P a g e | 1

Robbers Hill

A NOVELETTE

By

Ravi Ranjan Goswami

P a g e | 2

2015 Ravi Ranjan Goswami

P a g e | 3

Translated and adapted from Hindi Luteron

ka teela.by the author.

P a g e | 4

To KESH AND DIVITA

P a g e | 5

AKNOWLEDGEMENT

This novelette is entirely a work of fiction. The

names, characters, organizations and incidents

portrayed in it are the work of the author's

imagination.

Ravi Ranjan Goswami

P a g e | 6

1

DESIRE TO SEE PHOOLAN DEVI

1st Day of December 1982, winter of north

India in Jhansi, about 2-30pm my close friend

Rajesh and I were heading towards the Elite

cinema hall. I was sitting on the rear carrier of

his bicycle. Rajesh was pedaling hard to reach

there in time for the matinee show. We were

just teenagers then.

The weather was cold, but we were sweating as

we were over dressed with warm clothes for

that sunny afternoon. Another cause of this was

our excitement. We were daring to go to watch

a movie in the same cinema hall where the then

notorious and dreaded bandit queen Phoolan

Devi was also coming to view the movie of

Amitabh Bachchan titled Namak halal.

After the massacre of Bahmai, a village located in the Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar-

P a g e | 7

Pradesh state,India, by the bandit queen Phoolan Devi and before her surrender several

times we heard different rumors about her.

That day we heard that Phoolan Devi was about

to come to the Elite cinema to watch movie

wearing a burqa.

When we reached a little ahead of the Rani

Lakshmibai park the statue of Jawahar Lal

Nehru, installed at the Elite junction, became

visible to us. In a few minutes we reached the

theater.

There was a long queue at the ticket window

and there were standing a few burqa clad

women in the queue. When we were about to

join the queue a police jeep stopped near the

entrance of the theater. Though these were not

any uncommon occurrences, for us that day,

every burqa clad lady was a suspected Phoolan

Devi and the police presence also seemed to be

because of her.

P a g e | 8

We had read stories in newspapers about police

encounters with the outlaws. We genuinely

feared getting caught in the crossfire between

the police and the bandit queen. Rajesh

suggested to go for some other movie. I agreed

readily. We changed our plan and we went for a

different movie in a different theater that day.

Phoolan Devi surrendered in February 1983.

After she surrendered, all rumors about her

were stopped. Now people were more curious

to know her as a person and to know about her

life.

I too wanted to see her as media always added adjectives like Dacoit beauty or Bandit queen before her name. After Phoolan Devi surrendered, her photograph appeared in newspapers. There was a very young, short and slim young lady in pants and shirts with a scarf tied around her head, covering her forehead holding a rifle in one hand. She looked a normal young woman, but for her attire and gun. I was a little thrilled and highly surprised that how she had killed twenty men in one go to avenge

P a g e | 9

her dishonor by them as was alleged. After Phoolans surrender there was peace in the Chambal region for a few months. After that, new struggle started among different Dacoits and their gangs for establishing their domination in the Chambal ravines and the surrounding area. Seeing the fame, facilities and political support extended to Phoolan Devi, a few men and women Dacoits started to think of committing something bigger and then to

surrender.

2

BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER

About seven years later.

After obtaining a degree of Bachelor of science,

I appeared for the Indian civil service

examination. In my second attempt I was

successful in getting selected for the Indian

Police Service.

After training I got my first posting as assistant

police superintendent at Gwalior. I had not

P a g e | 10

expected to be posted so near to my place

Jhansi. I was happy, but my family members

were not very happy as I was attached to the

Dacoits eradication program. My family

members started pressurizing me to further try

for the Indian Administrative Service. Actually, I

too wished to run for an IAS job, but I was not

sure that I could find adequate time to prepare

for the examination.

When I was a kid, I heard various tales of the

Dacoits. More or less those tales depicted

Dacoits as brave, rebellious and compassionate

towards the hapless. Later I read in some book

that during a period of time some common

people rebelled against the exploitative

Jamindars and other upper and rich class people

.They were called Bagi. Society and the rulers

called them Dacoits. The Dacoits of Chambal

area still preferred calling themselves as Bagis

instead of the Dacoits.

Chambal ravines have always been famous for

dacoits. Geological and social political

P a g e | 11

conditions of the area were also responsible for

keeping this area always infested by Dacoits.

3

GOING IN A BARAT

In a weeks time since I arrived in Gwalior.

Seth Girdharis house was bustling with activities in connection with the marriage of his elder son Ramesh, which was to be solemnized at the brides house in Morena. He was tense. He awaited a phone call from Jimmy. He had told him to give him a call as soon as the work was done and come back before his sons marriage. Seth Girdhari had booked a luxury bus for the marriage party comprising of his kins, relatives and friends who would be going to Morena to participate and celebrate the marriage ceremony of his son Ramesh with Ragini a daughter of a rich businessman of Morena.

Seth Girdhari had given the responsibility of

welcoming and looking after all the guests to his

P a g e | 12

younger brother Krishna Gopal and younger son

Suresh. The following day the Barat (marriage

party) was about to leave for Morena. Nearly all

his relatives had arrived. Seth was eagerly

waiting for Jimmy. Jimmy was a trusted

employee of Seth Gopinath, who was a close

friend of Girdhari.

Jimmy had been assigned the job of procuring modern gold ornaments worth ten Lakh rupees. These ornaments were meant to be displayed and given to the bride at the time of marriage. Eventually, Jimmy arrived and Seth became

relaxed.

The following day at about 12oclock in the noon the bus set out for Morena with the loud chanting of Shri Ramchandra ki jay Pawan Putra Hanuman ki jay (victory of lord Rama and son of wind Shri Hanuman). According to local practice and for safety two gunmen were also taken to escort the marriage party. These gunmen were not any hired professional. They were some relatives of Seth Girdhari. There were around 50 persons, including a few children in the Barat. Among them, I was also there. Ramesh was my

P a g e | 13

former schoolmate and friend. He had invited me to his marriage and insisted on my joining his

Barat.

4

BREAK IN JOURNEY

Inside the bus Ramesh the bridegroom and

one of his friends were seated just behind the driver. Seth Girdhari and Gopinath occupied the front seat on the left side of the driver. One gunman sat on top of the bus among the luggage of the members of the marriage party. Second gunman occupied the seat near the front entrance door of the bus. I sat behind this gunman. Younger gang, including children preferred to occupy the rear section of the bus. After some time they started to play the game of Antyakshary (a type of game of songs) Everybody was in a happy and joyful mood. This journey was not supposed to be a long journey. Distance was about 40 km and the bus could reach Morena in an hour or so. But this journey was fated to be longer than that anybody could think.

P a g e | 14

We might have travelled for about twenty

minutes one hind wheel got punctured.

The bus driver and his assistant brought down a

spare wheel from the bus and commenced an

effort to replace the punctured wheel with that.

All people came out of the bus. A few

individuals went to nearby bushes to pass urine.

In the vicinity there were wild thorny bushes,

plum, asian ebony and tamarind trees. A few

kids started throwing pebbles to down

tamarinds and started collecting them. A few

children plucked plums and filled their pockets

to enjoy later on the bus.

In about half an hour bus was ready to move.

We all got on the bus and occupied our

respective seats. Once more bus started with

the invocation of Bhagwan Shri Ram and

Hanuman.

The driver started playing popular filmy tracks on the buss stereo. Young men and children started swaying and dancing with the music. Suddenly

P a g e | 15

the bus started shaking. It was running over a bad patch of the road. All passengers sat down firmly in their seats. Outside sun was hot. Seth Girdhari sighted ahead, a big mango tree. He told the driver to stop near that tree. The bus driver stopped the bus under shade of the tree. Seth asked Suresh to distribute soft drink bottles to all on the bus. Suresh and a few other boys took out Coca Cola and Fanta soft drink bottles from a freezer box kept in the front part of the bus and handed along to all the passengers. Water cans were also kept in the bus, but because of summer season most people carried with them plastic water bottles or thermos flasks filled with water. The journey was also not a lot longer. They were supposed to reach their destination at lunch time. There brides party had to arrange for their boarding and lodging. So they did not carry food along with them. Considering the presence of children in the marriage party enough quantity of fruits and biscuit packets had been stored in the bus. They were also

distributed among all the passengers.

Once again bus started its journey towards the

destination.

P a g e | 16

5

ROBBERS HILL

Away from the atmosphere of

competitiveness, rivalry, politics and bloodshed of the main Chambal area, at one corner of the Chambal region itself, there was a village named Robbers Hill. Kailash Pandey lived there. The 23-year-old young man looked like any other normal young man. He was five feet eight inch tall, fair and was master of a well built body. He was not educated, but he had learnt how to read and write Hindi. Kidnapping for ransom was his inherited profession. Since childhood, he has grown up seeing his father

doing the like.

His father Ram Ratan Pandey had successfully run this business for more than two decades. Kailash was the only child to his parents. Two years ago, Pandey had taken a sort of retirement, handing over the reign of his gang to his son Kailash. Pande constructed a small Hanuman temple in the village. Most of his time, he remained at the temple. Some veterans, retired and some surrendered ex-

P a g e | 17

Dacoits often-assembled there and shared their tales of adventures. There were a total of twenty-five families and the total population might be close to one hundred. It was alleged that they were descended of rebels who initially revolted against their exploitation by landlords and other rich upper class and took up the gun.

Some rebels even fought against the British.

A new generation had come of age along with

Kailash and the youth of that village like him

who had adopted robbery and kidnapping like a

family business. Kailash's father Ram Ratan

Pandey was head of the village. He was also

called Bhagat ji l He had certain qualities. He

was always sympathetic and helpful towards

the poor and always respected women. He

always maintained friendly relations with police

officials and politicians. He did not believe in

unnecessary violence. The people of the village

had a great respect and loyalty for him. And

though kidnapping and ransom had been his

main avocation he was never arrested in his

P a g e | 18

career of twenty years Kailash had also

inherited some of his fathers characteristics.

Kailash had been participating in the robbery and kidnapping operations of his father for quite some time, so when his father decided to step down and retire giving responsibility to him he did not find any difficulty. He was strong and smart, so he was easily accepted as the

gang leader by the members of the gang.

6

BANDITS PLAN TO KIDNAP

That day Kailashs informer reported that next

day marriage party of a son of a rich man was

about to go from Gwalior to Morena Kailash

knew it well that it was not an easy task to loot

a Barat. They had to face a big number of

people and often they carry a few gunmen with

a marriage party for security purpose. Well, he

summoned his gang. There were twenty

members in his gang. They were of different

sizes, shapes, age and temperament. But they

P a g e | 19

all had one thing in common which kept them

together and that was their faithfulness to

Bhagatji and his son Kailash. All elderly

members of the gang had earlier worked with

Bhagatji and those who were younger, had

been helped by Bhagatji in some or the other

times. In an hours time the gang gathered on

the terrace of Kailashs house.

Kailash , Ramu , Bhola, Dhakkan and other

members of the gang sat in a ring on the

terrace of the Kailashs house. Bhola took out a

small cloth sack from his trouser pocket. From

that he took a small tube filled with lime. That

sack was containing tobacco also. He poured

some tobacco on his left palm. He squeezed the

lime tube and took a small amount of lime with

his right first finger and mixed it with tobacco.

He further finely mixed the tobacco and lime by

rubbing the mixture against his left palm with

his right thumb for about half a minute. Then he

presented this ready for chewing tobacco to the

people sitting near him. They took small

P a g e | 20

amounts of this tobacco and kept in their

mouth. To the people sitting at a distance the

tobacco pouch and lime were passed over so

that they themselves could prepare their doses

of tobacco. Some people lighted beedis and

cigarette. Kailash neither chewed tobacco nor

smoked.

Shakti Singh came straight from the country

liquor bar. He looked a bit drunk. Immediately

on arriving he shot a question in the air what

is the matter today?"

Kailash started." Nanhe barber has informed

that tomorrow afternoon a very rich mans

marriage party will be going from Gwalior to

Morena by a bus. If we loot or hijack that bus

we can get so much booty that we can live for a

year without doing any work.

Sivan uncle cautioned." Looting or hijacking the

bus is not an easy task as there will be many

people in the bus and also there may be armed

security with the marriage party. I have also

P a g e | 21

heard a special police force has been deployed

in the area to look after us.The last sentence

he had said as a joke to bring in a little humor in

conversation. Though he had heard right. Sivan

was a senior member of the gang. Many boys of

the gang called him uncle. He suggested to get

advice from Bhagatji also.

They all proceeded to Bhagatjis Hanuman

temple to seek his advice..

Sivan told him the situation and asked his

opinion. Bhagatji said "Dont take much risk by

trying to rob the bus in broad daylight. I guess

kidnapping a few people from the wedding bus

will be easier and will bring comfortably good

ransom. Shakti Singh had a flash of an idea. He

suggested that they should attack the bus on its

return trip as that time bride will also be with

the marriage party. Then, they could kidnap the

bride as well. Besides ransom, the gold

ornaments worth lakhs of rupees will be their

bonus.

P a g e | 22

Bhagatji said , No. Not the bride. He always

honored women. He had never kidnapped a

woman. This was topmost ideal of the

RobbersHill village that respect the woman.

Kailash followed his father thoroughly in this

matter. Even Bhagatji fought several times with

other gangs to free kidnapped girls and ladies.

He never minded raising a gun to save the

honor of a woman.

7

DIFFERENT WORLDS

This is a fact that at the same time, every

member in the same household may be living in

a different world. Every ones world is produced

by ones own ideas, experiences and personal

conditions. I wondered how many worlds might

be simultaneously existing in that bus. In an

environment full of happiness and exhilaration

of the wedding party people were drawn

occasionally inadvertently to their mental

worlds. I imagined Ramesh must be thinking

P a g e | 23

about his wife to be and his honeymoon and

must be feeling glad. I imagined his world to be

colorful at that time. Perhaps the priest might

be thinking about receiving a handsome

amount for conducting the wedding. Seth

Gopichand might be thinking about some past

or future business. Children had their own

world. They were enjoying and creating a lively

atmosphere. Generally people have complained

against the drivers that they drive fast, but

people were feeling the driver of this bus quite

slow. By that time they ought to have reached

Morena. Instead, they were just approaching

Madhopur, a place on the way to Morena.

Finally, we reached Morena. We were lodged in

a good hotel. After lunch we rested for the day.

The late evening marriage procession was led to

the brides house with a special music band and

lights. The bridegroom rode on a horse like a

prince to the brides house. The marriage was

solemnized during night. We enjoyed the

hospitality of the brides family. The Next day

we had to return.

P a g e | 24

8

TRAP BY ROBBERS

The day the bus, carrying the wedding party

was about to return from Morena, Kailash and

his gang arrived on the intended road at a

suitable spot in two jeeps at about 10am. Some

people came on motorcycles. It was probably

done to leave room in the jeeps to carry

persons to be kidnapped. Kailash was in a police

inspectors uniform. The rest were in the dress

of fellow constables and sepoys. Some of them

were having .303 rifles. A few others had

shotguns and pistols. Kailash had a revolver

with him. Jeeps had also been painted like

police jeeps. According to Nanhes information

the bus was expected, there between 11 and

11-30 am but Indian marriages are so elaborate

that it is very difficult to maintain a fixed

schedule of events. So Nanhe could not tell any

fixed time confidently.

P a g e | 25

All had been told about their roles. The gangs

top most priority was to first overpower the

two gunmen accompanying the wedding party

as informed by their informer Nanhe.

Meanwhile, a few passenger buses and tempos

were gone in both directions. Nanhe climbed a

Neem tree so as to discern the target in

advance. He could recognize that bus. At about

quarter to twelve he spotted a green deluxe bus

coming in their direction. That was the targeted

bus. Nanhe barber blew a whistle and quickly

got down the tree. Kailash signaled the driver of

a jeep. The driver immediately pulled up the

jeep and parked across the road, barring the

way. Just like a police party they stood in the

way and waved hands to stop the bus. The

driver applied brakes and stopped the bus with

a jolt. People looked out to understand the

cause of the sudden stop. They saw a police

party out there. They relaxed thinking this to be

a routine check by the police.

P a g e | 26

Kailash and Bhure went to the driver and asked

him to show his driving license.

Laccha and Ghanshyam commanded the

gunman sitting atop the bus to climb down. He

obeyed instantly. They took his gun as if to

examine and shot a question "is it yours? Do

you possess license?"

At the same time Shakti Singh and Goli shouted

at the gunman sitting inside the bus near the

entrance and asked him in an authoritative tone

to get down the bus. He also obeyed. They

almost snatched his gun. Only hard core

criminals may dare disobey or resist the police.

The common man generally cooperates with

the police, though often because of fear.

All of a sudden my eyes caught something

glaringly uncommon about those police

personnel. They were wearing shoes of

different kinds and those were not the

prescribed police uniform shoes.

P a g e | 27

Oh God!I thought desperately and shouted,

They are not policemen. They are Dacoits. But

by then it was too late. The guns were pointed

at the disarmed gunmen. The rest of the armed

robbers barged into the bus. They threatened

us and ordered us to get down the bus. All

followed their orders. I also did not have a

choice. We all were lined up on one side of the

road with our backs toward them. The bride

and groom stood together at one side. The

bride had clutched the sleeve of the bridegroom

out of fright. We were profusely sweating

because of fear and hot weather. I wished that I

ought to have a revolver with me at that time.

Well, like any other passenger I stood quietly.

A robber went to the bride. He ordered her to

remove the jewelry. The bride looked a little

hesitatingly towards her husband. The

bridegroom nodded to comply. The bride

started removing her jewelry. The robber was a

bit drunk and impatient. He grabbed a hand of

the bride and started taking off the gold bangles

P a g e | 28

with force. The groom could not contain himself

and resisted the robber. The robber was already

a bit drunk. The touch of a young woman had a

multiplier effect on his state of intoxication. So

when the bridegroom resisted, he felt disturbed

and angry. He pushed hard the groom and

pointed his gun at him. The bride came in

between her husband and the robber and

pleaded the robber not to shoot. She started

getting rid of her jewelry fast and passing over

to the robber. To remove the necklace she

raised both her hands and tried to unhook it at

the back of the neck. In this effort her breasts

were lifted and looked more round and full. The

robber could not control himself, he set his

palms on them. Bride shrieked. Somebody

shouted his name in a threateningly loud voice,

Shaktiiiiiii ! His name was Shakti. He

immediately withdrew his hands. The bride

removed the necklace, the last ornament on her

person and handed over to the robber. He kept

all jewelry in his long pant pocket and

immediately left that position. The person, who

P a g e | 29

had shouted him out was the gang leader

Kailash. Dacoits were in a hurry. They had to

finish their operation, before any chance

interruption. They stuffed as many of the

passengers as could be packed in the jeeps.

Unfortunately, I was also included in that group.

They then fired three shots into the air and

drove down the jeeps from the main road to a

rugged off-side road and proceeded rapidly

towards an unknown destination and vanished

shortly from the eyes of the people left behind.

Dacoits had gone out of sight, but people were

still scared. Everyone sat down quickly inside

the bus. The driver raced the bus at high speed

towards Gwalior.

P a g e | 30

9

BRIDE ARRIVES WITHOUT

BRIDEGROOM.

The driver took the bus straight to the house

of Girdhari Seth and parked it in front of the

house.

Since after the departure of the Barat women

folk of the house had been enjoying themselves

with traditional music, songs and gimmicks and

waiting for the Barat to return. On seeing the

bus Ramesh's mother and other women came

to the door with a Thali with a lighted earthen

lamp and turmeric powder paste and some rice

grains in it to accord a traditional ritualistic

welcome to the newly- wed couple before

entering the house. Some young women went

running over to the bus to see and escort the

new bride. New bride had veiled her face as she

was supposed to do according to the local

tradition. The young ladies helped her in getting

down the bus and escorted her to the entrance

P a g e | 31

of the house where women of the house were

waiting to welcome her. Rameshs mother was

surprised not to see Ramesh coming along

with the bride. Then she noticed brides wrists

were without bangles and her neck and ears

also without any jewelry. She was quite

shocked. She understood that something very

bad had happened. The bride came to her and

started crying. She hugged her and asked the

matter.Members of the marriage party, who

had escaped from the robbers and returned,

told the detail of the attack by bandits and

kidnapping of Ramesh and a few others by

them. Ramesh mother and all other women

started weeping.

After some time people, including ladies

controlled their emotions and gathered in a

large room of the house and began discussing

how to get the kidnapped people back.

Rameshs old grandfather, who could not go

with the Barat was also present there. They

decided that the purpose of the kidnapping is

P a g e | 32

generally ransom so they should wait for

ransom demands. Everyone was afraid to seek

the assistance of police. They thought that

informing the police might risk the lives of the

kidnapped. Some people suggested seeking the

help of a particular local political leader.

Everybody readily supported this suggestion.

But then someone informed that the politician

had gone to a foreign destination and would be

back next week only.

Again gloom enveloped all. Finally the decision

was taken to wait for the demand of ransom.

10

CAPTIVES IN A ROOM

Jeeps kept on running for a while. After

reaching a comfortable distance from the main

road jeeps were stopped at one place. Here our

eyes were covered with black fabric straps by

the Dacoits. Then again jeeps started running

towards an unknown destination. The jeep in

P a g e | 33

which I was travelling was having four children

from 6 to 12 years and Ramesh.The other jeep

was carrying Seth Gopichand and a few other

persons unfamiliar to me. We had been ordered

to stay quiet. So we were travelling silently. By

changing sound of the Jeeps engine, I could

guess when we were passing through rugged

ravines and mud hills and when we were

running through the course of open terrain.

On the way at one place I heard the sound of

water flowing past and the air felt a bit cold. We

probably were passing by the river or pond. Our

jeep stopped suddenly at a place. From this

location we took a half circular turn to the right

and continued our journey.

After running half an hour or so jeeps were

stopped. We were helped to get down the jeeps

and were taken inside a room. There our straps

were removed and our eyes were opened.

Kidnappers warned us that if anyone attempted

to escape, the consequences will be very bad.

P a g e | 34

They gave us a blank paper and pen, and asked

us to write our names, addresses and

occupations. I asked everybody and wrote the

demanded detail and gave that paper to them.

Then they went out and the room was locked

from the outside.

By the sound of their footsteps and the sound

of the Jeep start, we realized that maybe they

went somewhere.

We looked at each other and looked here and

there in the room. The room was very old and

in poor condition. The place had disturbed

plaster walls and ceilings. An old rusty ceiling

fan was hanging from the ceiling. There were

spider webs in the corners of the room. There

was only one door. There were two windows

and two small ventilating widows. The two

windows were closed; light and air were

entering the room through the small

ventilators.

P a g e | 35

Ramesh looked towards me and spoke, had

you been spared we would have had a better

chance of survival and early freedom.

Then he introduced me to rest of the people. I

already knew the father of Ramesh. Among

others were Radhelal, a teacher, children

belonged to one maternal uncle of Ramesh and

they came from Benares. Radhe was a friend of

Ramesh's father and taught English at a

prestigious school in Gwalior. There were three

relatives of Ramesh named Munnalal, Pritam

and Kallu. Other names I cannot remember.

I requested them not to disclose to bandits that

I was a police officer as that might put all of us

in more danger.

We have ten to twelve people, the room was

small. We were disturbed by the heat and

suffocation. There was a small hole in the

wooden door. I peeked out through that. I could

see nothing but soils and some thorny shrubs. I

guessed that someone must be guarding us, but

P a g e | 36

I could not see anyone through the hole. It was

4 o'clock in the evening. There was still enough

sunlight.

The room had a bulb holder which was holding

a dirt ridden bulb. I found a switch board having

two switches next to the door. I put on both the

switches. The fan started with a thud and the

bulb lighted. Found some relief. I put off the

bulb. The greatest relief we found when we saw

in a corner a large clay pitcher filled with water

and a plastic mug was placed over it. We all

were thirsty. We drank water from the pitcher.

The floor was not clean, but I sat on the floor,

resting by back against a wall. I saw everyone

sitting down. Children were distraught,

frightened and weary. Youngest child lay down

on the ground. In a little while some of us were

reclining against walls and a few were sitting on

the ground. Intense anxiety was palpable on the

faces of all. Ramesh was still in the groom's

attire. Only turban was not on his head. He had

removed the turban and kept in the bus.

P a g e | 37

Ramesh was especially concerned about his

father. He was suffering from cardiovascular

disorders. So when somebody said that if we

could find when the kidnappers were not

around, we could break away, Ramesh opposed

it. I too did not support the idea. We did not

know where we were at that time. Also, I

believed that we had been kept under watch. It

seemed to me that we had been kidnapped by a

large and dangerous gang. Holding so many

people captive together could not be the work

of any ordinary gang. We rejected the idea of

breaking the door and escaping. All fell silent.

Maybe everyone was thinking the course about

a new possibility. I noticed the children were

too cool. The little boy was asleep lying supine. I

was trying to recollect what I had read in an

office file, which had the profiles of past and

currently active major bandits and the gangs of

Gwalior, Morena, Dholpur and surrounding

Chambal area. If the area could be sensed I

could probably figure out we were a victim of

which gang.

P a g e | 38

I looked at my wrist watch. It was almost six

o'clock. Suddenly we heard the loud noise of a

train passing. We were all startled. I tried to

open the windows. The windows were jammed,

but they were opened when I pushed them

hard. Through the window at one side we could

see a railway track in the vicinity. Now it

appeared, that room was some old abandoned

railway office. The room might be for a railway

employee. The gang had used this timeworn

vacant room in secluded area to hide us.

I thought if we ran along the railway line, it will

lead to a railway station where we could get all

the necessary help. But did not know how far

would be that place.

The little boy sat up suddenly and began to cry

as well. Ramesh consoled him. His brothers also

tried to console him. He stopped crying. It was

dusk. Now room had become a bit dark. I

turned on the light. The room was filled with

enough light.

P a g e | 39

Little boy was hungry and so were the other

persons. I felt an intense sensation of

helplessness. I did not know if we would get

food, However, I consoled "we will get food." I

was worried as I had heard that some gangs

kept the abducted people hungry so that they

became weak and vulnerable and could not run

away from the captivity

Lord, I prayed to God to give something to eat,

especially to children.

We heard some voices and steps outside the

room around 8 pm. We became cautious. Then

there came the sound of the lock opening. The

next moment the door was opened with a bang.

There appeared black faces of two gunmen who

had big mustaches and beards. They looked

ferocious. They entered the room. One of them

had a parcel in his hands. He kept the parcel on

the floor and said "There is food"

The other one spoke with a local accent in a

typical language and said "if you want to piss or

P a g e | 40

shit you can go out. For washing there is a pond

nearby. Dont try to escape. If anybody tries to

run away we will shoot"

We had been confined to the room for many

hours. Almost all needed and liked to go out for

a while. We were all standing. Then he said, "Go

two persons at a time." We did that

A man stood at the door of the room. The

other monitored outside.

Two-two people went outside by turns. I went

out together with Ramesh. In the bushes near

the pond after passing urine I casually stood

around while I watched the area. I was able to

see because of the moonlight. The area around

had the sand, dry grass and barren land and

nothing else. At a far away distance I could see

a cluster of large and dense trees. Ramesh was

waiting for me. Lest there come any doubt in

the mind of the kidnappers I preferred not to be

there for long. We returned back to the room.

P a g e | 41

Food packet was opened. That contained many

rotis, enough dry cooked vegetables and raw

onions. We shared the food. As we were hungry

food tasted good. We washed hands and drank

cold water from the earthen pitcher.

It appeared that the food was brought from

someone's house. So we were relieved to see a

little humanity in these bandits. We had heard

stories of their brutality and cruelty also.

After dinner door was again locked from the

outside.

11

LETTER OF RANSOM

The other day a letter was brought to

Ramesh's house by a young boy of the vicinity.

This letter was given to him by a strange man,

who had told him to give it to someone in the

house. He handed the letter to Ramesh's

mother. It contained the list of names of the

P a g e | 42

kidnapped persons and an amount was written

next to each name. This was also written that

free your people by paying the amount and If

the matter was reported to police

consequences would be bad.

Ramesh's mother covered her head with her

saree Pallu as a token of respect and gave the

letter to her father-in-law. The letter was read

by all persons present there. Concerns were

evident on the faces of all.

The letter was written in a rough hand and

read so--

Seth,

Your people are in our possession. They will be

freed for the following ransoms.

Seth Gopichand ten lakh. Seth Girdhari -Ten

lakh. Ramesh- Ten lakh. Two lakh for four

children, Radhelal master- Two lakh, Rajan,

Munnalal, Pritam,Ranjan and Kallu one and

half lakh each. If matter reported to the police

P a g e | 43

the consequences will be very bad and then

you'll be responsible for that. When you are

ready with the money hoist a green flag on your

roof top.

Yours

DASYU SARDAR

KAILASH PANDEY

Kailashs name seal was also stamped. The

practice of applying personal seal on the

ransom letter was not new among the dacoits

of Chambal region. This showed the audacity of

the strong leader of the gang stood firmly

established. Seal made the letter look authentic

and was taken seriously enough.

Consequently People arranged and deposited

the ransom money with Rameshs grandfather

in two days time.

A green flag was hoisted on the roof top.

P a g e | 44

12

SHIFTING

At night restlessness of children increased

.They asked Ramesh, "When shall we go

home?" No response came immediately to

Ramesh. I said "We will sleep at night right

here. Maybe tomorrow someone will come to

take us. I said so to prepare them mentally to

sleep there that night.

Because of the heat and mosquitoes none could

have a good sleep during night.

So we were not properly awake at five in the

morning when the sound of the footsteps of

some people assailed our ears. In the next few

seconds, the door opened and four gunmen

covering their faces with scarves entered the

room. One of them asked everyone to stand up.

We immediately stood up. They brought with

them black cloth straps. They tied straps and

covered our eyes. We were helped to move out

P a g e | 45

of the room and proceed to the jeeps. We were

being transferred to a new, unknown location. I

guessed we were going towards the north, but

soon I lost all sense of direction as the jeeps

passed through so many twists and turns on the

way.

13

TEMPLE OF KALI

Just outside the village Robbers hill, on a

small hill top there was a temple of Goddess

Kali. This was an important temple of the area,

but according to local belief and tradition

people used to go to this temple only to thank

the goddess to fulfill their special wishes. For

this too, Friday was a fixed day. The rest of the

day that place remained secluded and peaceful.

However, during Navratri festival all nine days

people could visit the temple and worship the

Goddess.

P a g e | 46

That was not Friday. Navratri were still away. At

dusk there was sitting a sharp featured dusky

tall and slim girl on the staircase of the temple

in the twilight. She had beautiful big black eyes,

black, thick and long hair. She was waiting for

Kailash.

Her dark, thick and long hair braid was hanging

in front of her bosom. It was Parvati. Her eyes

were on the staircase from ground to the hill

top. Kailash surprised her by coming from

behind. He did not come by way of the stairs,

he climbed the hill from the back side.

Parvati complained "took so long?

Sitting next to her Kailash said, "Was stuck in

something."

She asked, Have you had a big catch? Have

you kidnapped many persons from a Barat? "

Kailash asked, "How do you know?"

P a g e | 47

Shakti Singh came drunk to my house

yesterday. He told my mother about this. He

was saying that this time your gang has looted a

Barat and kidnapped many rich people. Huge

ransom is demanded. Everybody will be getting

a big amount. He even asked my mother to

marry me with himself.

Kailash uttered, "the addict will die himself and

get us killed too.

Kailash felt angry.

Kailash asked Parvati casually, "Whom will you

marry, me or Shakti Singh?"

Parvati got up and looking at Kailash, retorted,

"I will not marry any robber.

Saying thus she turned and briskly walked to

the stairs down the hill. Kailash lay down and

contemplated that why Parvati said so when

she was also from the family of the Dacoits.

P a g e | 48

14

PARVATI AND HER MOTHER

Parvati and her mother had come there from

another village. Kailash's father resettled them

in his village. Parvati was the daughter of Sardar

Thakur Singh a Bandit. She had two older

brothers. Father virtually ruled his village and its

surrounding areas.

She was born and brought up in dacoits family.

Robbers and their profession were not strange

to her. And she had heard that the rich became

rich by exploiting the poor, so looting the rich

was no crime.

Her mother sometimes advised her husband

and sons to surrender. She had heard that the

government was soft on the surrendered

Dacoits and even helped them in their

rehabilitation after they served their term in

jail. But they did not listen.

P a g e | 49

One day her worst fear came to be true. In a

police encounter she lost her husband and sons

together. Parvati was fifteen years old at that

time.

There was no male member left in the family.

Some of the gang members who did not dare

speak to them earlier now saw them with lust.

Parvati had learned to fire the gun and there

was a gun in the house so those dacoits could

not take on them easily. But there was constant

danger for mother and daughter and they were

scared. Hence they decided to leave the village.

During the course of a night they put the

jewelry and cash in a cloth bundle and got out

of their home. Mother had put the veil to hide

herself. Parvati was wearing Khaki pants, shirt.

She left her hair loose on her back and

shoulder, tied a scarf covering her forehead and

preventing her hair from coming to her eyes.

She carried a loaded double barrel gun on her

shoulder. They moved quickly towards the

P a g e | 50

outside of the village. In those areas, it was

normal to carry a gun.

Two of the traitors of Thakur Singh's gang saw

them.

They were tempted to plunder the wealth of

Thakur Singh. They were sure that these women

were carrying valuables in the bundle. Both

followed them. Parvati and her mother's had

planned to reach the main road and board the

first bus just to go away from the area. Later

they would think their future course of action.

Parvati had an uncle at Dholpur. They would go

there if they could.

They had to walk four miles to reach the bus

road. Suddenly Parvati realized that someone

was following them. Parvati tightened her grip

on the gun.

She looked back. It was not difficult for her to

be able to tell that they were robbers. Parvati

P a g e | 51

was aware that the robbers intentions were

dangerous.

Parvati asked her mother to walk faster. When

they increased the speed, the two bandits also

began to walk faster. Parvati had seen that they

had guns. Parvati removed the gun from her

shoulder and took the gun in her left hand.

Parvati had decided what to do. She told the

mother that the right side ahead there was a

mangrove. They had to run towards that

direction when they reached there. She further

told her mother to walk slower.

They started walking slow. They had reached

almost an isolated place. The robbers, perhaps,

were waiting for this opportunity. They

overtook them and blocked their way. One of

them said to Parvatis mother, "Where are you

going sister-in -law like this?"

Another said, "Go as you wish. Leave the bundle

and the girl with us. "

P a g e | 52

Hearing this mother flew into a rage. After all,

she was from a Rajput family and she too had

drunk the water of Chambal. She removed her

veil, shielded Parvati and challenged the

Dacoits, Dont dare come near my daughter, I

will cut you into pieces.

Parvati snatched the bundle from the mother

and threw it flying over their heads. They

looked back in the direction of the throw, out of

reflex action. Parvati then raised the gun with a

lightning speed with her left-hand to her right

shoulder and shot in the hip of the person who

was in front of her by pulling the trigger by the

right hand finger. He fell forward with a shriek.

The second robber instantly turned and took off

his shoulder gun, Parvati did now allow him a

second and shot in his stomach. He held his

stomach and fell to the ground groaning.

Parvati grabbed the mother's hand and ran to

the mangrove. They stopped to rest for a while

inside the mangrove. Mangrove was almost

dark. Sometimes the moonlight filtered through

P a g e | 53

the trees reached. They discussed and

discarded the idea of going to the main road.

After Parvati shot the two bandits they were

afraid of coming across any police patrolling

party. The other side of the Mangroves, there

lay an arid and rugged land spread over an area.

They knew that three miles south of that place

there was a hill of Kali Devi and other side of

that hill there was the village called Robbers

Hill. They had visited the Kali devi temple during

Navratri festival. They had known the

reputation of the former Dacoit Bhagatji.

Parvati's mother said to her, "Where shall we go

during the night? I think we should go to the

Bhagatjis temple. "Parvati had shot two

robbers to save her honor, but was too scared

now. She agreed with the mother.

About two hours later, they showed up at the

Hanuman temple made outside of the village

RobbersHill. Bhagat was there at that time.

They told him their calamity. Bhagat gave them

shelter in the village and made arrangements

P a g e | 54

for their stay. They felt that there they were

most safe. They settled down there. By selling

some of the jewelry they made a two-room

house. Bought a small piece of farmland and

started cultivating the vegetable for their living.

A few months later, they came to know that the

bandits shot by Parvati were saved, but later

they were killed in an encounter with the

police. Both the mother and daughter were

relieved.

Robbers hill and its surrounding area were

extremely safe for women.

For the previous two decades, no incident of

molestation or rape had come to light in and

around the village. People in the region feared

and had a great respect for Bhagatji as well.

There lived two eunuchs in the village. There

was a fable in the village that years ago these

eunuchs were men, who sexually assaulted a

local woman. Bhagatji punished them. Since

then they had been like this.

P a g e | 55

15

NEW LOCATION

I had stopped to guess directions. It was of no

use as I did not know the geography of the

region. Though a few years later, as part of my

duty I covered every inch of Chambal territory

affected by the bandits. Based on my

experiences, I can say that the Kailash and

Bhagat were gentlemen bandits.

Jeeps were stopped at a place. We were taken

to a place and our eyes were opened.

We had come after spending the night in a dirty

and congested room. This place was heaven. It

was a small garden or rather a little Farmhouse.

The fruit trees, flower beds and Lawns

everything was there. There were two rooms on

one side. The garden was surrounded by a high

wall. There was one big iron- gate through

which we had entered there.

P a g e | 56

One robber said, There is a cooking stove,

kitchen utensils, provision, water everything

inside rooms. Prepare our Dal and Rotis for your

lunch. Five or six of our people will also eat so

prepare some extra food.

They went out and locked the gate from the

outside. Now the big question was- who will

cook the food?

Thankfully, they just asked us to prepare Dal

and Rotis but we feared their reactions if food

was not made to their taste. After all, the

teacher and I took up the responsibility of

cooking. The teacher was an experienced cook.

Cooking Dal did not need much effort, but

making about 100 rotis for about twenty

persons took considerable time.

We felt hungry, but did not dare to eat without

permission of the bandits. We did not have

even breakfast yet we waited for them.

P a g e | 57

At about 12.30 gate was opened and six

musclemen came inside. We took a while to

recognize them. We had seen them earlier in

police uniform.

16

NEWS PAPER CUTTING

Among them was a young man wearing a

white Kurta- pajama. We recognized him. He

had put on the police inspectors uniform that

day when they abducted us and he was the

gang leader.

He said looking at us, "I am Kailash Pandey. We

will keep you in comfort. Do not try to escape.

As soon as we receive the ransom we will free

you guys. "

We did not know how much ransom had been

sought to leave us. At that time we did not dare

to ask also.

P a g e | 58

He asked for food. He sat down in the lawn

along with other bandits. We served them food

and water. Plates, bowls and glasses were

available in sufficient numbers. Kailash

surprised us when after food he told two of his

companions to help us wash dishes and to serve

us food. We also had food later.

He further surprised us when he asked the

children, their names and about their standard

in school.

Feeling the atmosphere conducive, Seth

Girdhari suggested and requested him to free

his son Ramesh so that he could arrange the

ransom early. Kailash did not give any answer.

He suddenly asked us, Who is the teacher

among you? We got afraid. Teacher Radhelal

raised his hand and said, "I am the teacher."

"Do you know English?" Asked Kailash

Radhey Lal said, "I am a teacher of English."

P a g e | 59

Kailash had sparkles in the eyes. We could

clearly see.

He called the master near him and made him sit

on next to him respectfully. Kailash then pulled

a paper from his Kurtas pocket. That was a

cutting from an old English newspaper. Kailash

gave that to the teacher and said, "I found this

cutting in an old box lying in a corner of my

house. This is a photograph of my grandfather's

younger days. I cannot read English. Please read

this for me. "

I thought many of us knew English, but he asked

a teacher to read. I concluded that he had a

sense of respect for teachers and was more

confident of them

Teacher Radhelal read it for a while to himself.

Kailash watched his face.

Then the teacher started reading aloud, "June

30, 1920 , Gwalior, Ramtirth Pandey, a dacoit,

who, along with the organization of the Dacoits

P a g e | 60

of the Chambal region Shivaji Committee waged

guerrilla war against the British for last eight

years, has been killed in a police encounter. He

carried an award of 20000/ on his head.

However the native population considers and

respects him as a martyr. Kailash became

serious after hearing this. He thanked the

teacher and went out with his partners. The

gate was locked from the outside.

17

MY ESCAPE

They departed we all went down in the shade

of a mango tree. At midday sun and heat, dense

shade of the tree was very comfy. When all

were resting I was thinking whether I should

wait quietly for ransom or try for the release of

the captives. I did not want to put the people in

the danger. But how could I, a police officer not

do anything?

P a g e | 61

My attention was attracted to a branch of a

tree which went over the wall to the outside of

the garden. That seemed a fine instrument for

escaping. I decided to escape and run to a

nearby police station and bring help. I told my

plan to the group. A few persons tried to

dissuade me rest were undecided. I made up

my mind.

I went up the tree and reached the wall

crawling on that branch. Hidden by the leaves I

looked outside the boundary wall.

There were some thorny bushes, plum trees and sand dunes and some rocks here and there. A few hundred meters away a river was flowing. I knew armed guards were at the gate, which was not visible from that point I did not know if anyone was watching around boundary wall. But I decided to take a risk. The raw, muddy ground below was suitable for jump. It would not produce much sound and there was a lesser chance of getting injured. I crawled a little further on the branch hung myself from it lowering my legs. Thus, there became lesser

P a g e | 62

distance between my feet and the ground below. Then I let go of the branch of the tree and jumped to the ground. I remained crouched there for a while sensing any movement around. Nobody came around. I raced to the river. River was flooded and its flow was terrible, but I had no option. I jumped into the river and left myself to the mercy of its current, which swept me several meters along with it in a few seconds. Then I started swimming across the river with my full might. I wanted to escape and reach a safe place. I could hear the firing sound of the guns coming from behind. Perhaps the armed guard saw me running away. I looked up ahead and guessed that I had to cover half a mile to reach the other bank of the river. I started swimming hard to reach the other side of the river faster. Suddenly I felt myself heavy then I realized. I had jumped into the water with all my clothes and shoes on. But I continued to swim and in half an hour I was resting there in the sand along the opposite bank of the river exhausted. A few yards away from the bank there were a thick cluster of bushes. I stood and ran to the bushes to hide myself behind them. I did not know that place.

P a g e | 63

It seemed that I was probably somewhere around Morena. By intuition, I started walking in one direction. There was more dense jungle. I wished to find a village or a person from whom I could ask the nearest police post or a police station. Shortly I found a camp office Madhya Pradesh police.. It was a pleasant surprise for me. I introduce myself and told the whole story to the inspector there. He alerted his patrol boat, which was berthed at a short distance from there.

He took a 6 member police team. We went to the boat and boarded it. It was a motor boat. In the course of ten minutes we reached the other

side. Shortly the little garden was surrounded by

police. It was surprising that there was no guard

at the gate. The inspector asked me to remain

behind and he along with two armed policemen

carefully went to the gate. He knocked that

loudly. An old man opened the gate. The

inspector pointed his revolver and led us inside.

There was nobody. I was surprised. I was afraid if any harm was done to them after I fled. Inspector opined that It was also possible the hostages had been shifted to a new hiding place.

P a g e | 64

The old man, who opened the gate, was a gardener. On questioning, he said that two hours before everyone got out of there; he did not

know where they went. The gardener also informed that the farmhouse belonged to a politician who lived in Gwalior

City.

Police searched two rooms there, but did not

find any clue.

Police inspector instructed somebody at the camp office over Walkie-talkie to alert local police stations and search parties about this incident over wireless.

18

HOSTAGES FREED

Kailash had never thought that the course of his

life would have such a big change so fast..

Since the teacher had translated the substance of the English newspaper cutting he had been feeling restless. He had the feeling of self-pride and guilt as well. He was proud of his father, who commanded so much respect in the

P a g e | 65

Chambal region for his principled approach in

his profession.

Knowing what his grandfather did in his lifetime

had increased his pride in his lineage. He also

felt a sort of compunction. He thought his father

might be driven by some compulsions to lead

the life of a Dacoit. What was his compulsion?

Then he remembered that Parvati had said, She

said, "I will not marry a robber."

He took a resolve in his heart.

Kailash had decided to go home and tell his

father. Hearing his idea, his father was

thoughtful for a few minutes.

Then he said, "Good. What I wished but could

not have the courage to do, you are going to do.

Be happy. "

His eyes had become moist telling thus.

Kailash told the mother. She had always wished

the same. She was very happy.

P a g e | 66

Kailash touched the feet of his parents and

quickly left the house.

He occupied the driving seat of the jeep and rode straight to the farm house alone. On seeing him guards came running to him and informed that one of the hostages had jumped over the boundary wall and fled. They chased him, but could not catch. They feared that Kailash would be furious with them. They became surprised

and happy when he did not say anything. Kailash got the gate open and went inside. He

ordered all captives to move out and sit in the

jeep immediately. They did not understand

anything but the order was followed. This time

there was only one jeep, but that was vacant.

They all accommodated themselves in the jeep.

Kailash started the Jeep and soon the Jeep was

going fast along a new unknown kuchcha road.

Soon they reached the main road. Kailash

stopped the jeep and told everyone to get down.

All were surprised. Kailash said to them, "Now

you're free. Sorry for the trouble. "

P a g e | 67

Then he sat down in the Jeep and drove away

fast in the opposite direction, leaving the smoke

and dust behind. It was really hard to believe

that they were free. Then they thought probably

ransom had been paid so they were set free.

It was about 5 o'clock in the evening while the bus to Gwalior came. They waved to the bus to stop. About an hour later they were at the house of Ramesh. After them, I also reached there. The inspector got me dropped there by a police jeep. I was amazed to learn the full story of their

release. All family members and relatives of the kidnapped and freed persons were extremely happy. Ramesh's wife was overjoyed. Everybody thanked god. But there was a question. Rameshs grandfather revealed that the amount collected for ransom was still with him. Neither anybody came to collect that nor gave any instruction about that. He exclaimed, If left without a ransom? Everyone was surprised. All attributed it to the miracle of God. It was indeed. Change of heart does not happen easily. That too of a bandit . Everyone wanted to go home soon. I had not informed my family about my going to

P a g e | 68

Morena as that was not a distant place and was a matter of one or two days. The case had come to the knowledge of the police, the police might do some investigation. My presence might help. So I decided to go home after a couple of days.

19

BANDITS NEWS

Next day the main news of all the newspapers of the region was, Kailash Pandey kidnapped 12 people, but just two days after keeping them hostage freed them on his own without any ransom. He has surrendered himself to the

police.

This was followed by his interview given to the press. In his interview he had told how he came to know the story of his grandfather fighting the Englishman. How his heart was converted and he decided to leave the hostages without ransom and decided to surrender.

A few days later, Kailash and Parvati's parents and Parvati came to visit him in prison. They all were very happy. Parents deliberately left Kailash and Parvati alone. Parvati gifted a

P a g e | 69

handkerchief on which she had embroidered his name and said, "Be strong, you did pretty good.

I will wait for you.

Their meeting time was over. While leaving the eyes of the parents and Parvati had tears, but they also showed pride and satisfaction, which

gave Kailash much strength.

Thanks

goswamirr@hotmail.com