THE HARBINGER OF NOR'WESTER

The Broken Bridge

Kanai Laha did not care if his passengers liked it or not, the 'gupt' song by Kajol was golden. He drove his interstate bus through the broken military road. The passengers often complained but Kanai knew these potholes and the bumpers by heart, met them every day on his way to Panitanki from the Siliguri town.

Kanai rotated the steering clockwise, pressing down on the accelerator, releasing black fumes from the bs one engine. Kanai watched the black shade clear within his rearview mirror and diverted his attention to the approaching 'baka lohar bridge'.
He could see the familiar jungles on either side and the mountain rising beyond the tree covers. Turning to his front, he noticed the four people standing on the entrance, two on either side, with their hands locked at back.

Harish Chandra was very sure that he was to christen the baka lohar bridge. He first noticed the abnormally serpentine shape of the carbondale steel railings that bordered the bridge.
He told his friend about the bent iron, baka loha, and that is how the bridge got its name. The interstate bus ride was not pleasant, the bridge came closer, Harish was surprised that the men standing at the entrance, didn't move. The narrow bridge had concrete wrapping the steel framework in uneven blocks, giving the bridge a very sick and accident-prone look, people usually avoided the area. Vehicles had no choice, the government was not building a new route anytime soon. A screeching sound made Harish look back through the bus window. A jeep was following them.

Comrade Sudipto drove the jeep with utmost attention, he signalled his other comrades on the bridge by raising his hand, this mission must go successfully.

As expected the driver was starting to slow down the bus. Comrade Anup backed from the mouth of the bridge waving his hand at the driver to go on. The driver hesitated. Anup momentarily made eye contact and raised his hand to Sudipto, giving him the clear.

Kanai couldn't recognise his road anymore. The exposed steel frame two metres into the bridge screamed at him. This was not a normal thing and then he felt it. The gupt song played on, Yahan wahan chupa kahan, gupt hain wo.......; Maybe here, maybe there, not in sight, they're are hiding!

Comrade Sudipto breathed heavily as he slammed his jeep again into the bus. The bonnet was readjusted to withstand the force. Hence Sudipto put his foot down and slammed into the bus again. The driver couldn't take it, on instinct he drove the bus into the bridge and didn't stop until he was in the middle. Sudipto parked his jeep on the mouth of the bridge. Two more jeeps came from within the jungle and parked beside him. They formed a perimeter and everyone pulled out their rifles from the jeep. Thus blocking access from the Panitanki side of the bridge.

Anup walked beside Sudipto handing him a console. Two wires ran from the console right into the ground and downside the bridge. Anup looked at the bus, the driver gearing up to drive away, he looked back at Sudipto, "Are you sure, Comrade!? This will take our movement to a different level, the police will know...."

"We've no choice....we never have a choice!", said Sudipto, "we must not let Dr. Roy continue, he must be stopped from taking Master da to court.....!", Sudipto pressed the red button on the console.

Harish was observing it all. He noticed the naxals, which he understood by the towel worn in their heads, and the rifles in their hands. They have blocked the access from Panitanki, which means the Naxalbari police will take time to save them. Their only way was to cross the bridge and make it quickly to Siliguri. Because no connecting bridge existed within 200 kilometres left and right from the baka lohar bridge. The rivulet sonamechi had extremely turbulent waters and it was hard to find stable banks to build a suspension bridge. The driver seemed to have common sense as he geared up the bus to go across. Then Harish turned back to see the console in one of the naxal's hands.

"No...no...", Harish shouted at the driver to no avail, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!", Harish screamed at the rest of the passengers.

The console clicked into life and there was a small flash of light on the base screw of the bridge on either side. Sudipto, Anup, and the other comrades kept looking. Then the explosive sound was heard and all of them were blinded and rendered mute at the same moment.

The second explosion came soon afterwards, then the third and the fourth. The baka lohar bridge twisted and swung loose. Kanai clutched his steering wheel tightly. The four base screws rocked and suddenly bent down, making the entire bridge free fall, like a straight plank of concrete and steel. The entire bus still on it. Strong cables broke away from the banks of either side and pulled the bridge mid-air. The broken bridge kept hanging midair by four steel cables, almost touching the turbid waters below and scrapping against the banks.

"Come in headquarters, come in!", the operator from Hatighisa kept tapping, "SOS Naxalbari station! I repeat, the naxals have taken people hostage....!"