The drive to Gudalur gave Prof. Bipin Banenrjee lots of time to think. The tastefully appointed black Mahindra Scorpio SUV insulated the sounds of the country side from venturing inside the cabin. As the powerful engines easily tackled the hairpin curves while crossing the Nilgiris mountains, Bipin looked outside at the lush green country side and considered his choices today.
He could be brash, he could be accommodating in the presence of the King of Cochin. Undoubtably the man he would be meeting is one of the most powerful men in the world. If he wanted I could have been forcefully taken to Cochin City or worse made to disappear, however the very fact that he had been so gracefully invited would mean that the King of Cochin wanted my support. It could be in no other way. A person in power would not risk placing himself in an insecure place to meet a person he was purportedly at enmities with. Yes, Rama Varma must have realized that his position is untenable and wanted to reach an agreement with me. Perhaps this would lead to far more freedoms for the revolutionaries, a breathing space to regain the strengths that had been so callously wasted in the past few months. This time he, Bipin Bannerjee would lead the revolution, a peaceful revolution that would definitely shake the corridors of power.
As Bannerjee rolled down the window and let the sweet and sharp multi faceted fragrances of the forest wash over him, he stared at the setting sun and wondered if the red sun sinking into the Western horizon signified the dusk of the Kingdom of Cochin. As he thought more about it, Bannerjee could not visualize any other scenario that would have led him to be accorded this much respect.
The sun had set but the light had not faded out of the gray blue sky as the Scorpio entered the lush green and discretely located grounds of the Gudalur Palace. The small wooden bungalow could hardly be considered on par with the sheer magnificence and opulence of other examples of feudal arrogance he had seen in Mysore or Kolkata, but there was a quiet dignity and artistic taste in this place. He had heard that Rama Varma had come into possession of this place through his mother who was from Nilambur Royal Family, another ancient family that had once ruled the entire stretch of Nilgiris with its uncountable wealth.
As he got down from the SUV assisted by Maj. Ganesh Nair he saw more young men of his physical features standing around the place, as if they are the silent guard. The Chaver Guards. The elite Praetorian Guards, the elite of the King's Guards an already elite unit separated from Royal Cochin Defense Forces and Royal Cochin Police Forces. While the King's Guards protected the ministers and Cochin Royal Family, the Chaver Guards protected the King and the Crown Prince. Drawn from the best combat units in RCDF and RCPF this ultra secretive unit is said to have a mission profile that included ready willingness to jump in the line of a bullet to protect his sovereign. The remarkable fact is that this voluntary unit had a large number of applicants, all wanting to fulfill the terminal mission profile to protect their beloved King. What quality or what power is there in this man and his system that elicits this level of loyalty?
Being led by Maj. Nair, Bannerjee noted that they were not going inside the house rather to the garden, where an old man was gardening the flowers in the last few minutes before the setting of darkness. Already flood lamps lit atop the bungalow were silhouetting the shadows of men on the tree line a bare 100 feet away. Bannerjee had seen photos of the King and of course his television addresses but wondered how he would be physically. As they neared the garden, the gardener rose up from his crouch, wiped his hands on a dirty towel put around his shoulders and said," Good evening, Prof. Bannerjee. I am most glad that you have come. I hope you had a pleasant journey?"
Bannerjee was surprised. He had expected many things, but not this. The King of a vast nation, with millions of soldiers at his command untold trillions of wealth at his discretion gardening? Why would a man with such power, such responsibility not delegate this so menial of job to one whose time is less valuable?
"Hello Mr. Varma. The journey from Coimbatore was quite comforting, but the journey to there unfortunately not so."
"I understand, the railways are in a shabby state, aren't they? In six months you would see a difference in the quality of travel and quality of service."
"So why have you summoned me, Mr. Varma?" Bannerjee asked with no little measure of trepidation. Age wise they were remarkably close, however physically the King seemed much stouter. The face had a serenity and sureness of purpose that he had not seen in any politician in his 40 odd years in politics.
"Yes, let us sit somewhere before we talk. The age is catching up with me after all these years. By the way Ganesh," the King said to the Head of Chaver Guards," You don't have to stay here, you know. I truly believe I am in no danger here."
Maj. Ganesh Nair's brows wrinkled as he replied, "Your Excellency, but I cant. He is..... he is a communist." The disgust that was suavely concealed in Bhubaneshwar could no longer be concealed before his principal.
"Yes, he is a communist, but I also believe Mr. Bannerjee is a man of peace. Now you can leave us alone son. It is okay." The compassion and love in the man's words surprised him. There was genuine caring between the principal and the protector, another thing that he had not expected to see.
"So Mr. Bannerjee. You must have wondered why I have called you here, right? Do you have any guesses as to why I requested your presence?"
"I have a few guesses, but I would prefer to hear your pitch first," Bannerjee said with a slight smirk.
Rama Varma closed his eyes for a second and opened them before continuing, " In the past few months, in fact from the moment India became a part of our territory, I had ordered a close observation on all three Communist parties of India. Over the past few months of violence and terror the surveillance had been intensified. While Marxists and Maoists were led top down in the insurgency, you had retrained your subordinates from committing any acts of terror. You had demonstrated an appreciation for peace, the only reason why your party is still not attenuated of its members and you are sitting before me , alive."
The still air reverberated with the quiet force of the statement as Bannerjee realized his preconceptions were all false. Just like the moths fluttering in the cool night air around the flood lights, he felt his position crumbling.
"So I had called you here today to make you fully aware of your position, Mr. Bannerjee. I had offered you time to settle down in the Kingdom. If you choose to live as citizens of Cochin, you will have to obey the rules of Cochin. Any act of propagation of Communism would be considered a threat to national security. I am sure that you have many philosophical arguments in support of your convoluted philosophy but I know from practical experience the heinous nature of your ideology. I have no power over Communism in other nations, but within this Kingdom I shall not let it take root, at any cost."
Prof. Bipin Bannerjee felt his blood freezing at the chilling import of the man's words. The sheer persona of the King made it impossible for him to retaliate. But then the cold facade thawed as a warm smile lit his face, "I apologize if you consider me intimidating, but I do need your assurance that you shall abide by Cochin law. Each and every member of CPI who has had no hand in any criminal activity would carry on leading a normal life as full citizens of the Kingdom. As citizens of Cochin, you shall have more freedoms and benefits than in any other Communist nation. For the sake of your comrades, I hope you can agree to this."
As the King finished his statement, 200 feet away Stalin Selvan was looking at the bunglow with a pair of binoculars.
"Damn those flood lights, cant see a damn thing. Mylan, are you sure that he is in the bungalow."
"Yes Comrade. The capitalist pig is in there."
"Very well, any time we waste here would give more time for the King's Guards to detect us. So CHARGE!!" As he yelled a group of 50 heavily armed rebels ran up towards the Palace. Alerted by Stalin Selvan, the militant leader of CPI Coimbatore, a force of 50 rebels had arrived at Gudalur and using the expertise of Mylan a tribal originally from the forests around Gudalur had followed a less known jungle trail to reach the premises, hidden deep within the Nilgiris forests. Armed with AK47 assault rifles and long and curved Arivaal daggers, these rebels wanted to repay back the atrocities committed on their fraternal comrades across India at the behest of the man who is inside that building. As the group of 50 started running towards the clearing making a cacophony in the dense undergrowth of the forest, a silent burst of gunshots fell two mean leading the attack. The rebels started firing wildly all around and apparently one of the bullets caught its mark as a loud exclamation of pain emanated from about 40 feet away. As the rest of the rebels started running towards the clearing hoping to overwhelm the King's Guards defense Stalin Selvan walked towards where the Chaver soldier was lying. The man was hit on his shoulders and stomach and was bleeding to a fast death. Now that should not be allowed. As he saw the rebel arriving the wounded soldier attempted to raise his pistol but in a burst of speed, Stalin Selvan hacked his right arm off. Before his wail of pain ceased he saw the smirking rebel swishing the curved black sword at a curvature directed towards his neck.
The burst of gun fire alerted Maj. Ganesh Nair that his worry had come true. They were unable to install the necessary defensive measures and all Magis sets were being used by RCPF for the terrorist hunt. When he expressed his earlier worry about whether the Politburo chief would use the meeting as an attempt to take the King's life, the King had not placated about his physical safety from the Professor, of that Ganesh was manifestly confident, but whether he would leak the information causing an attack to be mounted.
Now his fears realized Ganesh led his cohorts of Chaver Guards to the King and his ratting visitor. Seeing them run towards them, Bannerjee cowered in fear, but Rama Varma said,"Take Bannerjee inside. There are domestic staff inside the bungalow, protect their lives, Ganesh. We can take care of ourselves."
Seeing the merit in the unpalatable advice, Ganesh replied, "Yes Sir. Units, this is Chaver Six. Me and 3 others are around the King, remaining units make a stand at the bungalow, make it appear as if the King is in the building. Also get some additional support here."
The 40 odd rebels were matched by 6 Chaver Guards around the Bungalow's doors, two machine gunners at the roof and the 4 standing guard near the King.
Selvan and his group of 9 rebels engaged an enemy group in the gardens as he ordered the rest of the rebels making towards the house. A mexican stand off ensued where both groups fired at each other, one behind a group of over turned tables and the other camouflaged by the row of hedges. Suddenly Maj. Ganesh realized that their last magazine was being used. "Team, I am Winchester, how are you loaded?"
"I am winchester too, sir."
"Damn. Well we still have our swords," Ganesh Nair said smiling as he looked at the faces of his friends, colleagues and brothers. "Ganesh whatever you do, dont count me out, I have not had this much excitement in a long time," Rama Varma's booming laughing voice joined in.
"Seriously Varma Sir, you need to take care of yourself," Ganesh said to the senior person the tension of combat easing up the protocol slightly."Dont worry about me lad, now let us wait for those communists to come and attack."
Almost sensing the predicament of the soldiers behind the over turned tables the rebels charged the position firing wildly at the tables in full automatic. As they saw the centuries old wood started splintering under the fire, they stopped as one to change the magazines. Sensing the lull one Chaver Guard leaped at the enemy drawing his sword and shield and engaging them. The shock of seeing the soldier jumping at them with an outstretched sword and a round shield scared the rebels into jamming their second magazines into their assault rifles, thus invaliding them, all except one. Mylan was in the front of the group and had a full magazine of rounds. He sprayed bullets at the approaching soldier peppering his body with bullets. AS he felt the bullets thudding into his body the soldier screamed, "JO BOLE SO NIHAL, SAT SRI AKAL" his old regimental war cry and hacked off the head of the offending rebel before collapsing himself. At this the Chaver Guards and the King too started running towards the rebels who started drawing out their own Arivaal swords.
"There is the King, there is the King. Kill him. Kill him for the revolution, cried Stalin Selvan as he swerved past one Chaver Guard and along with 4 other rebels surrounded the King, who was himself in a crouched battle position sword raised in his right hand and the round shield in his left hand. For a man of his age he was displaying considerable agility. The glint of ruby from the centuries old ceremonial sword distracted the attackers for a faint second before one rebel who made the mistake of venturing within the King's combat radius found his left arm cut off from shoulders. His nerve wracking screams galvanized the others into action as they leaped at the King. Rama Varma deftly feinted the attacks through the skills and flexibility learned over decades of learning and practicing the ancient martial arts of Kalari Payattu. As one rebel lashed his dagger at him from the left side coming from top to bottom in a motion to slice the King's right shoulders, the King ducked and rotated clockwise on his heels and as he came out of his rotation hacked the rebel who had now passed him in the lunge at his right knee. As Rama Varma rose up from his crouch he felt a motion behind him and leaped deftly as a rebel behind him lashed out at his legs. Pirouetting in the air as he leapt, the King hacked off the man's head off. The blood and viscera bursting forth from the separated vertebra cloaked the King of Cochin in a shroud of crimson. Wiping the blood from his eyes, with his left arm the King turned to face the two remaining attackers. The King slowly approached the two attackers who seemed awe struck by the bloodied demon approaching them. The man on the left lashed at King from his right side. The King waited for him to close the radius, blocked the sword with his shield, ducked , drove his sword into the man's abdomen, turned clockwise to his right and rose up thus disemboweling the rebel who fell down on a heap of viscera.
Stalin Selvan saw with shock at the destruction met by his rebel revolutionaries. He barely saw the rebel group approaching the bungalow being massacred by the two machine guns and 6 Chaver Guards on the grounds. He saw his comrades being killed one by one by the Chaver Guards protecting the King and now he saw four of his comrades being killed by the King. In a fit of rage Stalin Selvan leaped towards the King, as he swerved and agilely avoided the King's thrusts he felt his attempts to hack the King foiled by the shield. Then in a brief flash of crystal clear clarity and under the brilliant white spotlight provided by the moon, he saw the last sight of his life on the planet - a blood red apparition and a streak of silvery light that flashed across him, top right to bottom left of his body.
After another second of unstable equilibrium, Stalin Selvan's body fell to the ground, one piece to the right and another piece to the left.
"See Ganesh, did I not say I will not let you down? Take cheer my boy, for we have survived, but not so much because we have lost one of our own," Rama Varma said looking at the Chaver Guard who was lying on the ground. Maj. Ganesh Nair laughed and said, "Saket? No, Sir, he is only stunned. He had been wearing the CORM full body armor unlike you. He is just in a muscular shock due to the sudden multiple projectile impacts. He would be alright and running in an hour."
As Major Nair so informed his sovereign Prof. Bipin Bannerjee came out of the bungalow atop a pair of jelly like shaking knees.
"Professor, you have betrayed my confidence. You had informed some of your colleagues did you not?"
"But I never wanted such a thing to happen. I thought I was going to die. I had to inform someone where I was going in case I did not return."
"That is the difference between you and us, Professor. When we give a word, when we take up a duty we are responsible. You communists, for all your lofty ideals are in the end just crooks unable to stand the heat and pressure of responsibility. I pity you , Prof. Bipin Bannerjee because now I reserve for you a fate worse than death. You shall see with your free and independent eyes the utter destruction of Communist Party of India. Every single carded member of CPI would be arrested and questioned extensively. Each and everyone associated with today's attack would be tried and executed for their crimes. You , Sir, would finally see the day Communism ends in Cochin. This shall be your punishment, because I dislike to kill people with no honor. These rebels convoluted through their ideas are have more honor than most of the other communists because they engaged in battle with soldiers and not terrorized the citizens. These rebels would thus receive respect that you would never have the ability to earn. Leave now, and never ever show me your face again." Rama Varma commanded in his booming voice. The shivering and trembling Bipin Bannerjee was led through the carnage of separated body parts to the Scorpio that would take him to Coimbatore. As he would near Coimbatore he would start seeing the number of Police trucks filled with arrested CPI members. Communist Party of India had ceased to exist. Communism has ceased to exist in the Kingdom of Cochin.
Showing posts with label Terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terrorism. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Eradication of Dissent 08, Accidental Treachery
Prof. Bipin Bannerjee arrived at Coimbatore railway station around evening. The long train ride had been punishing for his aging body. As he exited the train he saw a friendly face calling him, "Hello Professor, I hope you had a good trip?" Stalin Selvan is the local CPI party leader and now with the imminent dismantling of Communist Party of India, he looked forward to a return to more work intensive employment.
"Hello Comrade, how are you? The trip was grueling but comfort is not something for us revolutionaries, right?" Bipin shook hands with his younger comrade and started walking towards the exit.
"Yes Comrade. By the way you never mentioned the reason for this particular trip? All is well in Bhubaneshwar?"
"Yes, all is well. But I am here for a meeting."
"In Coimbatore?" Selvan asked surprised.
"No No. Ah, never mind. So how goes your farm nowadays?"
"Grueling work, I am left with no time to indoctrinate our younger comrades." He said as he hefted Bipin's bag into the trunk of the taxi.
"All in good time , my friend. All in good time." The professor said and was silent for the duration of the trip to his hotel.
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Despite the words of comfort in the letter, Bipin Bannerjee was troubled. What if he never returned from this trip. Shouldn't someone be made aware of the trip he was taking? But that would be betrayal of trust. As if trust had any meaning for these Royals.
Stalin Selvan arranged the professor's bags in his hotel room and was about to leave when he suddenly spotted the cream envelope sticking out of his jacket. He could distinctly see a palanquin motif on the envelope.
"Sir, where are you going tomorrow? Are you sure you are safe and alright?"
"Safe? My boy, is there something safe for us revolutionaries in this day and age? No, but this is a trip I must undertake alone."
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Selvan asked, a faint suspicion now growing in his face.
"No comrade, I would be met tomorrow and escorted to the meeting."
"Could you at least tell me what it is all about? These are dangerous times, we must trust one another, else whom can we trust?"
Yes, that was the crux. He had to tell someone where he was going. So Bipin took a deep breath and said, "Comrade, I have been summoned to meet the King. It appears we may have a chance to reach some level of truce with the Cochin government. If there is any chance that things can be settled peacefully...."
"But Professor, those capitalists massacred our fraternal comrades! Had you not stopped us from joining the revolution we may indeed have succeeded."
"No, Selvan, violence is not the means. We lost the support of the people, that is why Marxists and Maoists failed. Now you must not repeat this to a third soul, I am going tomorrow to Gudalur Palace to have a meeting with Rama Varma. I shall attempt to settle things down peacefully, if he cooperates, else I shall resign myself to death. Please Comrade, pray for my success." the Politburo chief implored his friend.
"I wish you all the best, Comrade. Now you must be tired from all the traveling. You should take some rest." Selvan said, his voice grave.
As he walked out of the hotel , he took his cell phone, dialed a number and said, " Two plates of Chicken 65, please." and cut the call.
"Hello Comrade, how are you? The trip was grueling but comfort is not something for us revolutionaries, right?" Bipin shook hands with his younger comrade and started walking towards the exit.
"Yes Comrade. By the way you never mentioned the reason for this particular trip? All is well in Bhubaneshwar?"
"Yes, all is well. But I am here for a meeting."
"In Coimbatore?" Selvan asked surprised.
"No No. Ah, never mind. So how goes your farm nowadays?"
"Grueling work, I am left with no time to indoctrinate our younger comrades." He said as he hefted Bipin's bag into the trunk of the taxi.
"All in good time , my friend. All in good time." The professor said and was silent for the duration of the trip to his hotel.
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Despite the words of comfort in the letter, Bipin Bannerjee was troubled. What if he never returned from this trip. Shouldn't someone be made aware of the trip he was taking? But that would be betrayal of trust. As if trust had any meaning for these Royals.
Stalin Selvan arranged the professor's bags in his hotel room and was about to leave when he suddenly spotted the cream envelope sticking out of his jacket. He could distinctly see a palanquin motif on the envelope.
"Sir, where are you going tomorrow? Are you sure you are safe and alright?"
"Safe? My boy, is there something safe for us revolutionaries in this day and age? No, but this is a trip I must undertake alone."
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Selvan asked, a faint suspicion now growing in his face.
"No comrade, I would be met tomorrow and escorted to the meeting."
"Could you at least tell me what it is all about? These are dangerous times, we must trust one another, else whom can we trust?"
Yes, that was the crux. He had to tell someone where he was going. So Bipin took a deep breath and said, "Comrade, I have been summoned to meet the King. It appears we may have a chance to reach some level of truce with the Cochin government. If there is any chance that things can be settled peacefully...."
"But Professor, those capitalists massacred our fraternal comrades! Had you not stopped us from joining the revolution we may indeed have succeeded."
"No, Selvan, violence is not the means. We lost the support of the people, that is why Marxists and Maoists failed. Now you must not repeat this to a third soul, I am going tomorrow to Gudalur Palace to have a meeting with Rama Varma. I shall attempt to settle things down peacefully, if he cooperates, else I shall resign myself to death. Please Comrade, pray for my success." the Politburo chief implored his friend.
"I wish you all the best, Comrade. Now you must be tired from all the traveling. You should take some rest." Selvan said, his voice grave.
As he walked out of the hotel , he took his cell phone, dialed a number and said, " Two plates of Chicken 65, please." and cut the call.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Eradication of Dissent - 07 , A Royal Invitation
The Kingdom of Cochin has made membership in a Communist organization a criminal offense. Every member of Communist Party Marxist and Communist Party Maoist shall be arrested immediately without prejudice. Every member of Communist Party of India is expected to register their name at the nearest police station. Since CPI did not participate in the violent activities of the past few weeks , it and its members would not be prosecuted, however CPI would be effectively dismantled as of now. No further meetings are to be conducted by CPI. All members of CPI would from now on be considered Class C Medium Risk Individual. Such individuals would face no problem in receiving employment, education, medical facilities or any such civic facilities but would have a lower threshold of acceptable misdemeanors. Discrimination against Class C individuals in the matter of civic facilities is considered a hate crime under Royal Code of Justice.
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Bipin Chatterjee was sitting in his staff room when he received a call that he had a visitor. It was afternoon around 3.30 PM and he was planning to go out for some tea and cigarettes and it seemed now that plan would be off. As Chatterjee arranged the class notes on his desk and rose up to receive his visitor he glanced at a portrait hanging to the left wall of the room, portrait of a revolutionary thinker. He paused before the portrait that many of his comrades had argued to be taken down. But this is the ideology that he had studied since his school days. He would trust in it till his death. Glancing once again at the portrait of Karl Marx, Prof. Chatterjee made his way to the lobby.
The slowly revolving fan did nothing much to cool the heat of the afternoon sun and the visitor was sitting stiff in the partially ruined sofa seat in the college lobby. As he walked down the winding stairs, Bannerjee heard the metallic rusted creaking of ancient springs as the visitor stood up. How courteous. Wish more of the students at the University were like this young man.
The young man was quite sharply dressed in an executive suit and in his eyes were an intensity that did not fit the cloisters of an academic campus. Those were eyes of a warrior and subtly camouflaged by the man's suits was a well toned body developed for one thing - combat. This is a soldier, Bipin thought. This must be a soldier of the Kingdom. I wonder what binds a man as formidable as this to such an obscene ruling system.
Despite his 60 odd years and an acceptance of a nearing death in a Cochin pogrom, Bannerjee could not suppress a slight chill emanating from his bones as he wondered whether he would meet with death in these corridors of knowledge.
"Good afternoon, young man. How may I be of service to you?" If this was the face of death I would boldly face it.
"Sir, Are you Prof. Bipin Bannerjee?" A low, deep yet intelligent and moderately respectful voice asked him.
"Yes. I am he." Bannerjee reeled for the bullet that may enter his brain at any moment now that he had complied with the identification of the sacrificial lamb.
"Sir, My name is Maj. Ganesh Nair. I have this message for you." As the soldier reached into his left pocket of his jacket, Bannerjee recoiled for a moment expecting a pistol in the stretched hand, but instead was surprised to see an envelope, manifestly of very high quality paper. He noted a small motif on the soldier's lapel, emblazoned with the letters "KG-C" along with a motif of two swords and a shield. Noticing the examination of the embroidery the young man cracked a faint smile and said, "I am the Commander of the Chaver Guards." Chaver, the elite cream of the King's Guards. The Praetorian Guards of the King. The elite of the elite of the elite.
With trembling hands the professor of political sciences opened the envelope and read a letter.
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Bipin Chatterjee was sitting in his staff room when he received a call that he had a visitor. It was afternoon around 3.30 PM and he was planning to go out for some tea and cigarettes and it seemed now that plan would be off. As Chatterjee arranged the class notes on his desk and rose up to receive his visitor he glanced at a portrait hanging to the left wall of the room, portrait of a revolutionary thinker. He paused before the portrait that many of his comrades had argued to be taken down. But this is the ideology that he had studied since his school days. He would trust in it till his death. Glancing once again at the portrait of Karl Marx, Prof. Chatterjee made his way to the lobby.
The slowly revolving fan did nothing much to cool the heat of the afternoon sun and the visitor was sitting stiff in the partially ruined sofa seat in the college lobby. As he walked down the winding stairs, Bannerjee heard the metallic rusted creaking of ancient springs as the visitor stood up. How courteous. Wish more of the students at the University were like this young man.
The young man was quite sharply dressed in an executive suit and in his eyes were an intensity that did not fit the cloisters of an academic campus. Those were eyes of a warrior and subtly camouflaged by the man's suits was a well toned body developed for one thing - combat. This is a soldier, Bipin thought. This must be a soldier of the Kingdom. I wonder what binds a man as formidable as this to such an obscene ruling system.
Despite his 60 odd years and an acceptance of a nearing death in a Cochin pogrom, Bannerjee could not suppress a slight chill emanating from his bones as he wondered whether he would meet with death in these corridors of knowledge.
"Good afternoon, young man. How may I be of service to you?" If this was the face of death I would boldly face it.
"Sir, Are you Prof. Bipin Bannerjee?" A low, deep yet intelligent and moderately respectful voice asked him.
"Yes. I am he." Bannerjee reeled for the bullet that may enter his brain at any moment now that he had complied with the identification of the sacrificial lamb.
"Sir, My name is Maj. Ganesh Nair. I have this message for you." As the soldier reached into his left pocket of his jacket, Bannerjee recoiled for a moment expecting a pistol in the stretched hand, but instead was surprised to see an envelope, manifestly of very high quality paper. He noted a small motif on the soldier's lapel, emblazoned with the letters "KG-C" along with a motif of two swords and a shield. Noticing the examination of the embroidery the young man cracked a faint smile and said, "I am the Commander of the Chaver Guards." Chaver, the elite cream of the King's Guards. The Praetorian Guards of the King. The elite of the elite of the elite.
With trembling hands the professor of political sciences opened the envelope and read a letter.
Quote
To: Prof. Bipin Bannerjee,
Politburo Chief,
Communist Party of India
Greetings,
I invite you to have a face to face meeting with me at the Gudalur Palace. My intent is purely peaceful and upon honor of my family I promise that you shall return safely. I urge you not to reveal the contents or existence of this letter to any of your colleagues, comrades, friends or family. If you so choose the officer delivering this letter would have all the travel arrangements for you.
Hoping I can trust you with this confidence and praying that you would consent to the meeting,
Yours Sincerely,
Rama Varma,
The King of Cochin.
Politburo Chief,
Communist Party of India
Greetings,
I invite you to have a face to face meeting with me at the Gudalur Palace. My intent is purely peaceful and upon honor of my family I promise that you shall return safely. I urge you not to reveal the contents or existence of this letter to any of your colleagues, comrades, friends or family. If you so choose the officer delivering this letter would have all the travel arrangements for you.
Hoping I can trust you with this confidence and praying that you would consent to the meeting,
Yours Sincerely,
Rama Varma,
The King of Cochin.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Eradication of Dissent - 06, Riot Out of Control
Col. Bose watched with horror as gun in the woman's hands came up and fired at the Governor. It was too quick for him to prevent. Before Arindam Bannerjee's dead body slumped to the ground, Col. Bose tackled the murderer to the ground. As he gave way for the woman to be manacled by his subordinate troopers, Col. Bose realized that things are getting even more heated up. The mob outside the barricades were rejoicing at the cold blooded murder and the jeering noise almost blanked out the wail of an ambulance coming from the administrative building.
"Free Ms. Ghosh, Free Ms. Ghosh!!" The mob chanted. So that was the name of the murderer. Ms. Swetha Ghosh, fiancee of Arun Chand, the Communist Party chief in Calcutta, instigator and planner of several attacks, and one of the several arrested in Operation Broke Sickle.
The noon sun was making the city sweltering hot and dense humidity of Calcutta was bringing out torrents of sweat, which added to those created by the pressure of the situation. Col. Bose lifted his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Lt. Gen. Singh, this is Col. Satyajit Bose, Commissioner, Bengal Province. Sir, we have a massive protest mob in front of Provincial Administration building and Governor Arindam Bannerjee has just now been assassinated....... Yes Sir, I am responsible, I know that very well too..... Sir, I need orders now. Situation is getting violent and we may have a major law and order issue here....... Yes Sir, thank you. I shall carry it out."
Satyajit looked at the wide street in front of him. The provincial headquarters is at the apex of a triangular junction and the protesters were filled along the avenue straight ahead. The four lane road, leading to the headquarters was flanked by commercial buildings, many of which were still open. The City Hospital is three blocks away and the principal road to the hospital is along this main road. So far a lane was left alone for the traffic to pass through, but that could change any moment.
Col. Bose spoke a few instructions on radio.
Sushil Nair is getting very very angry. Coming from Kannur, a Communist bastion in Kerala, he had felt right at home in the Marxist dominated campus of the Presidency College where he was studying Law. He was an ardent admirer of Arun Chand, the fiery Marxist activist and a staunch hater of the Kingdom of Cochin. he had rejoiced reading news reports of several attacks on RCPF personnel for the past few weeks but was also slightly disturbed when some attacks were conducted on public places were ordinary people were killed. He had expressed his qualms to Arun Chand, but was reassured when advised that a few sacrifices were necessary for the revolution. The deaths of those tens of people would lead to a better life for thousands tomorrow. Though a fervent communist, Sushil was not tempted to join the more aggressive activities. That all changed with arrest of Arun Chand during when Sushil's room mate and an aggressive activist Praphul was killed. Now Sushil was rage personified as he faced the hated Cochin capitalists. He was ecstatic when Comrade Swetha, killed the Governor. Now he was once again angry when the police arrested her and removed her. He was thus the first to reach into his shoulder bag and lob a rock at the police barricade.
"TAKE COVER, TAKE COVER." Col. Bose's voice boomed over the police barricade as the first stone soon became a barrage of stones that showered upon the armor barricades. One policeman was injured severely when in the hurry to cover his colleagues flank, a fist sized rock hit him in his right eye. The Constable was immediately evacuated to the rear and his position reinforced by a trooper from a second Battalion that had arrived to reinforce the barricade.
"Col. Bose, Calling Col. Bose , Over."
"Col. Bose here, Over."
"Colonel, this is Maj. Sidharth Pai of ARPF Bengal. We are arriving at your position within 15 minutes. Any orders, Sir?"
"Major, stay one block away, I want your units to stay out of the avenue for now. What is your strength?"
"Sir, I currently lead a force of 3 Battalions. Maj. Aravind Joseph is 20 minutes out with another 2 Battalions."
"Okay Major, listen up. Cut off the civilians from this area. The entire block is to be cordoned off. Now, we would be attracting the majority of the ire from the mob, so use that time to clear out civilians from this block. I think you would need one company for that job. Do it discretely, try not to attract attention of the mob. We must contain them for as long as we can."
"Yes, Colonel."
"Col. Bose, this is Capt. Irfan Khan, of Airborne Police Force. Sir, we are now arriving at the scene. Any instructions, Sir?"
"Captain, patrol around, make sure that you inform me if there are any possible breaches in the cordon, okay?"
"Sir, Yes Sir."
The sound of an APF Bell 212 above the streets gave greater anger to Sushil. "Charge the Barricades. Break down their walls!!!" Sushil screamed as the mob started surging towards the barricades.
The RCPF troopers redoubled their push on the barricades and the well designed barricade designs efficiently withstood the pressure.
Maj. Binoy Bakshi, the Assistant Commissioner was getting tense seeing the surging mob and the buckling barricade. He turned to his superior and said,"Colonel we need to start responding now, or the line would be breached."
Col. Bose surveyed the frenzied faces of the thousands strong mob in front of him and said, " No major, we cannot react unless they turn violent. We react only when they do a crime. For now, hold the line." Col. Bose was somber as he saw the afternoon sun glaring down the street. The concrete canyons were like reflecting mirrors and it was as it the fury of the sun was directed towards burning him. 'No I will survive this, I shall fulfill my mandate'
"Col. Bose, this is Major Pai. We are evacuating the streets now. We are using the rear doors to do so."
As Colonel Bose watched, the shutters of the buildings lining the streets started coming down and grills locked shut. A few buildings at the far end of the street are now being evacuated by APF troopers in full riot gear. The cry of one child being taken away from her day care center alerted the mob to what was going on. The subtle deception of RCPF enraged them even more and they started destroying the cars and other vehicles in the street. Crow bars and steel bats were smashing the cars and an RCPF Jeep was over turned and set on fire.
" Colonel, this is Capt. Khan, we have a problem. An ambulance is entering the street from East going towards the City Hospital. They passed by before the cordon was in place. We are trying to raise it but there is no response."
"Oh My God," Colonel Bose's voice was grave as he saw the ambulance entering the street at high speeds, sirens blazing. He could hear the helicopter's radio operator frantically trying to alert the ambulance, to no avail.
Peter Johnson was tense, albeit for another reason. He had responded to an emergency call to find a bike accident victim. Now the young lad was unconscious as the paramedics were trying to revive him. His conditions were critical and his head injury potentially fatal. He had to be rushed to the City Hospital, it was the nearest Shock Trauma Center in a 12 kilometer radius. The radio of the ambulance was unfortunately damaged when in his haste to clear the accident site, Johnson unknowingly yanked out the speaker cables. So the only worry as he entered the Collectorate Boulevard was about reaching the hospital in time. His eyes widened as he saw a huge mob staring wildly at him. Several cars were burning in pyres and many buildings had their facades burst in. Screaching to a halt Johnson attempted to reverse but found his vehicle surrounded by the angry mob.
"Please let us through, I have an accident victim here. Please he will die. No, No , Please Nooooooo." Johnson's last vision was that of a frenzied youth driving a dagger at his chest.
"Attention, Attention, cease your violence. Please disperse. Disperse or you will be fired upon. Disperse immediately." The helicopters blaring out the warning from the Colonel only angered the mob into more frenzy.
"Colonel, there is no response, we must charge now." Maj. Bakshi said.
"Relay the message once more."
"Attention, Attention. This is Colonel Satyajit Bose. Cease your violence and disperse peacefully or lethal action would be taken upon you."
Again crowds paid no attention and vandalism continued. A few Molotov Cocktails were lobbed at the Police barricade and despite the scalding flames the RCPF troopers held the line.
"This is your last warning , disperse or you will be fired upon. Keep your hands in the air and walk away from the Police Barricade."
Several guns were introduced into the melee by the rioters and several shots were fired at the Police line. Some people in the mob attempted to walk away, heeding their innate survival call but these 40 or so people were caught by the more violent members of the mob and beaten to death. Only 2 men managed to reach the ARPF barricade line that now secured the far end of the street.
"Okay. I guess this is it. Maj. Bakshi order the units to roll out."
At the Colonel's orders, SWAT snipers started taking positions at the rooftops of the buildings along the avenue. At the barricades at the gate, the ARPF battalion primed their weapons and trained them on the rioting mob. Similarly all along the street and at various side roads, ARPF cordons trained their weapons on the mob. The mob now started realizing their state of affairs.
"This is Col. Bose. All units fire above the mob, one volley, let us try to scare them off now."
At all the pickets the assault rifles were angled to the sky and fired one volley of shots, taking care not to target at anything. The report of the gunfire caused a brief pause to the rioting. As they tried to decide on what to do now, Col. Bose's voice blared from the skies.
"This is your last warning. Lie down on the ground, with your face down and hands and legs spread wide. Anyone who is standing would be killed. Stay down and surrender or you shall be killed."
The mob once again resumed their rioting and Col. Bose gave the order, "Fire at will."
The two RCPF columns fired at the mobs. It was indiscriminate fire at shoulder, stomach level, never angling down. The ARPF Battalion at the far end of the street started walking their way down the street killing off anyone who had a weapon in his hands. People who were lying face down and alive were searched on the ground itself for any explosives or weapons and then manacled and taken to awaiting prison buses. As the battalion made their march of death along the street the panicked mob started running helter skelter.
Sushil Nair's revolutionary frenzy had dissolved as he witnessed the brutal murder of the ambulance's occupants. He realized with a shock the hollow nature of the ideology he believed in. The violent scenes he saw, the ambulance driver twitching on the road, his entrails strewn around him and the paramedic who was doused with petrol and burnt alive, and the other paramedic who was stripped of her clothes and mutilated before beheaded, for no other crime other than that they worked for the Kingdom of Cochin. Sushil remembered the days when an ambulance would arrive only an hour after being called, and now ambulances were only minutes away. What crime did these ordinary people do? No, this is wrong.
He knew that some of his comrades shared his thoughts as he saw the shock and horror reflected on their faces. Hearing the call to surrender, he was starting to make his way towards the rear of the mob when he saw what happened to those who were trying to escape. He saw a cute girl he had ogled in Party Political being beaten to death, he saw the cook at his hostel canteen being hacked to death. Sushil was petrified. To stay was horror, to run was death. What could he do? What could he do? As he was dazed around in shock he saw the police column marching towards the mob firing. In the panic of the moment Sushil had not heard about the instructions to lie down and surrender. He started running around trying to dodge bullets as best as he could and suddenly saw the head of the person in front of him explode in a burst of blood and tissue. With blood of another man in his eyes, Sushil saw the snipers in the buildings above taking down people with guns. Sushil ran towards one of the alleyways hoping to avoid the carnage. His ears were deafened by the sound of the explosion of a car he himself had set on fire, so he could not now hear the screams from the policemen standing by the barricade, their rifles leveled against him. He ran straight towards them.
Constable Suman Shinde saw the young man running towards him with a backpack and blood on his face. His eyes seemed wild with madness and he looked like he was a suicide bomber with a bag of explosives strapped to his back. As his colleagues were taking down other such rioters by his side, Constable Shinde breathed a prayer for his salvation and fired at the young man.
Sushil felt the slugs hitting his chest and arms and felt a leaden weight pulling him down as his legs crumbled under the impact of further bullet wounds. As the searing pain racked his body Sushil thought about how much better his life would have been if he had listened to his mother and not have come to the rally today. His mother at their home in Kannur was the last thing Sushil saw before light went out of his eyes.
An hour of indiscriminate firing had made the Collectorate Boulevard a graveyard. The gutters were running full of blood. Shell casings lay strewn around the street. After the last of the prisoners were taken away to the jails Col. Bose called for the final tally.
Maj. Aravind Joseph said, "Sir, 53 people have surrendered, 209 have been injured and a total of 3562 have been killed. Police casualties are 25 dead and 34 injured."
"Hmm. Okay, roll out your troops, Major. We shall close down this block for another week to conduct the forensics. Let us also pray a few prayers for these stupid dead communists."
"Free Ms. Ghosh, Free Ms. Ghosh!!" The mob chanted. So that was the name of the murderer. Ms. Swetha Ghosh, fiancee of Arun Chand, the Communist Party chief in Calcutta, instigator and planner of several attacks, and one of the several arrested in Operation Broke Sickle.
The noon sun was making the city sweltering hot and dense humidity of Calcutta was bringing out torrents of sweat, which added to those created by the pressure of the situation. Col. Bose lifted his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Lt. Gen. Singh, this is Col. Satyajit Bose, Commissioner, Bengal Province. Sir, we have a massive protest mob in front of Provincial Administration building and Governor Arindam Bannerjee has just now been assassinated....... Yes Sir, I am responsible, I know that very well too..... Sir, I need orders now. Situation is getting violent and we may have a major law and order issue here....... Yes Sir, thank you. I shall carry it out."
Satyajit looked at the wide street in front of him. The provincial headquarters is at the apex of a triangular junction and the protesters were filled along the avenue straight ahead. The four lane road, leading to the headquarters was flanked by commercial buildings, many of which were still open. The City Hospital is three blocks away and the principal road to the hospital is along this main road. So far a lane was left alone for the traffic to pass through, but that could change any moment.
Col. Bose spoke a few instructions on radio.
Sushil Nair is getting very very angry. Coming from Kannur, a Communist bastion in Kerala, he had felt right at home in the Marxist dominated campus of the Presidency College where he was studying Law. He was an ardent admirer of Arun Chand, the fiery Marxist activist and a staunch hater of the Kingdom of Cochin. he had rejoiced reading news reports of several attacks on RCPF personnel for the past few weeks but was also slightly disturbed when some attacks were conducted on public places were ordinary people were killed. He had expressed his qualms to Arun Chand, but was reassured when advised that a few sacrifices were necessary for the revolution. The deaths of those tens of people would lead to a better life for thousands tomorrow. Though a fervent communist, Sushil was not tempted to join the more aggressive activities. That all changed with arrest of Arun Chand during when Sushil's room mate and an aggressive activist Praphul was killed. Now Sushil was rage personified as he faced the hated Cochin capitalists. He was ecstatic when Comrade Swetha, killed the Governor. Now he was once again angry when the police arrested her and removed her. He was thus the first to reach into his shoulder bag and lob a rock at the police barricade.
"TAKE COVER, TAKE COVER." Col. Bose's voice boomed over the police barricade as the first stone soon became a barrage of stones that showered upon the armor barricades. One policeman was injured severely when in the hurry to cover his colleagues flank, a fist sized rock hit him in his right eye. The Constable was immediately evacuated to the rear and his position reinforced by a trooper from a second Battalion that had arrived to reinforce the barricade.
"Col. Bose, Calling Col. Bose , Over."
"Col. Bose here, Over."
"Colonel, this is Maj. Sidharth Pai of ARPF Bengal. We are arriving at your position within 15 minutes. Any orders, Sir?"
"Major, stay one block away, I want your units to stay out of the avenue for now. What is your strength?"
"Sir, I currently lead a force of 3 Battalions. Maj. Aravind Joseph is 20 minutes out with another 2 Battalions."
"Okay Major, listen up. Cut off the civilians from this area. The entire block is to be cordoned off. Now, we would be attracting the majority of the ire from the mob, so use that time to clear out civilians from this block. I think you would need one company for that job. Do it discretely, try not to attract attention of the mob. We must contain them for as long as we can."
"Yes, Colonel."
"Col. Bose, this is Capt. Irfan Khan, of Airborne Police Force. Sir, we are now arriving at the scene. Any instructions, Sir?"
"Captain, patrol around, make sure that you inform me if there are any possible breaches in the cordon, okay?"
"Sir, Yes Sir."
The sound of an APF Bell 212 above the streets gave greater anger to Sushil. "Charge the Barricades. Break down their walls!!!" Sushil screamed as the mob started surging towards the barricades.
The RCPF troopers redoubled their push on the barricades and the well designed barricade designs efficiently withstood the pressure.
Maj. Binoy Bakshi, the Assistant Commissioner was getting tense seeing the surging mob and the buckling barricade. He turned to his superior and said,"Colonel we need to start responding now, or the line would be breached."
Col. Bose surveyed the frenzied faces of the thousands strong mob in front of him and said, " No major, we cannot react unless they turn violent. We react only when they do a crime. For now, hold the line." Col. Bose was somber as he saw the afternoon sun glaring down the street. The concrete canyons were like reflecting mirrors and it was as it the fury of the sun was directed towards burning him. 'No I will survive this, I shall fulfill my mandate'
"Col. Bose, this is Major Pai. We are evacuating the streets now. We are using the rear doors to do so."
As Colonel Bose watched, the shutters of the buildings lining the streets started coming down and grills locked shut. A few buildings at the far end of the street are now being evacuated by APF troopers in full riot gear. The cry of one child being taken away from her day care center alerted the mob to what was going on. The subtle deception of RCPF enraged them even more and they started destroying the cars and other vehicles in the street. Crow bars and steel bats were smashing the cars and an RCPF Jeep was over turned and set on fire.
" Colonel, this is Capt. Khan, we have a problem. An ambulance is entering the street from East going towards the City Hospital. They passed by before the cordon was in place. We are trying to raise it but there is no response."
"Oh My God," Colonel Bose's voice was grave as he saw the ambulance entering the street at high speeds, sirens blazing. He could hear the helicopter's radio operator frantically trying to alert the ambulance, to no avail.
Peter Johnson was tense, albeit for another reason. He had responded to an emergency call to find a bike accident victim. Now the young lad was unconscious as the paramedics were trying to revive him. His conditions were critical and his head injury potentially fatal. He had to be rushed to the City Hospital, it was the nearest Shock Trauma Center in a 12 kilometer radius. The radio of the ambulance was unfortunately damaged when in his haste to clear the accident site, Johnson unknowingly yanked out the speaker cables. So the only worry as he entered the Collectorate Boulevard was about reaching the hospital in time. His eyes widened as he saw a huge mob staring wildly at him. Several cars were burning in pyres and many buildings had their facades burst in. Screaching to a halt Johnson attempted to reverse but found his vehicle surrounded by the angry mob.
"Please let us through, I have an accident victim here. Please he will die. No, No , Please Nooooooo." Johnson's last vision was that of a frenzied youth driving a dagger at his chest.
"Attention, Attention, cease your violence. Please disperse. Disperse or you will be fired upon. Disperse immediately." The helicopters blaring out the warning from the Colonel only angered the mob into more frenzy.
"Colonel, there is no response, we must charge now." Maj. Bakshi said.
"Relay the message once more."
"Attention, Attention. This is Colonel Satyajit Bose. Cease your violence and disperse peacefully or lethal action would be taken upon you."
Again crowds paid no attention and vandalism continued. A few Molotov Cocktails were lobbed at the Police barricade and despite the scalding flames the RCPF troopers held the line.
"This is your last warning , disperse or you will be fired upon. Keep your hands in the air and walk away from the Police Barricade."
Several guns were introduced into the melee by the rioters and several shots were fired at the Police line. Some people in the mob attempted to walk away, heeding their innate survival call but these 40 or so people were caught by the more violent members of the mob and beaten to death. Only 2 men managed to reach the ARPF barricade line that now secured the far end of the street.
"Okay. I guess this is it. Maj. Bakshi order the units to roll out."
At the Colonel's orders, SWAT snipers started taking positions at the rooftops of the buildings along the avenue. At the barricades at the gate, the ARPF battalion primed their weapons and trained them on the rioting mob. Similarly all along the street and at various side roads, ARPF cordons trained their weapons on the mob. The mob now started realizing their state of affairs.
"This is Col. Bose. All units fire above the mob, one volley, let us try to scare them off now."
At all the pickets the assault rifles were angled to the sky and fired one volley of shots, taking care not to target at anything. The report of the gunfire caused a brief pause to the rioting. As they tried to decide on what to do now, Col. Bose's voice blared from the skies.
"This is your last warning. Lie down on the ground, with your face down and hands and legs spread wide. Anyone who is standing would be killed. Stay down and surrender or you shall be killed."
The mob once again resumed their rioting and Col. Bose gave the order, "Fire at will."
The two RCPF columns fired at the mobs. It was indiscriminate fire at shoulder, stomach level, never angling down. The ARPF Battalion at the far end of the street started walking their way down the street killing off anyone who had a weapon in his hands. People who were lying face down and alive were searched on the ground itself for any explosives or weapons and then manacled and taken to awaiting prison buses. As the battalion made their march of death along the street the panicked mob started running helter skelter.
Sushil Nair's revolutionary frenzy had dissolved as he witnessed the brutal murder of the ambulance's occupants. He realized with a shock the hollow nature of the ideology he believed in. The violent scenes he saw, the ambulance driver twitching on the road, his entrails strewn around him and the paramedic who was doused with petrol and burnt alive, and the other paramedic who was stripped of her clothes and mutilated before beheaded, for no other crime other than that they worked for the Kingdom of Cochin. Sushil remembered the days when an ambulance would arrive only an hour after being called, and now ambulances were only minutes away. What crime did these ordinary people do? No, this is wrong.
He knew that some of his comrades shared his thoughts as he saw the shock and horror reflected on their faces. Hearing the call to surrender, he was starting to make his way towards the rear of the mob when he saw what happened to those who were trying to escape. He saw a cute girl he had ogled in Party Political being beaten to death, he saw the cook at his hostel canteen being hacked to death. Sushil was petrified. To stay was horror, to run was death. What could he do? What could he do? As he was dazed around in shock he saw the police column marching towards the mob firing. In the panic of the moment Sushil had not heard about the instructions to lie down and surrender. He started running around trying to dodge bullets as best as he could and suddenly saw the head of the person in front of him explode in a burst of blood and tissue. With blood of another man in his eyes, Sushil saw the snipers in the buildings above taking down people with guns. Sushil ran towards one of the alleyways hoping to avoid the carnage. His ears were deafened by the sound of the explosion of a car he himself had set on fire, so he could not now hear the screams from the policemen standing by the barricade, their rifles leveled against him. He ran straight towards them.
Constable Suman Shinde saw the young man running towards him with a backpack and blood on his face. His eyes seemed wild with madness and he looked like he was a suicide bomber with a bag of explosives strapped to his back. As his colleagues were taking down other such rioters by his side, Constable Shinde breathed a prayer for his salvation and fired at the young man.
Sushil felt the slugs hitting his chest and arms and felt a leaden weight pulling him down as his legs crumbled under the impact of further bullet wounds. As the searing pain racked his body Sushil thought about how much better his life would have been if he had listened to his mother and not have come to the rally today. His mother at their home in Kannur was the last thing Sushil saw before light went out of his eyes.
An hour of indiscriminate firing had made the Collectorate Boulevard a graveyard. The gutters were running full of blood. Shell casings lay strewn around the street. After the last of the prisoners were taken away to the jails Col. Bose called for the final tally.
Maj. Aravind Joseph said, "Sir, 53 people have surrendered, 209 have been injured and a total of 3562 have been killed. Police casualties are 25 dead and 34 injured."
"Hmm. Okay, roll out your troops, Major. We shall close down this block for another week to conduct the forensics. Let us also pray a few prayers for these stupid dead communists."
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Eradication of Dissent - 05 , Riots
The effects of Operation Broken Sickle were most prominently seen in Calcutta, the capital of the Bengal Province. Calcutta has always been a hotbed for communism and one of the areas where the development and governance strategies of the Kingdom had infuriated the communists. The local citizens, long brain washed about the glories of a communist rule had seen the light in a very short time about the truth in the promises made by the Kingdom. The Communist bastion was cracking and Governor Arindam Bannerjee was effectively driving in the wedge by the spate of development programs he oversaw in the province. Commissioner of Police for Bengal Province, Col. Satyajit Bose had effectively put an end to the crime rackets being over seen by the communists.
Thus the 12 raids in Calcutta, conducted under Operation Broken Sickle, was the final straw that pushed the communists over the threshhold.
The busy Tuesday afternoon was disrupted as a procession almost 4000 strong started forming up in the streets of Calcutta. The jeering and shouting mob was advancing towards the Provincial Headquarters. The formation and advance of the mob was noted by an RCPF helicopter and thus alerted a Police Barricade was set up in front of the gates. A full Battalion of police troopers were present who erected metal barricades and bullet proof shields.
The crowd came ever closer to the Barricades and the Commissioner, spoke on a megaphone, "Attention, This is the Commissioner of Police. Everyone must disperse immediately. Do not create a law and order situation. Please disperse peacefully."
A 45 year old woman, apparently the leader of this mob shouted back, "We shall not go until our demands are met."
"Express your demands through normal channels. Please do not obstruct civic peace and tranquility. "
"We shall not leave until we see the Governor. We want to see the Governor. Go back Cochin! Go back Cochin! Viva Revolution! Viva Revolution!"
Led by the woman the crowd started pressing against the barricades.
"Hold the line men, hold the line." The Colonel ordered his men and took out his cell phone, "Governor, this is Col. Bose. The crowd is saying that they shall not leave until they met you. What do you suggest I do?"
"They want to meet me? Well then I shall definitely come, " Bannerjee replied.
"Sir, that would be a very bad idea. The mob is hysterical and may turn violent."
"That is okay, perhaps if I can persuade them to disperse peacefully, it is worth the risk. I will be down there in 15 minutes."
Col. Bose muttered a silent curse to himself and lifted his megaphone,"The Governor is coming. Please stay calm and do not attempt to breach the barricades."
"Okay guys, Bannerjee is coming now, we want foolproof security around him. Do not let anyone from the crowd get close to him."
The Governor soon came to the gate in his official sedan and came towards the barricades. Seeing him arrive, Col. Bose went towards the woman and said, " The Governor is here, if you want to talk, talk. Only you would be permitted inside the barricade."
"I dont care a whit either ways, chekisti pig!" the woman replied scornfully.
She was led through the now pressured barricades. Just then Arindam Bannerjee walked towards her, extending a hand. The woman reached into her purse, took out an automatic pistol and shot the Governor point blank to his forehead.
Thus the 12 raids in Calcutta, conducted under Operation Broken Sickle, was the final straw that pushed the communists over the threshhold.
The busy Tuesday afternoon was disrupted as a procession almost 4000 strong started forming up in the streets of Calcutta. The jeering and shouting mob was advancing towards the Provincial Headquarters. The formation and advance of the mob was noted by an RCPF helicopter and thus alerted a Police Barricade was set up in front of the gates. A full Battalion of police troopers were present who erected metal barricades and bullet proof shields.
The crowd came ever closer to the Barricades and the Commissioner, spoke on a megaphone, "Attention, This is the Commissioner of Police. Everyone must disperse immediately. Do not create a law and order situation. Please disperse peacefully."
A 45 year old woman, apparently the leader of this mob shouted back, "We shall not go until our demands are met."
"Express your demands through normal channels. Please do not obstruct civic peace and tranquility. "
"We shall not leave until we see the Governor. We want to see the Governor. Go back Cochin! Go back Cochin! Viva Revolution! Viva Revolution!"
Led by the woman the crowd started pressing against the barricades.
"Hold the line men, hold the line." The Colonel ordered his men and took out his cell phone, "Governor, this is Col. Bose. The crowd is saying that they shall not leave until they met you. What do you suggest I do?"
"They want to meet me? Well then I shall definitely come, " Bannerjee replied.
"Sir, that would be a very bad idea. The mob is hysterical and may turn violent."
"That is okay, perhaps if I can persuade them to disperse peacefully, it is worth the risk. I will be down there in 15 minutes."
Col. Bose muttered a silent curse to himself and lifted his megaphone,"The Governor is coming. Please stay calm and do not attempt to breach the barricades."
"Okay guys, Bannerjee is coming now, we want foolproof security around him. Do not let anyone from the crowd get close to him."
The Governor soon came to the gate in his official sedan and came towards the barricades. Seeing him arrive, Col. Bose went towards the woman and said, " The Governor is here, if you want to talk, talk. Only you would be permitted inside the barricade."
"I dont care a whit either ways, chekisti pig!" the woman replied scornfully.
She was led through the now pressured barricades. Just then Arindam Bannerjee walked towards her, extending a hand. The woman reached into her purse, took out an automatic pistol and shot the Governor point blank to his forehead.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Eradication of Dissent - 04, Operation Broken Sickle
TIMES OF INDIA
Royal Cochin Police Force yesterday conducted a massive operation to decapitate the Communist parties seeking to foment unrest in the Kingdom. Named Operation Broken Sickle it included concerted raids and arrests all over the Indian provinces to capture the senior leaders and activists of the Communist Party Marxist and Communist Party Maoist. The raid came as culmination of weeks of painstaking reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering by Central Bureau of Investigation and National Reconnaissance Agency to identify key nodes and personnel involved in the wave of communist terrorist attacks being carried out across the Kingdom.
The provinces were the crackdown had occurred were:
Madhya Pradesh - 8 raids
Karnataka - 6 raids
Tamil Nadu - 9 raids
Orissa - 7 raids
West Bengal - 12 raids
The Law and Order divisions of RCPF were supported by troopers of Armed Reserve Police Force in some of these raids. Most of these raids turned violent as the terrorists resorted to fire arms to deter the RCPF arrests. In all a total of 36 terrorists have been killed and 1200 captured. The captured terrorists include the entire Politburos of both terrorist parties. Casualties among RCPF are 3 dead, including a Circle Inspector and 12 injured, including Assistant Commissioner of Police (Coimbatore). The arrested terrorists have been taken to a high security prison facility in Baloch province where they would be held until their trial starts in a month.
Operation Broken Sickle is expected to break the back of the terrorist movement and make way for lasting peace. The Palace has issued a statement granting amnesty to any activist who surrenders and prove their non compliance in any terrorist activity. The Palace also offered reduced sentence to any guilty party surrendering to the RCPF at the nearest police station.
Over the past few weeks the anarchical situation in several interior districts have been rectified and a measure of normalcy have returned in these areas.
Inspector General (India) Lt. Gen. Dara Singh said that the Operation Broken Sickle would only be the beginning. The raids had brought about the membership rolls of both Communist parties and every member of these parties would be questioned. Citizens are requested to report to the nearest police station and subject themselves to questioning. RCPF has a mandate to resort forcefully only if being used force against.
The spate of raids is expected to anger the unarrested activists of the Communist parties and hence RCPF has taken extra precautions across the Kingdom to prevent any further flare up of violence.
Royal Cochin Police Force yesterday conducted a massive operation to decapitate the Communist parties seeking to foment unrest in the Kingdom. Named Operation Broken Sickle it included concerted raids and arrests all over the Indian provinces to capture the senior leaders and activists of the Communist Party Marxist and Communist Party Maoist. The raid came as culmination of weeks of painstaking reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering by Central Bureau of Investigation and National Reconnaissance Agency to identify key nodes and personnel involved in the wave of communist terrorist attacks being carried out across the Kingdom.
The provinces were the crackdown had occurred were:
Madhya Pradesh - 8 raids
Karnataka - 6 raids
Tamil Nadu - 9 raids
Orissa - 7 raids
West Bengal - 12 raids
The Law and Order divisions of RCPF were supported by troopers of Armed Reserve Police Force in some of these raids. Most of these raids turned violent as the terrorists resorted to fire arms to deter the RCPF arrests. In all a total of 36 terrorists have been killed and 1200 captured. The captured terrorists include the entire Politburos of both terrorist parties. Casualties among RCPF are 3 dead, including a Circle Inspector and 12 injured, including Assistant Commissioner of Police (Coimbatore). The arrested terrorists have been taken to a high security prison facility in Baloch province where they would be held until their trial starts in a month.
Operation Broken Sickle is expected to break the back of the terrorist movement and make way for lasting peace. The Palace has issued a statement granting amnesty to any activist who surrenders and prove their non compliance in any terrorist activity. The Palace also offered reduced sentence to any guilty party surrendering to the RCPF at the nearest police station.
Over the past few weeks the anarchical situation in several interior districts have been rectified and a measure of normalcy have returned in these areas.
Inspector General (India) Lt. Gen. Dara Singh said that the Operation Broken Sickle would only be the beginning. The raids had brought about the membership rolls of both Communist parties and every member of these parties would be questioned. Citizens are requested to report to the nearest police station and subject themselves to questioning. RCPF has a mandate to resort forcefully only if being used force against.
The spate of raids is expected to anger the unarrested activists of the Communist parties and hence RCPF has taken extra precautions across the Kingdom to prevent any further flare up of violence.
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