May 11, 2005

Police Story

The other day me and my friends, were waiting in Anish's car in front of Umesh's flat, waiting patiently for the coming of His Umeshness to join us in that evening's wanderings. We had waited for some time when a police jeep drew up alongside our car and four hefty policemen with grave faces jumped out.


(P1 who has a Veerappan moustache peeps in and asks)
"What are you doing here?"
(Naveed closest to the window answers timidly)
"Nothing"
(to which)
"What nothing?"
(Naveed less timidly)
"We're waiting for our friend"
(Feroze chips-in with a broken explanatory sentence)
"Umesh(pause)Swamidas(pause)Flat(pause)7(pause)B"
(whew that took more time than you'd think)
(P2 who looks as meek as a lamb, barks at us)
"Get out here into the light"
(all of us get out with expressions of this-doesn't-bother-us-expressions, which didn't look anything like this-doesn't-bother-us-expressions)
(The P's do a thorough search of the car; even opens up the dickie, and lifts the trampoline with the cautious approach of a bomb-inspector;finding nothin the P's expressions change a shade towards friendly; P1 asks in patronizing tone)
"What do you guys do?"
(answers all around; tones gain in confidence though thoroughly shaken)
(Feroze picks a cue and ventures in a confidential tone)
"Was there a complaint?"
(P's consider themselves too high-placed to answer, but save us with a nod)
(the P's leave the scene without explanations, leaving four sheepishly grinning youngsters all alone except for the small crowd of onlookers who'd found the whole incident funny)
(we continue with our grins trying not to think about the onlookers, till the last of them left the show)


Well, what was that all about! Scared me to the 'silence is golden' mode. Me the great lawyer-to-be is probbaly too scared to speak about rights when it's required. I'm sure it's good I didn't venture into a rights talk. The lathi would've answered that. What's the use of any bloody compensation once you've been beaten up with a police lathi. No compensation prepares me for the pain that it might cause. Ooh, I'm scared.
After all this, once inside the, I come up with an idea for lodging a case of defamation against them P's.
The Hero arrives, but a trifle too late.
Trash it.

5 comments:

silverine said...

So the coppers decided to give you a good scare. It's good to be shaken and stirred once in a while. Anyways they seem to be pretty decent.I mean I was expecting an explosive situation where you all end up getting the third degree and all that. That you were let off is a miracle indeed.

ps are u telling us the whole story...?

nestpa said...

I swear! The truth, and the whole truth only!

Jiby said...

its a common thing in tvm...the kerala police are a real tough lot if u rub them the wrong way...a friend spent a night in lockup...another took a lathi blow on his back for the first day-first show of a mohanlal movie and he said it hurt for a week...i had an experience too...last time in india i went for a 2nd show at the theatre right opposite my house...unfortunately a fancy to wear a lungi got hold of me...around midnight after the show i wuz crossing the road back when a flying squad stopped by and they started harassing me...asking all sorts of questions in the harshest manner possible...i realized the best way out wuz to put up a chammufied smile, call them saar at every possible chance and make good my escape.

Adarsh A. Varghese said...

You ought to have told these cops about the fundamental right of every Indian citizen to travel throughout the territory of Indian under Art 19 of the Constitution of India!!!

nestpa said...

Well,
@jiby: the chummified look probably works best. You're right!

@Adarsh: man, you're the first lawyer who's giving unsolicited advice. Or is there a catch?