Rough night

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The names and characters bear no resemblance to anyone.

How I wish, this were a true story. Sadly, such stories are only a figment of one's imagination.

Manoj turned around and walked away as quickly as he could. The situation looked like it would get out of hand. He had no intention of getting stuck in an alien city in any problems, on his fifth day.

He had accidentally switched on the flashlight on his phone while disconnecting a call. In the process, he spotted a couple in the process of making out. They looked to be in their late teens. Both looked like they lived close. The clothes that they wore, indicated that much. These were clothes that he would wear while running errands at his home town. The girl had her hair tied in a high bun. She was dark-skinned. She only wore eye makeup and lipstick, which was now smeared. The boy was thin and wore a bright t-shirt. His hair was cut in the latest Mohawk trend. Piercings covered his ears and eyebrow. His lips were smeared with the girl’s lipstick; obviously due to the prolonged kissing. Her skirt was raised above her knees and his hand had disappeared into it.

She screamed, shouting obscenities at the sudden intrusion of their privacy, caused by the flashlight on Manoj’s phone. Manoj quickly apologized and hurried away. The boy then decided that he had to voice his disappointment too. He let loose a string of filthy cuss words. Manoj again tried to apologize, but his words were lost. He decided that retreat was the best option.

The couple had managed to grab the attention of a few local passers-by. The one common feature of people is that their interest rises when the issue is related to someone else. The reaction too, depends on whether they identify with the person, or not. The brain releases a hormone that causes a passing syndrome called schadenfreude. Schadenfreude is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. This gathering crowd was no different. Soon, Manoj was being accused of outraging the modesty of a local woman. He had to think of something quickly, or the crowd was not going to let him get away alive. They did not want to listen to him either. He decided to run. He saw the lights of a street in the distance. He thought he would be safe once he got there.

The crowd began to chase him. Some of them decided to pelt him with stones. Manoj felt the small projectiles hit him at various parts of his body. He tried to cover his head and run faster. It wasn’t effective, as some of the stones hit him hard. He felt the blood trickling down the back of his neck. He felt the tears rising in his eyes. He pushed them back and continued to run. He stumbled and fell over, grazing his elbow. A quick glance showed him the fast narrowing distance between him and the crowd. He did not want to die like this.

Manoj was a young, mid-level IT professional. He had secured a job with a reputed organization in the city and had moved here earlier in the week. That evening, he had stepped out for a walk, to familiarize himself with the surroundings. His mother had called him, like she did every evening. He had laughed at her concern about his meals. He had assured his darling mother that he was eating well. She had asked whether he had found a household help. He had replied saying that the search was on. He had laughed at her jokes and had not told her that he missed her. He let her know that he loved her very much and would be home as soon as he had a long weekend. All this, was just a few minutes ago. How Manoj wished that he could speak to her right now. Almost immediately, he was thankful that she wasn’t on the phone with him. She would have died of a panic attack upon realizing her only son’s plight!

As if by divine intervention, Manoj turned a corner and ran into a parked police van. The four constables looked at the man before them. He was bleeding, but was otherwise wearing clean clothes. He had a fashionable stubble, which was neatly trimmed. They then spotted the crowd running towards them.

“Help me!” Manoj cried and fell. The older constable, also the senior one, casually picked up his rifle. Thief or no thief, a man was being chased by a crowd. There had to be a reason. It seemed like they would have their fun after all. It had been a boring night. First, they would have to get the man away from the crowd. They would have their fun later. The constable loaded his rifle and abruptly turned, to aim at the crowd.

“The first one to take another step will be shot dead!” He called loudly. The crowd hesitated to a stop. His comrades followed suit, aiming their rifles in support. They did not understand their leader, but decided to copy his actions.

“Saheb, this man was eve-teasing a girl from our community. Give him to us, we want to teach him a lesson”, one of the members in the crowd spoke.

“Okay, and what are the police here for? To dance at your mother’s wedding?” The constable replied defiantly.

“You do not know what he did. Hand him to us. We will punish him. This is not a matter for the police. You have more important things to do”, another one spoke.

“Right now, all I can think of is what I see before me. You have a problem with that? You want to interfere in a matter that I have decided is a police matter?” Again, the tone was defiant.

“Saheb, we don’t want trouble…”

“Shut up! You - get into the van. Where is the girl? She comes too. All the decision makers in your ‘community’ too. Make it quick, before we open fire for rioting in the city”, he pointed the rifle at the head of the man who spoke.

An hour later, they were in the police station. Manoj could not believe that he was actually inside a police station. All his life, he had stayed on the right side of the law. Here he was, being accused of molesting a girl by some people whom he did not know. In a city that he did not like anymore. The constable who had saved him offered him a glass of water.

“Your turn to speak”, he said, looking at Manoj.

Manoj knew that he was not going to get a second chance. He had to make this opportunity count. If he failed to create an impact, there would be hell to pay for.

“I do not know this girl. I moved to this city for a new job. I was out for a walk in the evening, talking to my mother. The flashlight on my phone accidentally came on, while this girl and her boyfriend were making out”, Manoj began, before being angrily cut off by the people in the police station. They hurled abuses at him, threatened him and one of them got up to assault him. Manoj snapped. He quickly rose, caught the man’s arm in mid air and turned inwards, locking their bodies. He bent at his hip, still holding the man’s arm and twisted the wrist. The man flew over his shoulder and landed hard on the floor. He blinked, dazed, but no sound came out of his mouth.

“I am done with all you bastards! Another word to interrupt me and I will break your necks. Then you can call your people. I will not go quietly because you want to believe the words of this obnoxious bitch!” Manoj shouted; the rage clearly visible on his face.

The crowd was stunned into silence. The constable had a smirk on his face and he signaled to his compatriots to stay out. He was enjoying the show.

“All you want to do, is target unassuming people. You think you are doing yourselves a favor? When was the last time you traveled out of your homes? When was the last time you spoke to a stranger about his or her experiences? How many women who do not belong to your so-called community can feel safe in your presence? Each one of you is a fucking hypocrite! You talk about the modesty of a woman and yet, you ogle at all women. You talk about your community and yet, the regressive nature of your society is clearly visible. A few years ago, two young men were killed in a city like yours because they stood up against a crowd that was eve teasing the women with them. What were you doing then? Did you stand with those young men? I will say it just once – your girl was with her boyfriend in a dark corner. They were putting their tongues in each other’s body parts and were happy doing it. I did not intend to disturb them and neither do I give a damn! I am thankful that the police have saved me from you animals! Ask your girl why her lipstick is smudged. Then inspect me for any marks of her lipstick. And then find that bastard who was exchanging fluids with her and check him too. He is one of yours!” Manoj went on, without a pause. He was not going to cower down. That’s just not how he was brought up.

“All men are not lecherous bastards. You should know that, but then I am not sure if you only pretend to be chivalrous and ideal. All women are not molested, eve-teased and raped. I want to assume that you know that as well. But then, considering how you are quick to judge me, I wonder if your wives can say that they have never been raped by you! You want to talk about community? You have no idea what the word even means! In the place where I come from, the people may not have as much money that you people may boast of. But I guarantee you that we are much better cultured than you are”, Manoj continued.

“Okay, that’s enough”, the constable interrupted. “You have valid arguments and I knew earlier that you were not at fault. I just wanted to make sure that everything was made clear. Not all men are rapists, I agree with you. But the times have changed and everyone is worried about their own safety. Yes, these people were wrong and I hope they have their lesson now. I know you are upset, but don’t make all of us look bad. We too live in this city and I think each one is different. You need to relax now, you are safe.”

“Sir, I am grateful. But you tell me, how many times have you stopped to listen to the man’s side of the story in a case like this? Every time a woman screams, the man is assumed to be wrong. I don’t deny that there are assholes everywhere. But like you said, don’t make all of us look bad”, Manoj replied.

The constable nodded. He put a hand on Manoj’s shoulder and calmly said, “When you talk to your mother next, tell her about tonight. Don’t leave any detail out. If she says that everyone is bad here, go back. If not, call me and we can have a cup of tea together.”

The two men smiled awkwardly, while Manoj nodded his acknowledgement. His plight was over. The escape had been narrow, but he had managed to survive. He thought of his own words. Not everyone is bad. There exists a balance, one just needs to find it. He smiled to himself, as he stepped out of the police station.

**Copyright: Amit D'Souza