priya  said in a remorseful voice.

Shyamal was Debki's driver, whom Debki didn't take in this tour, and drove the car for the entire tour herself.

"What are you talking? Don't you know how secret this project is? Shyamalda is a talkative boaster, who cannot be trusted. Also, the way many people talked to us so openly, wouldn't have happened, had he been there. We did a flawless performance. We let no one raise a shred of doubt about our purpose. And most importantly, Suresh Sir, also directed us to do the same." Debki uttered those words almost in the same breath. She didn't like questioning her decision.

Priya knew Debki was speaking the truth. That they were evaluating  the socio-economic impact  of the MGNREGA programme in a remote border area was nothing but a mask. It was true that they were genuine 3rd year students of the Jadavpur University, and sociology was one of the subjects in their graduation course. Suresh Basu, a man of all-India fame, was their sociology professor. One day during tiffin hour, he had called Debki in his chamber, and floated the proposal. He hadn't  hidden anything from Debki. He had told her that this would be secret mission in the guise of a project work.

"The light of the lamp may not last long, but the rain seemed to have mitigated",  Debki announced, as she could hear the sound of rain had lessened significantly.

"Hurrah! " Priya jumped in joy.

 Debki looked at her wrist watch and said, "Not much to cheer, pretty girl! It's 7-30 PM already, and we lost the road. The car broke down. We can't get any help, since none of the phone is working. Where do we go now?"

Rina said, "I think we should try to find a village, where we can call Suresh Sir. He told that a back up team would be near us in case of an emergency."

Priya said, "I don't like the idea of roaming in an unknown territory at dark night. Have you seen   single person since 5 PM? Why don't we take shelter in the ac car and lock the windows for the rest of the night? In the early morning, we can try to find help."

"Why us Sir? This is a job best suited for men." Debki said to Suresh Sir, as she was a bit reluctant to take the offer.

"You  are saying this Debki! " Suresh Sir was visibly disappointed with her reply.
"You are a 400 meter district level champion. You are a university champion in women's boxing. I know You can defeat any boy. Don't underestimate yourself. "

Suresh Sir might have been using plastic praises to boost her sagging moral, Debki thought. But she could not miss the respect in his voice. Suresh Sir also promised high marks for the project. It was on his suggestion she took Priya and Rina on the tour.

"We have to find a hamlet. If we can contact Suresh Sir, the back up team will be able to rescue us." Debki pronounced her verdict.

The rain had stopped completely. Debki and her friends left the temple in search of a hamlet.

They were walking on an agricultural field which was empty after reaping of the rabi crop. It was uneven, muddy and in some places water-logged. Even Debki was struggling hard to keep her balance. She was carrying her mobile phone as a torch in one hand, while Priya was holding her other hand to keep her balance, and was getting rebuked almost in every two steps as she dragged Debki to avoid from falling. After wading their way through this muddy field for about 100 meters or so, they found a village road of around 6 ft wide. Priya heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank God".

"Snake", Debki shouted.

Both Rina and Priya jumped in fear. So far Priya could avoid falling. But after the jump she fell on the ground.

"Ha ha! Listen completely before jumping. I was going to say snake will not come in your way as they are still not out of hibernation."

"You stupid!"

Priya slapped on Debki's shoulder. She didn't like the joke at all. The unseasonal rain in mid-February made the climate very cold. After walking for 30 minutes, they saw a hamlet around 500 meters away from them.

"At last we see some light!" Rina exclaimed.

"Oh God, I want to take some rest. My legs can't take it any more", Priya longed.

The three friends getting new hopes stepped up their walking speed. Just when they were around 200 meters away from the hamlet, suddenly 3 lungi-clad, vest-wearing young men appeared in front of them from no where.

"Look who have come here! Did you pray for this Mustaq in the evening namaz?" One of them asked in a very ugly tone.

Priya having already grabbed Debki's hand, quickly hid behind her. All of them got extremely surprised by their sudden appearance. Were they stalking them?

Priya was the most beautiful among them with a very attractive figure. She had already got an offer from the Bengali film industry for heroine's role, which she rejected. Rina and Debki were not beautiful, but they were good-looking.

"Arre, no Faruk, it looks like Allah is very much merciful to all of us today. See, 3 girls for 3 of us! Oh boy, this will be the most enjoyable night in our life." The man named Mustaq, who was around 20 years old, said excitedly.

"Hey Romeos, mind your language! We have come from Kolkata, and lost our way. We need help, and not threat." Debki said in an assertive voice.

Unfortunately, these guys did not think her as their leader. They started laughing. The guy named Faruk, who was around 25, medium-built, said in a mocking voice,

 "Hey Tomboy, you don't have to introduce yourself. We know who you are and why have you come here. But, I guess you don't know us. We are exactly the people for whom you have come here."

A cold shiver ran down their spine as they heard the chilling words. Debki thought they did a splendid performance in gathering information and installing the spying devices under the guise of a socio-economic survey! Whenever Priya goes, people throng to see her. This was no exception, almost all the inhabitants flocked around her. While she and Rina asked customary questions, Debki installed spying equipments as directed and trained by the Intelligence officials. They distributed pens, bulbs and radio sets to villagers as gifts. But in reality, they were also spying equipments. They talked to some villagers privately to get information about smugglers. Everything went so flawlessly that there was no scope of doubt in their mind.

Things began to go wrong only when they left the village for Kolkata. Debki was not a professional driver. When they entered here, they asked a few people on their way. But while retuning, Debki forgot the return route. When she asked a guy standing  in the turning point where the road bifurcated -- now it appeared to her -- he might have misguided them. And now it seemed to Debki that even the tyre punctures were also not normal.

"I don't understand what you are trying to say!" Debki tried to maintain her composure.

"Hey, Taimur they don't understand what we are saying! Why don't you translate in English? " Mustaq again said with a very rude laughter.

The nature in that night was in a playful mood. Just a few moments ago, she produced torrential  rains. But now, the clouds seemed to have vanished into thin air, and it turned out to be a beautiful moonlit night. Debki could clearly see that whom Mustaq referred as Taimur was a standout guy from the other two. He was 6 feet tall, extremely fair with a sportsman like body. He didn't look like either an Indian or a Bangladeshi.

Taimur said in broken English, "You have come in tiger's den. We have concrete information that you are spies of police. You will not return from here."

This chilling words made even Debki perturbed. She understood this guy was not giving empty threats. But she tried her best to remain nonchalant, though she realised her voice trembled a bit,
"Your information is wrong. We are university students, and came here for a project work. Please let us go."

While saying this, Debki could feel Priya was trembling behind her. All of them again started laughing in a very disturbing manner. Mustaq said, "Whatever Sweeties, you will never return from here. First, we shall rape you, and then we shall slit your throats."

At that point, Priya's nerve gave away, and she screamed, "Help, help, somebody please help us."

She hoped some villagers would come out to help them, as the hamlet was not far away from the spot.

The smugler troika didn't stop laughing. Mustaq rudely said, "No body will show up honey! We are the kings here. Even your BSF will not touch us. You can shout as much as you can. But I suggest you to save some energy, as you will require a lot more shouting  when we rape you.

In the winter, sound can be heard from a long distance. But Debki was aghast to note that not a single villager came out.

Faruk said,  "Hey Mustaq, we have had a lot of talks. It's time for action. Let's start with the beauty queen." While Taimur and Mustaq surrounded them, Faruk came forward to take Priya, who was still hiding behind Debki.

Debki, too, realised that it was time for action. When Faruk came in front of her, she said, "Not so easily", and punched in the right eye of Faruk.

She always knew, no matter how good a woman boxer was, she could never match her male counterpart. So, she took no chance, and employed a falling sidekick on the ear of Faruk. Debki was not sure of the impact, but to her pleasant surprise Faruk fell on the ground like a lifeless object. Debki knew he was out for sometime.

But Debki's joy was very short-lived, as Taimur jumped in front of her like a tiger and punched on her jaw with full force. He was standing at least 3 feet away from Debki. It was beyond Debki's imagination that he could be so swift. The punch on the jaw was too much for even a heavyweight boxer. Debki couldn't take it and fell on the ground unconscious.

Mustaq said to Priya, "Now your protector is gone. Who is going to save you from us?"

Rina was so far a mute spectator. At this point, she begged, "Please don't do any harm to us. See, we have plenty of money and jewellery. Why don't you take that and leave us?"

Mustaq said angrily, "It's a forgone conclusion that we will take those after we kill you."

But Rina was relentless,  and she frantically searched her handbag and said, "Please take this."

"Take what?" Mustaq was bit curious. Rina took out a small container,  opened it, and threw something from it in the eyes of both Mustaq and Taimur.

"My eyes! What did you throw, you bitch?"

Taimur didn't say anything,  but he, too, closed his eyes, and was writhing in extreme pain. Rina didn't waste any second. She kicked the guts of both these men as hard as possible. Now both stared screaming lying on the road. Rina directed Priya to run towards the hamlet. She started  shaking Debki vigorously.

"Wake up Debki! Wake up!"

But Debki was not responding. Priya started running towards the hamlet. Rina knew these guys would be up on their feet within a couple of minutes. She looked frantically here and there, and saw a puddle on the left. She took some water in her palms, and sprinkled it on Debki's face.

The cold water did wonders! Within seconds Debki opened her eyes, and was on her feet.

"Run towards the hamlet", Rina seemed to have taken the mantle of leadership for a while. Both ran, and soon caught up with Priya.

"What did you throw Rina in their eyes?" Priya could not curb her curiosity.

"Chili powder that I always carry with me for these kind of bastards. "

They knocked the door of the first house, and shouted to open the door. But nobody opened it. They knocked 4 more houses, but no one responded.

"Bloody cowards!" Debki was completely  flabbergasted with the kind of timid behaviour of the villagers.

At that point,  a door from a thatched mud house opened on its own, and they could see a elderly Muslim woman, with her head covered in hijab,  calling them with hand gestures. The moment they entered it, she closed the door, and put a bolt on it.

"Phone, do you have a phone?" Debki asked eagerly, as she knew the mud house would not be able to protect them for long.

"No! My name is Ayesha. I am a widow, I live alone. I don't have a phone. How did you come here?"

Very briefly Debki narrated their ordeal, and asked for a suggestion to get out of this trouble.

Ayesha said, "If you run towards the same direction you will reach the river Ichhamati. That's a dead end, and in this hamlet many people are sympathiser of these goons. They won't help you. I cannot think of  any idea to get you out of this mess."

At that point, very loud voice of Mustaq could be heard from outside, " Open the door Ayesha, and hand over the girls to us."

"No, go away! Spare them, I beg you. " Ayesha cried.

"You fool! How long will it take for us to break your door? You open the door yourself, and save your property."

At that time, a miracle happened. Suddenly, Priya's phone rang, and it was Suresh Sir calling.

Debki snatched the phone from Priya, and said, "Sir, we are in trouble...." . Before she could complete the sentence, Suresh Sir said, "Listen Debki, we know where you are. Within 5 minutes, we shall reach the spot. Just hold them for 5 more minutes."

Debki was perplexed to listen that. They didn't have any network, but their GPS was on from the beginning. Debki thought it might be the GPS that pinpointed their location.

There was a ramshackle wooden cot on that small room. Debki and Rina put that in front of the door. Debki told all of them to use force to hold the cot right on the door. Within a minute, their patience ran out, and the men outside began to kick the door. The door would have broken within a second, but it was held back by the cot. The ladies applied all their might to prevent the intrusion. When it appeared to Debki that they could pass the remaining few minutes without any hiccups, someone from outside fired three consecutive shots.  

"Hai Allah, my chest!" Ayesha fell down, as a bullet hit her on right chest. The thin wood was no match to stop bullets.

"Everyone go to the corner and lie on the floor." Debki switched off the light.

The goons, total 6 in number, entered the room, and switched on the light.

"Now what Jhansi ki Rani?" Pointing the pistol towards Debki, Mustaq mocked her.

"Don't wait Mustaq, shoot this girl, and if you don't, I will."

Faruk seemed to have developed some personal enmity towards Debki. Since Mustaq was a bit hesitant, Faruk pointed the gun towards Debki, and shot. Debki was ready. The moment she saw Faruk taking his forefinger to the trigger, she jumped towards the left. The shot very narrowly missed her.

Before a very angry Faruk could fire his second shot, a smoke bomb burst in the room. Within seconds the entire room was engulfed in smoke, and voice in loudspeaker could be heard from outside, "Mustaq, you have been surrounded by police. Surrender, otherwise all of you will be killed."

The smugglers were extremely surprised at the sudden appearance of police. Taimur said, "No question of surrendering. We will fight and defeat the infidels. Holy Jehad!"

 The other 5 present there shouted, "Holy Jehad!"

They rushed towards outside, and a heavy fighting broke out. It was very difficult for Debki and her friends to guess who was winning. They could hear more than 100 shots within the next 5 minutes. Priya was continuously praying, "God please save us."

Debki herself didn't have much faith in God. But at this critical stage of standing in threshold of life and death, she thought it was not a bad idea to become a believer.

Suddenly, everything become silent. Priya held Debki's hand very tightly. Debki could hear the heavy heartbeats of Priya. Rina was biting her nails. Debki didn't know what to do if the smugglers entered the room again.

But alleviating their fear, they could hear the voice of Suresh Sir from outside, "Come out Debki, Rina and Priya. Everything is all right. They are all dead."

The three friends burst in joy, and hugged each other. When they came outside, they saw some police personnel were placing the 6 dead bodies in line. Suresh Sir introduced them to the police officials. There were 2 officers and 4 constables from the special branch of WB Police, and 4 officers from the NIA. Debki recognised the two famous officers from the SB, Saikat Saha and Nilanjana Datta. But she was perplexed to note the presence of NIA officials.

Suresh Sir told this was a joint operation. But Debki was not convinced, and asked, "NIA to nab petty smugglers? "

Nilanjana Datta shook hands with Debki, and said, " You are very smart. This was not only about smugglers."

She pointed out her finger towards Taimur and said,  "This guy is an international terrorist. He is an Uzbek in nationality, and belonged to ISIS. Hounded by the Interpol, he took shelter in the subcontinent. We had the information that he was hiding in the Indo-Bangladesh border area. But we could not trace him. He had a very safe hideout here, and never went out of it. But the entire credit goes to Priya for drawing him out of his safe haven."

Debki's mouth became so much agape in amazement that an aeroplane could have easily entered there. She could only say,  "What, Priya?"

Nilanjana laughed at Debki's bewilderment, and said, "Yes, she is so beautiful that the entire area was talking about her. The villagers described her as a wingless fairy from the heaven. Taimur could not resist the temptation to see her, and eventually fell in our trap."

Debki helplessly looked at Rina as if to say, "We did the dirty work, and she is taking away the credit!"

Nilanjana understood Debki's feelings, and said' "See, I am a woman. I know how much courage it a takes for a woman to go through these dangerous situations. All of you have done a marvellous job. We shall recommend your name for the gallantry award."

Vipul Sharma from the NIA said, "Besides, Taimur had a large amount on his head. You will get a share of the award, and I promise the amount will not be less than Rs 100000 for each of you."

"Hurrah!" The three friends said in chorus.

Pictures taken from the net