গল্প - Samikshan Sengupta

1. Date – 19th August, 2013

“Hello, is this Patuli Police Station?”

“Yes, Inspector Indranil Biswas speaking.”

“There has been an accident under the Patuli fly-over, infront of “Benubana Chhaya...”

“Ok, details please. Who are you calling?”

“My name is Subir De, I was passing by. I found a white-coloured Honda City...totally wrecked... One person is inside, bleeding heavily, un-conscious, but probably alive. Please send someone here to help.”

“Sure, right away.”

Holding up, Inspector Indranil Biswas turned to his colleague Sub-inspector Debashish Samantawith a disappointed look.

“It’s Benu-banaagain!!! Seven in the last fivemonths”, hestated,”That crossing has been a hell !!!”

2.

Mrs.Sujata Banerjee just turned off the TV when the mobile phone kept in the bedroom rang. Taking a worried glimpse at the wall-clock, 9:45 pm, she wondered who it might be. Her husband should have been back by now. Ronnie is in the other room doing homework.

Looking at the number, her brows furrowed. An unknown number…

“Hello”

“Is this the resident of Dr.Ranajay Banerjee?”

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“We are calling from the Peerless hospital. Your husband has suffered a car-accident with a truck, serious injuries, currently un-conscious, condition critical. Please come immediately.”

3

It was 10:15 when Sujata, Ronnie & Mr.Ghosh from the neighbouring flat rushed to the Peerless hospital.

Mr.Ghosh, a septuagenarian, had meanwhile informed Sujata’s parents who reside in Behala. This man had been of great help to Sujata in distress.

Dr.Ranajay Banerjee is still unconscious& has lost a lot of blood. He has cuts & bruises all over his body, but main injury is in the head. But doctor says his condition is stable & that he is expected to recover.His attaché case has been found inside the car with minor damages & contents more or less intact.

Sujata was still in a daze, sitting in the lobby when a moustachioed man of mid-40’s in khakis, came& sat in-front of her. The policeman looked likeany ordinary Bengali, but had an intelligent demeanour. He offered his condolences & assured her that her husband would be fine.

Sujata was not listening much. She didn’t like the police, like most peace-loving citizens. But this was a road-accident case. So, she had to bear with the “police duty”.

The policeman suddenly enquired

“Mr. Banerjee is a cardiologist in Ruby Hospital?”

Sujata nodded.

“When does he usually come home?”

“9.30-10”

“I already met your son, he seems a bit shaken, but I see hequite bright, isn’t he?”

“Yes”

“Does anybody else live in your Patuliapartment ?”

“No”

“I heard your parents are coming. What about his parents?Did you inform them?

“No. They already passed away…” Sujata replied.

“Oh, I see. So, does Mr.Banerjee have any living blood relation?”, the policeman asked.

“Strange!!! Why are you interrogating me?” Sujata snapped.

The policeman, IndranilBiswas smiled. An appeasing smile.

“Sorry ma’m. I was just curious.”

“He has a younger brother.Eight years younger…He lives near Jadavpur Station.”

“Oh…In rent?”,Indranil somehow had a hunch that the younger brother didn’t own anything.

“In a PG.”Sujata replied sternly. She was clearly in the end of her tether on this topic. Indranil didn’t press further…

“Okk, madam. No more questions”, he said again with a smile which was not receiprocated.

Mrs. Banerjee was clearly not willing to discuss about her in-laws.

“It’s her personal matter”, he thought,“Victim of circumstances, maybe”.

Once upon a time in Chandannagar.... Date- Not Specific

DigbijayBandopadhyay was a renowned person in Chandannagar in the 1940’s. He was the district magistrate & he was well-known for his generosity. He had a clean slate which was rare for his post & he amassed a good deal of fortune only through his diligence.

The “Banerjee Bari of Fatakgora” continues to be a landmark in the station road of this quaint, yet developing town.

When Digbijay’s only son, Bijoy became an officer at the Bank of Baroda, he changed his surname to “Banerjee” partly because “Bandyopadhyay” sounded archaic to him & partly because it was easier to write in English.

After working in several locations throughout India, he finally got a much desired transfer to Chandannagar branch at the last year of his tenure. In all these years, he had never thought of buying a house in Kolkata, in exchange of his native home in Chandannagar. This house was too dear for him. The two-storied house had as many as ten rooms in total, a sprawling garden with mango, guava, coconut, papaya trees & innumerable number of flowers. Apart from that, he had a few bighas of land nearby which his father procured at a cheap rate.

And he loved gardening. When he was away, he didn’t have the time or chance to indulge into it. But now is the chance, at home.

“Only if Kalpana would have been alive”, Bijay thought, “She always loved flowers, looking after them, tending to them in small “tubs” in the bank quarters, we lived in. Blood Cancer is such a curse...”,he sighed.

Their two sons – Ranajay& Sanjay grew up studying in the boarding school. Kalpanawas initially hesitant about the idea.

But, “Ramakrishna Mission Narendrapur is one the best educational institutions in West Bengal. It’s an achievement that our boys cracked their test.” Bijay objected, “ you should be a proud mother. And...”, he paused for a while “What else can we do, dear, suiting with the needs of my transfer job”.

So, they grew up together in the boarding school while Kalpana“toggled” between her husband’s work location & their paternal home in Chandannagar.

“All these years, we four, hardly lived together”, Bijay sighed.

Days passed by like flying feathers & now, at a ripe age nearing sixty, Bijay realises that both Ranajay& Sanjay does not feel for their paternal house as much as he himself does. He does not blame them though, because a major part of their lives are spent outside it. How can they feel the charm of Chandannagar.Ah !!it is this charm, this serene vibe, that kept Bijay from buying any property in Kolkata, the major work-place.Bijay smiled in contention. He was sure most of the “Chandannagorians” feel the same way.

4 Date- 20th August, 2013

No matter how long &tiresome his duty hours may be, IndranilBiswas gets up early at 6 o’clock in the morning. Then, after an hour of jogging & free-hand exercise, he sits down for morning tea with his “Times of India” exactly at 7.

This routine has been followed without exception for the past 22years,”all through-out my service life”, Indranil thought. He usually didn’t reflect back on his achievements in work life, but now at the age of 46, he sometimes indulges in it.

Indranil’s introspection was halted by a piece of news in page 5.

“Marketing youth found dead in Jadavpur PG.”

Although he does not miss any news, however small it may be, it was the last two words that piqued up his concentration.

The geist of the news is :

A marketing executive, named Sanjay Banerjee, was found dead in his PG room near Jadavpur station. There was no wound on his body, no sign of forced entry. The victim lay eagle-spread on the floor & was discovered by his pg-mate & colleague, Atanu Das at 10.15 pm when he did not get any response while calling. Both Sanjay &Atanu worked in ABC Pharmaceuticals Co. in Taratalaas Sales Executives. Santoshpur police is questioning Atanu on his whereabouts.

His brows furrowed as he called the Santoshpur P.S. The young OC, Mr.PranjalMondal was his acquaintance & respected him.

5

The PG or paying guest house was a typical one, neither too old, nor too new. The house belonged to Mr. Das, a retired school teacher who lived with his wife in the 1st floor. The ground floor housed three boarders in total, with the victim, Sanjay Banerjee, staying in a small, yet single room.

“Poor lad”, IndranilBiswas thought, as he stepped inside the room which the police have now cordoned off. He had seen several deaths in his long career, as it goes without saying. But still, the demise of young people brings a pall of sadness in his mind. “So many possibilities gone, just vanished, in the blink of an eye”, as he used to tell his colleagues.

The room was in bit of a mess. There was a small cot, a small table, a few tins of dry eatables like puffed rice,biscuits, pickle, etc. a few books, a tin trunk with some clothes. Two glasses, one empty, one half-filled with whiskey lay on the table.

Mr.Biswas took a sniff at the empty glass. “This glass contained whiskey too. Please send them for finger-print.”

The victim body had been taken for post-mortem. A chalk outline had been drawn where the victim lay.

“Didn’t he have any computer or laptop or anything like that?”,Indranilasked the OC, Mr.Mondal who just entered the room.

“No, I guess he browsed his e-mails from his phone. I checked with ABC Pharma, they sent mails to his mail id with job details.”

“Hmm.How much did he earn?”

“Basic 8K plus commissions.”

“That explains the modest living. What about his relations as we spoke in the phone?”

“Sanjay is from Chandannagar, son of late Bijay Banerjee, who died of a cerebral stroke on 15th April, this year. His elder brother isRanajay Banerjee, as you suspected. We have already dropped a message to Mrs.Sujata Banerjee, who happens to be his next-of-kin.”

“hmm...”

“The family suffered a double set-back last night. Mr.Ranajay Banerjee is still in ICU. His in-laws have arrived. They said they would be coming here soon”.

Indranil looked around the room in deep thought.

“So, Pranjal, what do you think, this is a suicide or a murder?” he asked.

“Very difficult to surmise, sir. The victim had almost no connection with his close relatives, you see, although his brother lived so near. Also, he was an introvert, though he worked in Sales. He had few friends, even lesser number of colleagues, his only close colleague being Atanu. The latter said, he never discussed family matters with anyone.”

“Did he drink?”

“As per Atanu, he was a seldom drinker, hardly once a month. That too, in his room...Cheap liquor, Sir”

“He used to drink alone?”

“Yes, mostly.Atanu joined once or twice.”

“So, what was Atanu doing yesterday evening?”

“He swears by God, that he was sleeping. He came back from work at 6.45pm very tired, Saturday being the last working day of the week. He promptly went to sleep in his room at 7.”

“Hmm...I think I would like to have a word with him...”

“He is in our custody, Sir”

“Ok...When did Sanjay return from work?”

“Sanjay took a medical leave yesterday. He told Atanu that he was not feeling well.”

“Oh. I see...One more thing, there was a third boarder here too, right? I caught a glimpse that Atanu’s room had two separate cots.”

Pranjal smiled. Nothing escapes Sir’s attention.

“Yes, Sir...Mukul Nandi...an engineering student. His semester exams ended a few days back & hence he has gone home to Maldah. I verified that he was in Maldah on the day of the murder...”

“Good. So, we can leave him out...”

“Sir, Atanu also mentioned that he saw light in Sanjay’s room when he returned yesterday. That means, probably Sanjay was home then”.

“But what explains that two whiskey glasses found on this table?”,Indranil asked pointing to the small table in Sanjay’s room.

“Clearly, there must be someone else here yesterday.”, he said,”And what was the whiskey brand found here?”

“Black Dog, sir.”

“Really??”,Indranil quipped, raising his eye brows, “That’s quite expensive for this young man”.

6.

Atanu Das waited nervously in Santoshpur police custody in a small room. He was aged almost 30, dark complexion & had a hard-working body. He hailed from a small village called Bordanginear Mecheda. His father was a rickshaw-puller, but he worked hard for his studies. From a dingy cottage in Bordangi to a semi-posh office in Taratala is quite an achievement. Now Atanu was wondering what his father would think when he would find his son in the police custody as a prime suspect in a murder/suicide, God knows what !!!

But, obviously, the police haven’t yet informed his parents, only his immediate boss at ABC Pharmaceuticals. Mr.MrigankaBasak or Mriganka da, as Atanu& his colleagues call him, has spoken to the OC over phone & will be coming here shortly.

“Hi Atanu, how are you?”, a middle-aged man with a kind face asked him. The man was accompanied by the OC, who thought with amusement, “This is Sir’s technique. He always starts an interrogation so friendly, that the suspect might mistake it for a tête-è-tête.”

“The Zero Degree !!!”, Mr.Pranjalthought,”While we, the police have first, second & third degrees, Indranil Sir has the Zero Degree where he studies the minute details of the human psyche & immediately understands whether the person is lying or not.”

“I do not know how Sanjay died...I was sleeping”, replied Atanu.

“Aah !! We will get to that soon enough. I just asked how you are, whether you ate since morning...”

Atanu nodded.Indranil gestured Pranjal to leave the room for a one-to-one interrogation.

“Ok. Fine. Now tell me, did you drink whiskey that night?”

“No. Sir”

“A bit ???”

“No”

“Hmm”, Indranil paused for a moment & as if remembering of something added,”So you & Sanjay were both Sales Executives?”

“Yes, sir”

“Under the same boss, right, Mr.MrigankaBasak?”

“Yes”

“So, how did you feel when Sanjay, who was 8 months your junior was promoted to be Senior Executive, and not you?” asked Indranil sharply.

Atanu quickly glanced at the questioner,”I accepted.”, he murmured.

“But, is it fair, my dear?” Indranilasked,”After all, he was junior to you”.

“Mriganka da had a fondness for Sanjay” Atanuquipped.

“And you?”

“He thought I amunsmart, a village yokel...But...but...I used to work harder, I had better relations with my clients...they all know my name...&...&...who know Sanjay. That brat is a lucky guy with a wealthy father, a brother who is a doctor, he has lots of money...He only chooses this life, because he wants to something on his own...great idealist he is, Huh !!!”

He paused to sip some water. The room fell silent, as though it was expecting some confession.

“Do you know where I am from, Sir?” he asked looking directly at Mr.IndranilBiswas.

Mr.Biswas didn’t.

“We had a small hut, thatched.., he continued, “No water, No electricity, no question of it in fact.”, he chuckled, “My father was a rickshaw-puller. I lost my mother during birth; my grandmother brought me up till she died when I was seven. The only thing she said,”You have to read & write, be literate in the true sense, not only by signature”. And that thought got inside my mind. I used to read by a kerosene lamp..I loved literature, you know, especially English...Keats, Shelley, Wordsworth of poetry &O.Henryof stories”, he smiled “Ashim da, our school teacher used to teach me for free. I even got a letter in English in Madhyamik..On God..I am telling you, you can check my certificate....anyhow, it’s a long story & now I am happy with what I have achieved.”

“So, if you ask me whether I was jealous of Sanjay, yes, I was. But I didn’t kill him. In fact, he might have committed suicide.”he ended with a sigh.

“Why do you say that?” asked Indranil quizzically.

“He was looking morose these days. His father died recently, in July, I think. He hasn’t taken the death well...”

“I see...Do you know anything about his elder brother?”

“Dr.Ranajay Banerjee, never met him in person...I wanted to visit him for my job, you know...Sanjay strictly forbade me...Told me to keep family out of business...”He thought for a while & lowered his voice, “One thing I can tell you Sir, I think they didn’t have a cordial relationship...”

“Why?”

“His sister-in-law, that woman might have said something to Sanjay...about putting up in her apartment...I overheard a conversation between Sanjay & somebody over the phone...”

Atanu broke up as OC Mr.PranjalMondal entered the room.

“Mrs.Sujata Banerjee has arrived here with her parents”, he said.

Atanu did not seem much verbose in front of the OC. Understandingly,Indranil told Pranjal that he would have to leave for the day to attend his own office.

“Hopefully, whatever you said is true, young man...” Indranil gave a stern look at Atanu before departing.

7.

Chain of Events

Dr.Ranajay Banerjee has recapitulated & has been brought back home after 2 weeks in the hospital. He has suffered minor fractures which will be better with time, but the eminent cardiologist has suffered a telling blow in his head & he has lost his memory. “Probably the side-window rammed in his head when he was hit by the truck”, said the doctor.

Ranajay can sometimes recognise his wife & son, but he cannot remember his name, his house, names of his close kin & obviously, anything about his profession. It is like the man with the same eyes, ears, hands & legs, yet a different soul. And almost with no soul at all. The Times of India covered this incident & although the doctor, AshishSengupta has given some assurance, the city knew that they have lost a dedicated doctor, a saviour of men, forever...

Sujata Banerjee is yet to recover from this shell-shock. She has gone into depression & scarcely having anything. Her parents have come over & started staying with them.

Ronnie has gone silent. Sometimes he sits beside his father who gazes blankly out of the window.

================================================================================

Meanwhile, No other finger prints have been found on the glasses in Sanjay’s room except his own. Post-mortem officials opine that the death was due to poisoning. As per what the toxic chemical is, they are still in the dark. However, they place the time of death between 7 pm to 9 pm.

Also, Patuli Police have tracked down & arrested the truck driver for the hit-&-run case. Balwinder Singh, a Punjabi, was driving an empty truck back to the garage after unloading the goods in a go-down in Garia. Reckless driving seems to be probable the cause, although Balwinder swears by God that the Honda City itself was being driven recklessly. SubinspectorDebashishSamanta naturally dismissed such claims as rubbish.

SantoshpurPolice have interrogated several local F.L. shops from where the whiskey could be bought. Out of seven shops, only three sold the “Black Dog” brand & they were unable to recall whether anybody bought that brand of liquor on the evening of the murder.

Atanu has been released due to lack of evidence & has resumed his usual job. And..he has been promoted...Now, he is a senior Sales Executive.

8. Date – 9th September, 2013

Mrs.NamitaDutta looked surprised seeing a stranger outside the door

“Yes?”, she asked inquisitively.

“Is this the house of Dr.Ranajay Banerjee?”

“Yes. But the doctor is not seeing anybody.”

“I haven’t come to see the doctor. I am Inspector IndranilBiswas of Patuli PS. You can ask Mrs.Sujata Banerjee, I talked to her at the hospital.”

“Oh. Please come in then.”

The drawing room had a glass centre table in front of three plush, green sofas. Some pieces of art adorned the walls-beautiful Worlistitch-works, glass-paintings, Gomira dance-masks...The decoration spoke of a sober taste in art & plenty of fortune although, Indranil noticed a layer of dust shrouded all these artefacts. “Quite naturally”, he thought.

After a bit of chat with Sujata& her parents & a session of tea-snacks (which Indranil initially refused, but finally gave in), he was taken to Dr.Banerjee’s room. Indranil noticed that the 3BHK apartment was quite big. “Around 1500 sqft”, he thought.

Entering the room, he saw a heart-wrenching scene. Dr.Banerjee was sitting in a half-lying position. His attaché case lay in front of him, open. Ronnie is persuading him to remember something by looking at the contents of the case. “Come on, dad...look at this stethoscope...this pressure meter...these are all yours, dad !!!....You are a doctor...How can you forget that...”

Indranil sighed as he looked away. It’s little chance that the doctor will remember anything, but who will explain that to this unlucky kid. He looked at the contents of the attaché case- stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, some medicines, some writing pads.....Will the doctor ever return to this world?

Getting out of the room, he told Sujata that he would like to have a word with her in private. She agreed, though reluctantly.

“Mrs.Sujata, I have a question regarding Sanjay.”

“Tell me”, she replied, her jaws clenched slightly.

“Did Sanjay ever live here?”

“Not much. Why?”

“I would like to put this straight. Did you or Mr. Banerjee have any objection about Sanjay staying here?”

“No...but actually there is little room here...and he was a bachelor guy. Hence, he preferred to stay alone in the pg.”

“Mrs. Banerjee, we have information that Sanjay had a quarrel with you or your husband over staying here. Is that true?”

“Mr.Biswas, that’s our personal matter. Isn’t it?” she snapped.

“Yes, of course. But what if, after his father’s death, Sanjay felt alone & the only blood relation he had was his elder brother with whom he studied together in boarding school & hence had a bond....And what if, when he wanted to stay close to you, you showed him the door. And ultimately, this isolation led to his suicide!!!”

“What??? Sanjay committed SUICIDE??? It’s impossible”, Sujata looked aghast.

“Why do you say that?”

“He was a selfish fellow. He would never do that. His friend company was also bad to the bone. They smoked weed, had cheap wine & God knows what !!! That guy, his PG mate, Atanu, he must have killed him. He is also the same. Haven’t you heard, Mr.Biswas, birds of the same feather flock together??? I knew this would happen to Sanjay one day.”

“You knew???”

“Yes, individuals who mingle with these lowly people end up like this. May be, Atanu knew that Sanjay had a wealthy father & a doctor brother. And I also wonder, both Sanjay &Ranajay received the same education, from the same boarding school. Yet look at Sanjay...he must be a dumbo..”

Indranil smiled a sardonic smile. “This woman had so much disgust for her brother-in-law that she only could have poisoned him if she got chance”, he thought. He instantly felt sorrow for the kid, Ronnie who was still trying to elicit some response from his father.

9 Date – 11thSepetmber, 2013

Atanu Das was sleeping tightly at 8 am in the morning. A higher position in the company have no doubt increased his work-load, but also brought a bit of laxness in his official time. Now-a-days, he reports at 10 am in place of his usual 9 am. Such are the norms.

Suddenly there was a loud & urgent rap at the door. Feeling annoyed & a bit curious, he opened the door. A police constable stood outside.

“Sir, please dress up & come with me to the police station.”

Atanu was astonished, “Why???”

“The chemical test report of the whiskey has arrived. It contains a toxic medicine. You will have to come immediately with me to the police station. And meanwhile the police will search your room.”

=================================================================================

“Sir, believe me, I do not sell barbiturates.” Atanu pleaded sitting in front of OC PranjalMonal at the Santoshpur PS.

“That will be clear once we are done searching your room.” Pranjal replied sternly.

“Sir...you can ask Mriganka da....”

“Tell me...Did your friend, Sanjay, do drugs?? Or had insomnia, epilepsy???...”

“I don’t know, sir...Please release me..”

Pranjal was going to say something when the head constable came with the search report. Sanjay’s room was also researched for any hidden clues which might prove useful. The constable laid two polythene bags containing the searched items- one from Atanu’s room & the other from Sanjay’s room.

Mr.IndranilBiswas, who was sitting beside Atanu& looking at him, picked up the packet from Sanjay’s room. It contained several articles- several papers which looked like job-sheets, empty pen-refills, medicine cartons...& among everything else, a strange piece of cloth. It was a small one, white in colour; it’s neither rectangular, nor circular. Its shape looked pentagonal in geometric terms- an irregular pentagon.

Mr.Biswas kept it in his purse. He was wondering what it might be. It looked so familiar, though he could not exactly place what it was.

He asked Pranjal, “What was the drug which was found in the whiskey?”

“Barbiturate, sir. It is a well-known sedative depressant initially used for insomnia. But it is a banned substance now.”

“Hmm...I know...Do you know Sid Barnes, the Aussie cricketer?”

“Ummm....No sir”

“He was a very talented cricketer, a bit eccentric too. 3rd in the list of all-time highest batting averages in Test cricket, the 1st being Bradman”, Indranil chuckled, “But, he died of barbiturate-poisoning. Anyways, could you determine the brand?”

“Pentobarbital, sir.”

“Pentobarbital ????”

“yes....why sir?”

Indranil was suddenly immersed in deep thought. “Nothing...It seemed familiar...Why?”

Pranjal was well-aware of this condition of his superior. Indranil sir must have caught some scent. He kept quiet.

Glancing at his watch, Indranil shook up from his trance.

“Oh Pranjal, I need to leave. Have my thanato attend.”, he smiled as he left.

10 Date – 13th September

Sujata was disturbed from her sleep by the ringing telephone on her bed-side.

“Hello”

“Hello madam. This is IndranilBiswas speaking.”

A shot of irritation went up her nerve. That man...Again....And what is the time??

Glancing at the watch which struck 3.30 pm, she tried hard to suppress her annoyance.

“Yes. Tell me.”

“Can I have an appointment at your house today at the earliest?”

“Why?”

“There is something I need to see. I will talk about it when I am there.”,he paused & added in a official tone, “It’s important...”

Sujata was dissented by this approach. However, she could not deny the urgent tone.

“Ok. You can come after 5”,she said putting the receiver back in the cradle.

==================================================

Last night, 12th September, had been a wakeful night for IndranilBiswas. He had been thinking all day, between his normal work as if he is trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle. A faint ray of light amidst darkness & finally he called up Sub-inspector Debashish at 12.30 am midnight.

“Debashish, sorry to disturb you at this time...”

“No sir tell me”,saidDebashish, rubbing his eyes.

“The Honda City accident case last month, o you remember?”

“Ummm...yes...the doctor who was badly injured & lost his memory?”

“Exactly....Do you remember the colour of the shirt which he was wearing that day?”

Debashish was stunned at such a “precise” question.

“No sir...Maybe white...I am not sure...He was covered in blood.”

“Hmmm....One more thing, you arrested a truck driver for this right? What was his name?”

“A Punjabi driver sir...Balwinder, I can remember...”

“Do you have his contact?”

“Yes”

“Please send it to me.”

===================================

Next morning, after calling Balwinder& before calling Sujata Banerjee, IndranilBiswas could no longer stay at his desk. He went out. He believed that sometimes this strolls work like miracle.

And so it did....

11 Date – 15th September, 2013

It was exactly 7.25 am in the morning when there was a knock on the door of Pranjal’s apartment. Feeling surprised, he opened the door & to his astonishment, there stood IndranilBiswas in white pyjama &Punjabi

“Sir, you, so early???”

“I wake up early my dear...And while walking today, I thought I would pay a visit to your place in Naskar Para....”

“You walked all the way from highland park to here???”

“Yes, my boy...Can you match up with me??”

Both laughed heartily.

“And I haven’t come empty-handed....I bring good tidings, my dear boy....”,Indranil chuckled while Pranjal went up for tea.

“Really?? Regarding that case??” he asked, surprised.

“Oh, yes....It’s really a CASE to reckon with...Took me a while to figure it out...anyways, you bring me some hot beverage & we will start....”

============================================================

After having tea & snacks, Indranil started:

“Tell me, Pranjal, do you remember the drug found in the whiskey?”

“Pentobarbital, Sir”

“Good. Do you know what it is used for?”

“Anaesthetics, anticonvulsants, epilepsy...basically it is a nerve depressant.”

“Right. It is also used for PAS...physician-assisted suicide, when administered in high doses.”,Indranil smiled while Pranjal gave him a quizzical look.

“Do you remember that I was startled when I first heard of Pentobarbital?”

“Umm..yes sir.”

“That was because, I SAW Pentobarbital capsules in Dr. Mukherjee’s attaché...that day when I first visited his house....Orange pills from a sachet...4 used...6 left.

It didn’t feel queer at that time. But when I heard from you, I went to the Ruby Hospital & found out that Dr. Mukherjee indeed bought a sachet of 10 Pentobarbital capsules from the pharmacy on 19th August. In fact, I found a more interesting occurrence.”

“What is that?”

“Wait, my dear, Patience.... First tell me, do you remember the time of the Honda City accident I told you?”

“9.15-9.20 pm”

“Right. But Dr.Mukherjee left the hospital at 6.30 pm that day citing some personal reasons, although he usually leaves after 9 pm. Naturally, this roused my suspicion & I visited the liquor shops on the way from Ruby to Jadavpur.

“Night Delight”, a small shop near Akanksha, confirmed me the identity of Dr. Mukherjee. He had indeed, bought the Black Dog 750 ml bottle from the shop, which being a modest one, remembered him as a customer. The young lad at the counter also recalled the white Honda City, which usually belonged to “Raees” people.”Indranil paused with a grin.

“So sir...you are telling...”Pranjal gasped for words.

“Relax, my boy, relax. The case had been a simple one. Only we didn’t see these two incidents can be connected.

The story, however, is not over yet. I contacted Mr.BikashRanjanChatterjee, advocate of the Banerjee family. I gave him my identity, after which, he expressed sorrow for his late friend, Mr.Bijoy Banerjee, the latter’s family & told me that the entire property had been left with Sanjay Banerjee. Sanjay, if he hadn’t been dead, would have inherited a 10 kottah(7200 sqft) house with garden, 3 bighas of land, all in Chandannagar, a place where real estate is booming quite well.Mr. Sanjay was destined to be a wealthy fellow quite soon.

Actually, BikashChatterjee told me much about the Banerjee family. He was a close friend. The mother, Kalpanadebi died of blood cancer quite long ago, around 15 years. The kids were brought up in a boarding school- Ramakrishna Mission. Mr.Bijoy Banerjee was mostly busy with his job & hence could not give much time to the family. The elder brother, Dr.Ranajay Banerjee was brilliant in academics & hence there was immense pressure on the younger brother, Ranajay who was a bit on the lagging side. He was reasonably proficient in cricket & had a knack in painting. He played in intra-district cricket tournaments along-side his studies. He even earned gold medals from Japan for his paintings.

But, as you expect, the burden of expectation, my dear, is a heavy one. People always compared him with his elder brother, his father, even his grand-father, whom he had little memory of.

Anyways, ultimately the elder became a doctor & the irony of fate, the younger became a medical representative. Though Bijay Banerjee had looked down upon his younger son through-out his life, he grew fond of the latter in his old age. Probably, the elder brother distanced himself from the old man.”

IndranilBiswas paused for a bit to have some water. His student had turned into an attentive ear.

“About a year ago, Sanjay needed to stay in South Kolkata for his job & hence went to Ranajay’sflat for a temporary shelter until he finds a mess or a PG. But some dispute must have occurred there. It may be his sister-in-law, Sujatadebi who was not too welcoming to him. Whatever the cause might be, Sanjay couldn’t stay in the flat & moved out. This infuriated Bijay to such an extent that he made a new will for his property. This is the will I spoke of in which all the ancestral property was left with Sanjay. Bijay Banerjee realised that, on his demise, Sanjay would have to look after himself only & there would be nobody to help him.

Both the brothers came to know of the will after their father’s death. Ranajay was obviously displeased. He argued with advocate Chatterjee that this is un-ethical & he will see an end to it. Sanjay did not say anything & so did Sujatadebi. But I can guess she was totally furious, a volcano waiting to erupt.

You see, Pranjal....Sibling rivalry can be a dangerous thing. A younger child, who was evidently less gifted than the elder one at-least in academics, had been taunted & mocked at from child-hood for his mediocre results....always compared with superior people. That’s a very dark place to be in, Pranjal. It sets off an inferiority complex...Nobody cared for his prowess in painting & sports. They just neglected him.”

Indranil paused for a moment & added, “I guess Sanjay might have felt one-upped when he inherited all the property & not his elder brother. He must have expressed it subtly in their following meetings. This sparked off envy on the elder brother’s part. He was used to considering Sanjay negligible, inconsequential...But now, on paper, Sanjay became the richer man.

And yes, Mrs.Sujata added fuel to it. You see, a man is instigated the most when he is taunted by his wife.

Such a strange psychology, man has. An individual cannot take it in his stride to be “beaten” by a lesser man, at least whom he considers to be a lesser man. And of course, Greed !!!

All of these combined, Ranajay Banerjee, an eminent doctor, murdered his only brother.

“But..sir...how did he do that? How did you know for sure?”,Pranjal was still unable to believe the incident fully.

“You remember, Pranjal, the weird piece of cloth we got from Sanjay’s room while re-searching?”

“Yes, white piece of cloth.”

“Right. What is it?”

“Ummm...I don’t know...Is it important?”

“My dear, it’s very important. It is the torn out pocket of Dr. Banerjee’s shirt. That’s why it seemed too familiar...because we see it all the time. It is the proof that Dr. Banerjee was there that night. I matched it with the blood stained shirt he was wearing. The shirt is fine, but without a pocket which has been torn off!!!”

“My God....!!!!”

“I think this is the sequence of events which happened. Ranajay had frequent calls with his brother before 19th August. I analysed his mobile phone calls. He was probably making up with him, congratulating him for his new position, Senior Sales Executive. They must have agreed for a rendezvous at Sanjay’s place on 19th evening. Ranajay proposed to bring some good whiskey as a toast. When the drinking started, Dr. Banerjee must have put the pentobarbital tablets in Sanjay’s whiskey. Sanjay, not a regular drinker, did not suspect. He drank the lot & that’s when the poisoning kicked in. Realising what had happened, they probably had a scuffle which resulted in tearing of the pocket of Ranajay’s shirt. Then he left the crime-scene in a hurry, so that nobody sees him. He also had a few drinks & the adrenaline made him tipsy. He had thrown the bottle away some place safe, hence we didn’t get it. That is why he was driving the car so recklessly. I talked to Balwinder the truck driver who swore that the Honda city was as if being drunk-driven. We must be grateful to this Punjabi truck driver..Without his “intervention”, we would have been in dark about Sanjay’s murder.

The rest, you know....”,Indranil finished.

After a long period of silence, Pranjal asked

“Sir, can’t we arrest him?”

Indranil was looking outside the window. Suddenly he felt sad.

“No...”

“Why? He might be pretending...to escape from the crime.”

Indranil looked back at Pranjal.

“No, he isn’t. Ashish, the doctor who is seeing him, is my friend. Dr. Banerjee has lost it....sub-arachnoid haemorrhagein medical terms. There is very little chance he will remember anything substantial...ever.”Indranil quipped. “And if he does, we will nab him”, he added with a strained smile.

Meanwhile.... Date- 22nd August, 2013

HariharSardar was returning homein Briji by his auto-rickshaw for lunch. It was a sultry day today, unlike the rainy season, & the sun was beating down mercilessly absorbing all moisture.

Harihar was sweating down the Q Block road, when suddenly he saw something shining in the swamp....Ah !! A liquor bottle....half-filled...Oh !!! What a surprise....Seems like foreign stuff.

“The city is getting filled up with careless spend-thrifts”, Harihar thought. That day only, he overheard a young boy bragging to his sweet-heart that he had spent almost his entire month’s salary on a new mobile phone....And more importantly, the girl was taking it fine...Such are the days...

“Other-wise who would have thrown away a foreign maalafter drinking only half-bottle”, Harihar wondered.

Today, the Lunch would be “high-class”. Lucky Day!!!

===================================================

Nearby, in the Peerless Hospital, Dr.Banerjee just returned to consciousness for a few minutes, before continuing his slumber...

The dark neckties embrace the black gold,

For endless greed their souls have been sold.

Serving the devil who laughs at their side,

They care not for the many men that have died....