The Shyam!

Inspector Chauhan winced at the loud and audible crack that came from MLA Bhope’s mouth. He had known that politicians weren’t necessarily the most refined of individuals, just charismatic, but this was pushing it. The inspector’s current woes came from the loud and messy way MLA Bhope was currently chewing paan. Every time the MLA opened his mouth to order his assistant, Chauhan could feel a wave of hot supari wash over him. That it was his first time on such a high level assignment didn’t make him feel any better. In spite of it being a low risk assignment, the fact that he alone was responsible for the MLA’s safety as he travelled from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to his daughter’s house in Pune made him jittery. The MLA’s insistence of traveling immediately, despite the late hour, had been approved by his superiors who didn’t want to deal with Bhope’s tantrums.

“Chauhan, are you sure you don’t want a paan?” asked Bhope for the sixth time. because Chauhan had been counting. “No sir, I am fine. I need to concentrate on my job, keeping you safe.” “Suit yourself. More for me, eh?” Bhope and his assistant broke out into raucous laughter at the statement, while Chauhan was left trying to figure out whether there was a joke he had missed in the statement. Sheepishly smiling so as to not give offense, Chauhan took this moment to glance out of his window and take in the surroundings. With no police escorts, their white Hindustan Ambassador blended in with the rest of the cars on the road. They were crossing the Vashi bridge, and were making good time on their trip. At this rate, Chauhan estimated that they would reach Pune by 1 or 2 in the morning.

The inspector shook his head to break himself out of his musings and concentrate on the job. As he turned back to his assignment, he saw the MLA and his assistant gazing at him questioningly. Realizing that he had missed the conversation, Chauhan apologized. “Sorry sir, I was just ensuring that we were secure. What did you say?”. The MLA shook his head condescendingly. “Chauhan, Chauhan. Is this your first time escorting someone?” At the affirmative and somewhat embarassed nod, Bhope continued. “You need to, what do the young ones say? Loose up. Yes. I have made this trip hundreds of times, and there has never been any trouble whatsoever. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, and plan how you will spend your bonus tomorrow.” The MLA’s rat like assistant sniggered and nodded.

After a few minutes of contemplative silence, MLA Bhope turned to Chauhan again. “Now that we are out of Mumbai, what do you say we turn on the sirens and speed up? The faster we reach Pune, the less stress for you, right?” While Chauhan would have liked nothing more than to accede to the MLA’s demands, years of training hammered into him revolted at the idea of making themselves a target. And turning on the sirens would be like painting a bulls-eye on the back of their car. “Sir, I would have to recommend we don’t. We don’t know what kind of undesirables are around us, and it will just make us stand out further. I think we should just keep traveling like we have so far.”

“Chauhan, you worry too much. You’ll suffer from high blood pressure at this rate. Relax. Driver! Turn on the sirens and speed up. I want to see my daughter tonight.”  The driver turned back to Inspector Chauhan to confirm the order, who only shrugged, having given up on controlling the MLA. “Thats a good boy.” praised the MLA, clapping Chauhan on the shoulders. Chauhan just gave a tight smile, before turning out to keep an eye on the road behind them.  They had joined Palm Beach Marg at this point, but there was an unusual amount of traffic for the time of day.

The effect of the siren and the blinking lights was immediate. The screeching sound cut through the night time, and got everyone’s attentions. The haphazard disjointed flow of traffic started to make way, clearing the first lane for the ambassador. The cars started flying by as they made headway through the traffic in record time. Chauhan started to relax, reconsidering his initial objections to the idea and deciding that the sooner this whole endeavor was over with, the better.

It was then that he noticed out of the corner of his eyes a black Skoda Octavia tailing them, matching them speed for speed. With its ominous tinted windows, the car caused Chauhan’s hairs to stand on end. “Don’t look back now, but I think we are being followed.” Of course, as with any instruction, the MLA did the exact opposite, turning back to glance at the tailgating car. “But who would be after me? I have never hurt a fly. I am a man of religion, a peace loving saint.” MLA Bhope’s false sense of bravado and security had instantly vanished, panic settling in on his bloated features. “Sir, maybe it was that Dawood bhai who was trying to extort money from you by threatening to expose your dealings.” Bhope glared at his suddenly helpful assistant, who immediately shut up and turned to the front again.

“Chauhan, I am an important man. My life is in your hands. If anything happens to me, you will be ruined.” The MLA’s fake bluster and threaten didn’t help Chauhan, who had already begun calculating all possibilities, and trying to figure out the path to safety. “Driver, do one thing. Turn off the siren and pull into the next lane. Lets see if he passes us.” The harrowed driver nodded and did as he was told. Chauhan turned back, only to notice that the Skoda did the exact same thing, still following them.

“Oh god. Oh god. He is following us. Chauhan, do something. I order you to protect me.” “Calm down, sir. I have it under control.” Chauhan lied through his teeth, trying to calm down the MLA and get at least one of the problems under control. Sinking his head between his palms, Chauhan tried to get his chaotic thoughts under control. Finally, after a minute, he lifted his head, grim determination etched into his features. “Ok, I am going to call for backup. In the meantime, Driver, turn on the sirens, and start heading towards CBD Belapur’s police station as fast as you can. We should get some backup there.”

The driver shakily nodded, fear reflecting in his eyes at being put on the spot. Chauhan retrieved his cell phone and started dialing the central help line’s number, requesting backup. Somehow, between the siren’s wailing and the MLA’s repeated threats and pleas for help, Chauhan was able to convey his message. “Ok, so they are waiting for us, ready in the station. Just stay calm, and we should be fine.” Chauhan reassured the MLA. “Driver, just keep going as we have.” The driver turned back to nod in acceptance of the command, only to hear the assistant shout, “WATCH OUT!”. He turned back just in time to hit the brakes hard and come to a screeching halt just before the car in front of them.

The Skoda behind them wasn’t as lucky. It couldn’t break in time, and swerved at the last minute to avoid a collision. Unluckily, it hit the divider in the middle and went flying. Chauhan who had just recovered from the near collision turned to the side to see the black car fly through the air and come to a tumbling halt on the other side of the road. “All of you, stay right here in the car.” Ignoring MLA Bhope’s cries of “You are supposed to be protecting me”, Chauhan pulled out his revolver and stepped out of the Ambassador.

Waving his police badge to part the crowd that had instantly accumulated, Chauhan made his way to the car wreck, where a group of bystander’s had pulled out a young kid out of the Skoda. Chauhan first approached the wreck, making sure that there were no other passengers in the black car that had tailgated them. Next, he ran towards the kid, who had been laid on the side of the road while they waited for an ambulance. Shaking the kid, who seemed concussed and heavily bruised, Chauhan waited for him to focus. Finally seeing that he had got the kid’s attention, Chauhan asked the question at the forefront of his mind.

“Why were you following us? Who sent you?” Ignoring the nearby samaritans mumblings of having some pity on the poor kid who was suffering, Chauhan stared intensely at the teen. “Fast… easier… traffic”. The teen’s broken slur was all Chauhan could hear before he was pulled away by the medics who had reached the scene of the accident quickly. The inspector walked slowly towards the ambassador, where the MLA had been left waiting.

“So, who was it? Which gang had sent him after me?” Chauhan just looked sadly at the MLA, whose panic driven questions finally hammered the truth of the events into Chauhan’s head. “It was a college student. One who was using our car to get through the traffic faster.” Ignoring the MLA and the assistant, who were arguing that it must have been part of a bigger conspiracy, Chauhan asked the driver to continue on the original route. Staring out of the window, Chauhan shook his head, lost to the world and muttered. “It was just an innocent student.”