Age and Gender no bar

She was pacing up and down, slowly but surely sizing up the burly, bald man. Finally, she had him locked up behind bars. Now, he wouldn’t be able to harm the innocent young children he had been preying on. SP Prakriti Ghosh, heaved a sigh, knowing fully well that her team and she would be burning the midnight oil to ensure, he would not slip out of any legal loops his lawyers would be working on. She could visualize the headlines the next day: ‘Prominent businessman, director of Shanti Orphanage behind bars’.

SP Prakriti Ghosh was a woman to reckon with. Her tall personality had reached the farthest corners of the country, inspiring many young children to don the uniform and serve the country. Soft spoken, generally with a cool head, which would stay stable in the direst of circumstances, when she raised it the worst of criminals would feel the chill run down their spine.

Fellow athletes from her school days remembered her as the girl who was at the swimming pool at 5:30am for her training and practice. That too after an 8km cycle ride from home. 100 laps of the Olympic sized pool. A round of dives from 1metre, 3 meters and 10metres board, because she was the State and National level Swimming & Diving champion.

When she stood atop the diving board, a picture of still concentration, she would cut off all noise and distractions, focusing her energy only on her dive, at that moment. Gracefully she plunged into the water, warm or cold, summer or winter, slicing the water neatly, leaving the barest of ripple behind.

Cycle back home and after a quick breakfast she would cycle off to school. Attending competitions, and training camps was mandatory, else, the officials would bar her from  participating in competitions at the National level. Sometimes she wondered; ‘Why are they happy erecting hurdles in the paths of young sportspeople? Are they not aware of the burden of the academic work at school?’ She was lucky her Principal supported her in her passion. Some teachers and students hated it, that her work was always updated, and she would top all the exams.

That was Prakriti Ghosh, the Indian National Diving Champion. Her parents were ordinary, middle class people, who would often ask her, “What will you gain becoming a champion?” So, she made dosas and pooris with her mother and went with her Father to check on his small business. Her siblings were there to help with her academics, as and when required. She knew what it was to be barred.

She quit sports, as the politics of judging diving competitions by potbellied officials, who could not have dived from a 10-metre board to save their life, became too much. On the other hand, she got selected to the Special Forces of the Police department. She hoped to make a difference here, age and gender no bar, they said.

Her daring and cool headedness was legendary. Every operation she was involved in, the meticulous planning and execution left her seniors applauding . It was not difficult for her to climb the ladder of success, after all the hard work and dedication she put in.

The shocking news of a well-known businessman, who also ran an orphanage, exploiting the children was buzzing among journalists and the top cops. Now she wanted to bring him to the courts of Justice, cause the Laws of the land are equal for all, barring none.

‘Ma’am we have a woman in the lockup, from the orphanage. You would definitely like to meet her,’ said Inspector Rohit D’Souza. She was there in a trice.

 ‘What do you do at the orphanage?’ asked the SP.

‘I am the matron. I look after the kids,’ stammered the plump, shifty eyed, swarthy skinned woman.

‘There’s a complaint by the neighbours against you.’

‘I have done nothing, Sarkar! It’s the boss … he, and his friends. They don’t care, these are orphans, they may not have parents, but they definitely have God.” She wailed, “ What can I say Sarkar, I am merely an employee,” and she started sobbing loudly, her tears competing with the flow of torrential monsoon rivulets.

‘Ok! Stop that noise. You can be released, but only if you help us.’ The poor woman, just fell at the SP’s feet and promised to do her bidding.

She conferred with Inspector Rohit and left without a backward glance. The Inspector then proceeded to explain the task to the woman.

It was dark that night, the crickets were serenading in high pitch. The neighbourhood seemed lost in deep slumber. Prakriti and her team had spread out, in and around the house. Occasionally they heard a chowkidar on duty, pounding his stick, ‘Thak thak,’ and a slow long whistle ‘Tweeee ….Tweee…’ accompanied by a stray dog barking in tandem. Ah! If only things were so simple to keep the citizens safe and secure.

Suddenly they noticed the lights in the window of the first-floor room in the house, blinking on and off a couple of times. That was the signal. The woman had understood well enough. Under the cover of the darkness, and the silent empty streets, they rushed to the house and cautiously entered from a side entrance. SP Prakriti Ghosh led from the front as usual.

There were sounds of revelers, coming from a room at the back of the house. As they barged into the dimly lit room, they saw a couple of elderly men jousting with some children. One of her special team members quietly moved to the bar, turning off the music shouting, ‘Hands up!’ ‘ Don’t move!’ ‘You are under arrest!’ The party came to a sudden halt. The deafening silence, in a moment turned into a cacophony of noise, ‘Help’ ‘Police! Run, run!’ ‘Waaa…Waaa’(wailing children) The official photographer had a field day documenting the people caught red handed, partying with the children from the Orphanage. Only that the children looked, scared, desperate, and terrorized.

In the midst of it all was the burly, bald headed, elderly man who thought his connections with politicians gave him a license, to exploit the very children he was supposed to be taking care of. ‘Do you know who I am?’ barked he.

“Do you know, who I am?  I am SP Prakriti Ghosh, Special Forces,” she said as she pointed her pistol straight at his head.

He looked at the athletic 5-foot,3 inches lady, who dinned fear in the hearts of criminals, and commanded respect from all. He expected a tall, Amazonian lady, such was her towering reputation. Didn’t she whip the backside off an Eve teaser once? That too barehanded? Hadn’t she chased two goons over two kilometres, across walls, fences, and open roads, till she finally shot their legs. And the classified details of numerous cases never made it to the newspapers.

He knew his game was up, as he saw the room swarming with the Special forces team. And was smart enough to surrender. If he lived, he could devise a way to get out.

SP Prakriti oversaw the handcuffing of all and being escorted to the police station. It was going to be a long night. She would ensure they were put behind bars… forever!