4 - The Judgement Day

Back to 3 - The Abduction

The revolver was snatched by the old man from Kukreja. Nikita saw him remove all the bullets but three. She could not understand why only three bullets.

“If you want to find the truth today then cooperate.” saying, he tied girl’s hands and took her to the taxi. They entered the taxi. Old man secured Nikita firmly with ropes on the front seat of the taxi and covered her with a thick blanket.

Then he dialed Sisaudia’s number from Nikita’s cell phone. After single ring he heard Sisaudia’s troubled voice “Nikita, my darling, where are you?”

“Don’t worry Manohar, you will soon see you daughter. Alive.” old man replied in slow gentle voice.

“You….you bastard…..where is my daughter?....who are you?.....dare touch my daughter and I will….”

“Stop barking like a rabid dog Manohar. This is the plaintiff, judge and hangman calling. I am a ghost from your past. Soon we will meet. You will see how. Till then stay fit and pray to God.”

He disconnected the phone and threw it on the road.

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Car was turned into a dented tin can when it finally entered the drawing hall crashing through the huge French window. It had crashed down the main gate first, then crushing the beautiful flowers in the lawn to the ground it rummaged into the drawing hall window. Amongst raining shrouds of glass and wood, car landed with a heavy thump on the marble floor of the drawing hall.

Sisaudia was on the stairs that time with a hand gun. There were his four other men too, all armed. They all were jolted with this dare devilry. Slowly, old man emerged from the car, with gun resting on Nikita’s temple. Girl’s hands were not tied anymore.

“Nikita!” Sisaudia cried.

“Daddy!” the girl cried too.

“Manohar, tell your men to drop guns and put off their clothes now. I give you five seconds. One, two, three……”.

Suddenly he shot one man in his thigh. “Four”

Two bullets left. Nikita counted.

“Five” old man shot another man in his foot.

Only one bullet left.

“Drop your guns!” Manohar shouted like a caged monkey.

Men hesitated. Old man shot one more man in his abdomen.

Empty gun!

“C’mon Manohar. Next is your daughter!”

“Daddy!” Nikita shouted “don’t worry he has no bullets now in his gun! Relax. No need to kill him daddy!”

Sisaudia, who had come down the stairs meanwhile, halted, weighed the situation and moved forward.

“Manohar stop!” old man said in a way as if instead he wanted to provoke Sisaudia to do what he intended to do.

Sisaudia stepped forward with his armed hand straight in old man’s direction.

“Daddy! No! He is harmless! Daddy listen!”

But Sisaudia, possessed with rage and hatred, squeezed the trigger three times.

Old man pushed the girl away. Bullets entered his body. Old man dopped on the floor with a faint cry. Blood rushed to turn his white uniform ruddy.

“Noooooooo” Nikita shouted at her father. She ran towards the old man and knelt down beside him, crying “Call the ambulance….call doctor…....what have you done, You Monster!”

Sisaudia halted in his track.

Monster!!!!

His girl called him monster!

Old man held Nikita’s hand and said in the same slow but gentle voice “Niki….baby…wait….ambulance is not in my plan…I told you I will prove your father’s crime…..I am dying…..and a dying man doesn’t lie…..your…your father killed my family….your father…..”

He saw rage, hatred and pain in the girl’s eyes.

“I am sorry baby…I did this to you on your birthday….”

He looked at Manohar Lal Sisaudia – not a businessman but a tired father – face white, shoulders drooping with repent and shock, knelt down on the floor, his still loaded hand gun lying beside him. 

The old man was saying in his soft, gentle but heavy voice “Manohar…..after the court’s judgment I…..I had decided to…..to kill myself but……that day….ten years back…I still can’t forget your smile…..smile blended with contempt, pride and self-conceit….that smile gave me my goal to live for this day. Manohar…….M…..M…Manohar….th…..that day y…..you took aw….away my f……..f..a..a..a..mily. T…..t…..to…day I have taken away y…..your…..daughter……Manohar…your…..daughter………”

The old man slumped with a smile in the girl’s lap. Dead.

“Noooooooo Dada!!!!!!……nooooooooo” Nikita’s cries were piercing through Sisaudia’s heart.

Today I have taken away your daughter!

A helpless cry blurted off Sisaudia’s mouth and then he started crying bitterly, bent on the floor. His girl – estranged – was entwined with the dead old man and crying her heart out.

Nikita’s short story book was lying at a distance on the floor.

Was it a coincidence? The same page had opened in the book where it said what Gandhi once spoke – “An eye for an eye……….”

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