Anirudh- The Story Of A Misread Barrister

Chapter-59: A Punishment For Anirudh

{Author's note: Dear readers, this is one of the lengthiest chapters in this book. Please read slowly and patiently, as it is the end of this track. From here on, you will get to see more interesting stuff.}

The panchayat held its session at the borders of Tulsipur and Krishnanagar, where the heads of both the villages were present, with my Trilochan kaka being one of them. He was obliged to keep his fatherly affection aside for the day and impart justice to the aggrieved parties. He rather chose to be quiet by entrusting the responsibility to the other members. His displeasure over the matter showed off on his face. It shouldn't actually bother him so much, as, in all these years he must have got habituated to my craziness and its consequences.

The Das family, excluding their daughters, was also present. There was a tall young man along with Bondita's mother and grandmother. I assumed him to be Chandrachur, her brother-in-law, about whom they mentioned during my last visit to their house. I greeted them only to receive angry glares from Thaku ma and Chandrachur, while Sumati ma reciprocated with a hopeless smile. Later, the villagers too gathered to get their dose of entertainment.

"Anirudh babu, did you go to Chatterjee's house a couple of days ago with the marriage proposal of a muslim girl?", asked one of the heads of Tulsipur.

"I did."

"Do you have an idea about the sudden disappearance of Dr. Indroneel Chatterjee?"

"I do."

"Were you the one to help him elope with the daughter of the Khans?"

"Well, yes.", I declared with least bit of indifference, much to the disappointment of my kaka.

"Sir, this thakuma's granddaughter, barrister Bondita Das was also with this guy last night. The third person in their team was the doctor himself, who took our daughter away.", cried a member from the Khan's family.

"My granddaughter is innocent. She had recently returned from London and hardly knows anyone here. Moreover, this Anirudh Roy Chowdhary broke all ties with her several years ago. Yet again he has done something in the name of revolution, in which my innocent Bondita is getting trapped.", thakuma argued, pointing her finger at me in fury.

"I seriously doubt barrister Bondita's hand in this scheme. For, three days back, I saw her speaking to my sister at the river. The same time, she had also tried to convince me to get my sister married to the son of the Chatterjees."

"Our Bondita is a barrister who studied in London. So, it is quite obvious that her thoughts are inspired and influenced by the western education; due to which, she advocates change. That doesn't prove her guilty, as it is in her nature to debate over the issues that she doesn't agree with.", Chandrachur defended Bondita.

He seemed to be a man with senses, unlike many others. However, what took me by surprise was his good understanding of Bondita's temperament in such a short span of time, without living under the same roof as that of hers. Somehow, the air around him felt strange, due to which, I had decided to keep an eye on him.

"Ms. Kalindi Das", said a panchayat member, "this morning, one of our men saw Bondita with barrister babu. Then how can you assert that they don't share any relationship? If what our villager saw is to be believed, may I ask barrister babu what is he doing in Krishnanagar in the early hours of the day with Bondita?"

"Please go on, Anirudh babu. Tell the panchayat what relationship do you share with Bondita, if at all you share any.", urged thakuma.

"The bond that I share with barrister Bondita Das is not of any relevance to the current case. Hence, I wouldn't be answering that. Regarding Indroneel and his wife Noor Jahan, let me narrate.", I firmly replied to the panchayat, which then questioned,