Death claims all. It’s man’s ultimate fate, and yet it signifies a sense of freedom. Mankind has always faced and will always face it. Ranchi Munda had established this settlement a few hundred years ago and the town came to bear his name in the years to come. For the Bihar government, it signified the seat of southern power, but no one seemed to be aware of the undercurrent of tumult.
Neelmani had rightly predicted that the procession from
McCluskieganj would reach its destination by sunrise. All those present were completely exhausted and Mr Mendez said, ‘No one will listen to us without the backing of political power and pressure. We must get in touch with Major William in Delhi and Mr Brown in Patna.’ Mr Miller agreed wholeheartedly, ‘Robin’s arrest has been plotted by the local politicians and the criminal nexus of contractors.’ Liza McGowan once again broke down and said, ‘I don’t think I’ll see him again.’ Mrs Tomalin urged her to have faith in God. Neelmani, with unshakeable faith said, ‘Telephone whomsoever you wish, but get Robin released. We will not return without him.’ Then many of them, headed by Mr Mendez, went off to the telephone booth, but as luck would have it, Major William was out of town. As for Mr Brown, Mr Mendez remembered that he did not keep a phone. He also tried to call Mr Rozario, but he too was out. The failure of the mission was apparent on their faces and the crowd knew it the moment they saw them.
But Neelmani had risen to the occasion, inspiring all around. ‘So what, what difference does that make? We have come here to fight our cause on our own strength.’ Her confidence and zeal gave even Dennis a lease of hope. He patted her and said, ‘Like father, like daughter.’
The processionists reached the office of the police chief although he himself was not there. They started sloganeering. Even the old ladies, Mrs Thripthorpe, Mrs Tomalin and Miss Bonner, sitting on the floor of the drive, were lending their voice, weak and shaky as they were. ‘Down with police brutality. Condemn them, condemn them … They are all partners in crime. Shame, shame, shame, shame…’ Now it was the turn of the Adivasi youth. ‘Robin Babu must be released or death for the Ranchi police.’
At 12 noon, the police chief arrived. He got down from the jeep at the gate itself. The crowd surrounded him. The old ladies, not to be left behind, joined the fray. Judy tried her level best to prevent her mother, Mrs Thripthorpe, from going, but she refused to budge from the crowd. ‘We have been subjected to unnecessary harassment; never have the residents of
McCluskieganj faced police high-handedness.’ Then Mr Mendez said, ‘SP Sahib, these are Robin McGowan’s parents. They arrived only yesterday from Hong Kong to participate in the foundation day celebration of McCluskieganj. Robin had gone to the airport to receive his parents who were visiting after many years—and this is the welcome they get!’ The SP answered, ‘My sympathies are entirely with you, but Robin McGowan has been arrested for a very serious offence, namely, supporting terrorists and militants. He is a foreign agent who is supplying arms and money to militants. The Jharkhand Freedom Front MP and its secretary Duti Bhagat have said so in writing.’ The SP was excited yet restrained. ‘So will you not release Robin Babu?’ Neelmani screamed. The superintendent of police asked, ‘Who are you?’ ‘Neelmani, Neelmani Oraon is my name. Anything else you want to know?’ Neelmani’s anger had reached a flashpoint. ‘O, so you are Neelmani? I have heard a lot about you lately. I have heard that you are leading a little revolution in your village under this Robin’s guidance. I’ve made a mistake, you too should have been arrested with Robin,’ said the SP in vicious rage.
Neelmani moved forward, as did the Adivasi youth. ‘Have me arrested then, what more can you do?’ shouted Neelmani. The sloganeering resumed. ‘Down with police atrocities, death to the Ranchi police.’ The SP quickly walked away to his office, but signalled to the policemen around to lathi-charge the processionists. Within minutes, the place turned into a battlefield. They beat the innocent people mercilessly. Not even Mrs Thripthorpe, Mrs Tomalin and Miss Bonner were spared. The former fell in a heap. Neelmani received injuries on her head. To save Mr Miller from blows, Danny and Jennifer came forward and took the blows on themselves. Mrs Thripthorpe remained on the ground, unconscious. As blow after blow fell on Neelmani, Kitty ran and fell on her covering her, taking the blows herself. It was only on the order of the SP that the lathi charge stopped.
The whole crowd was in a state of shock. They had been badly beaten. Then coming to his senses, Dennis took Mrs Thripthorpe, Judy, Kitty and Neelmani to the same nursing home where he had admitted Saamu Munda the day before. He instructed the rest of the crowd to hire some five or six taxis and return to McCluskieganj. He asked Liza, ‘Do you have money on you? See that you all eat something on the way. Take special care of Mrs Tomalin and Miss Bonner.’
The doctor at the nursing home shook his head negatively when he saw Mrs Thripthorpe. ‘Brain haemorrhage. She has very little chances of surviving.’ Judy broke into tears. She, Kitty and Neelmani received first aid. Then Neelmani went to Saamu Chacha and told him everything. He had stabilized somewhat by then and said, ‘We will have to fight this out on legal grounds.’
Judy had such a frightened look on her face, so woebegone, like a caged animal that is defenceless. Danny tried to console her as did Neelmani. Mrs Thripthorpe had passed away. The nursing home did not want to keep her any more, so the group put the corpse on a stretcher in an ambulance, and together they all left for McCluskieganj. Near Dr Goswami’s house, Dennis saw Mr Mendez making his way along the road in the darkness. He was carrying a torch. Seeing him, Dennis had the ambulance stopped. Mr Mendez was taken aback for a moment. Then he asked about Mrs Thripthorpe, ‘Is she behind?’ Little did he realize that the ambulance was actually carrying her body. Mr Mendez went to the rear of the ambulance and, flashing his torch, he saw what he saw. Then he broke down inconsolably. ‘What new curse has befallen us, oh God,’ he said. Then Mr Mendez related the tragedy that had struck Miss Bonner. She had had a severe paralytic stroke, her whole right side was paralysed. Being heavily built had added to her problem. Her stomach too had swollen up as she was not being able to pass urine. By then they had reached Mrs Thripthorpe’s house. Captain Mendonca was at the gate. Dennis said, ‘Take care of Judy.’ Judy’s sons were aghast at what they heard. They too wept bitterly. Dennis asked Kitty to stay back. He said, ‘Tomorrow morning we’ll get the coffin ready. The body will be all right since the weather is cool tonight.’ Then he asked Neelmani if he should walk her to her house. She refused to leave his side, ‘I will stay with you, Dennis Chacha.’ After this, together they went off to Miss Bonner’s house. She was lying in bed surrounded by the entire community—Ilona, Kathleen Harrigan, Danny and Jennifer, Amit Ghosh, Mr Gibson, Noel Gordon and his son Bobby—all of them were there. Dr Goswami was trying to insert a catheter; her stomach was bloated.
Finally that night, under the supervision and care of Dr Goswami, Miss Bonner finally passed urine. Then Dennis suggested to all those present, ‘Why don’t we take Miss Bonner to Ranchi?’ Dr Goswami fully concurred. ‘If she stays in the nursing home for a few weeks, she will definitely improve.’ ‘Moreover we have the advantage of an ambulance here,’ Dennis said, asking Neelmani to call the ambulance to the door. They got ready to take Miss Bonner to the ambulance. Liza and Kathleen Harrigan quickly changed Miss Bonner’s soiled clothes. Then they heaved her on to the stretcher and subsequently into the ambulance.
Dennis said, ‘Liza, Danny and Neelmani will go with me to Ranchi and remain there with Miss Bonner. I’ll come back as soon as possible. Please get the coffin ready for Thripthorpe Aunty, but don’t start the funeral rituals until I return. Yes, please also go and look up Judy, Kitty is there with her.’ The ambulance sped away.