Love Around Law

Chapter 1

"Sir, please leave me. I can explain myself. Sir, leave me. Sir no, please sir. Sir please leave me. I can explain. Aahh....sir...no...leave Sir. Please I beg you.."
A man wearing torn dirty clothes pleads inside a small dingy cell. He has a skinny body. He is ruthlessly being beaten up by an officer. The man is sitting on the chair and his hands and feet are tied.
"I need answers" The officer shouts at the person who is tied up. He hits the man's knee and he shouts.
The officer shouts again "Your name?"
"Hakim Naiya.....sir leave me..Sir please"
The officer hits him again and this time Hakim's screams on top of his lungs. The officer screams again "Who are the people involved in your group?"
"Sir...I don't know...Sir I am innoc-" he stops mid sentence when he receives a punch on his face. His nose bleeds. The officer says again "I am asking you for the last time. Names of the people involved?"
Hakim starts coughing severely. He is too tired after the torture.

Two other Constables are present in the room.
"Sir we will handle him. He will die like this. He might be an important person to proceed with this case. Sir it will be a problem if he dies like this. Leave him, we will handle", A constable of about forty years was trying his best to make the officer understand. Finally when the officer stops, he breathes a sigh of relief.

The officer who was earlier standing facing the wall, turns towards the middle aged constable. He is a young officer with well built body. His muscled body and chiseled jawline makes it quite clear that he is extremely fit. There are three stars attached on the shoulder of his uniform and near his chest, the batch reads 'ACP Sidharth Shukla'. He throws the wooden cane on the floor. In a stern voice he orders the middle aged constable "Chaudhry make sure that this rascal is given a proper treatment. But make sure he is alive. You are right, he shouldn't die now. Make sure he gets the punishment for molesting girls."

The young police officer, ACP Sidharth Shukla storms out of the cell. He walks in the corridor and enters his cabin. As soon as he enters all the police constables salute him. But he is in no mood to listen anything. He sits on the chair and opens a file on his desk. Without looking at anyone he orders "You all can leave now. I need to go through these files"
While Sidharth is engrossed in the files, he was suddenly distracted by his phone ringing. He sees that his mother is calling him. When he answers the call he hears his mother teasing him "Finally you answered my call. Do you remember me? I am Rita Shukla, your mother. Do you remember me?"

Immediately his lips curve into a tiny smile after hearing his mother's voice "Maa, how can I forget you? I was just busy, so I couldn't call you"
He hears her mother replying in a tensed voice "I know you are busy. Your voice seems angry. Now tell me who were you beating?" He laughs "why do you I am always beating someone?....Nothing Maa, I was just giving the right treatment to a criminal who has been molesting girls outside a college".
His mother sighs sadly and says "Criminals like him deserve huge punishment and I am happy that my son is serving for the country and is helping innocent people to get justice. I am proud of you, but as a mother I would tell you to take care of yourself. You are suffering from fever but still you have not taken a day off". Mrs Shukla expresses all her feelings.
Sidharth smiled after thinking how lucky he is to have a caring mother like her, "Maa I am fine. Just a mild fever cannot harm me." He can hear her mother smiling across the other side and she says "If your Baba was here, he would have been so proud of you. You are just 28 and I am sure your father must be having a proud smile on his face. Wherever he is, he must be so proud of you."
She tells him to take care of himself and hangs the call.
Sidharth opens the pictures on his mobile and watches a picture. It is his elder sister Preeti and his mom's picture.

His father had passed when he was 18, and being the only male in the family he had the responsibility to protect his family. Although he knew that both his mother and sister are strong women, but still he had promised his father that he would protect them at all costs, till the end of his breath.
After his elder sister, Preeti's wedding, his brother-in- law Keshav has become like an elder brother to him.

Being a police officer Sidharth cannot be at home all the time. But in his absence Preeti and Keshav take care of his mother.
He calls his sister and informs her to be with his mother for some time "Preeti, if Keshav and you are free stay with Maa for sometime. I think she is a little emotional today. It is Baba's birthday tomorrow, she is missing him." He feels relieved when Preeti informs that she is already with her "Sid, I think you are forgetting that she is my mother as well. Don't worry I am with her and Keshav will come here after sometime. And listen, I know you are missing Baba as well. Just be happy thinking that he is proud of you."
He smiles and assures her that he is fine. He wanted to tell her something, but he had to immediately disconnect the call because the SP was there.

Sidharth salutes the SP when he greets him with a warm smile and says in an authoritative voice "ACP Sidharth, I am glad that you could find the person who was behind the dirty came of the molestation. I am happy that criminal Hakim is in jail now. Good job."
Sidharth immediately says "Thank you Sir. It was my responsibility. But I think he might be part of a group because I don't think he is capable of doing all this alone. If my suspicion is true, then I will have to find them as well".
Impressed by his qualities, the SP smiles and says "I am sure you will be successful. But tomorrow you have to be present in M.K.P College because the principal wants to congratulate you. She wants you to be present as the Chief Guest in a programme. She has asked me to attend as well, but I will not be able to go. And about the meeting with the Commissioner, ACP Rishab Singh and I will be present there. So you can attend the M.K.P programme. I hope that'll be ok. Any questions?"
Sidharth replies firmly "No Sir. I will be present at the venue with my team. I will ask Head Constable Shekhar Chaudhry and Constable Ajay Deshmukh to accompany."
The SP nodded agreeing to what he said.

Sidharth comes out to the open area infront of the police headquarters and lights his cigarette. He looks towards the sky and smiles. He can the see the dark clouds forming in the sky, probably it is going to rain. He thinks 'Even this year I will be working on Baba's birthday. Baba please be with me always. I need your support. It was your wish that I become an ACP. I hope you're..happy'. It starts raining immediately and he smiles widely 'maybe this is a sign of his blessings'. He gets drenched in rain, but soon Constable Deshmukh calls him "Sir, come inside. You already have fever. If Rita Ma'am calls and finds out that you are getting wet here, then I will be dead. What will I tell her Sir? She told me to take care of you. Please come inside Sir".
Soon Chaudhry joins him "Sidharth Sir, Rita ma'am had already called me twice and warned me to make sure that you do not get drenched in rain. Your health will suffer Sir. And if Rita Ma'am finds this out she will complain an FIR against me. I have known you and Rita ma'am since the last four years. The Shukla's are very good but they are extremely protective about their near and dear ones. If ma'am finds out that you are getting drenched in the rains, she will really kill me. Sir please, come inside".
Sidharth listens to them and comes inside the office and informs about the college programme.

Sidharth mentally laughs and thinks that he is quite lucky to have a few people who genuinely care for him, because otherwise he has uncountable number of enemies, considering the profession which he is a part of!

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The first chapter is here. ACP Sidharth Shukla is here. Did you all like the chapter? If yes, show some love by voting. Tell in the comments, I will be waiting to read your comments.
Lots of love🤍