Revealed? Not Really
He was following her on a bike. She hastened towards the police station.
‘Ah! Finally, I am there,’ she sighed with relief.
The constables and the sub-inspector were having a blast with tea and snacks. Disposable glasses and paper plates were strewn all around. The station was reeking with food smell and litter.
‘So messy and dirty …’ she blurted out thoughtlessly.
‘Hey madam, think before you speak. This is not a railway station where you can blabber. Apologise or else we will register a case against you for insulting us….’ The SI was furious.
One elderly constable whispered, ‘Madam ji, pacify our sahib. Offer him some money and apologise otherwise you will face dire consequences….’ he sounded as though he was doing her a favour.
“We live in an era of social media and technology; it doesn’t take me a second to record this and post it on my social media handles. You are accountable to the public. Remember you are public servants ….”
Before she could complete it, one lady constable snatched away her mobile and another held her hands tightly.
“Don’t you dare! We can put you behind bars for this contemptuous behaviour.” The lady constable was wild.
Just then the landline buzzed. The SI strolled towards his desk and picked up the phone.
“Hheelloo,” his voice was loud and harsh.
“Ssir, sir, good morning, sir. Sorry sir. I didn’t mean to be…., no sir, yes sir. Good day sir…”
He slammed the phone and wiped the sweat on his forehead.
His hands were shaking and his voice had dropped into a whisper as the conversation on the phone ended.
He looked at her with a pleasant smile.
She was nonplussed, “Sir, I am sorry for being so rude to you. Someone has been following me since last Monday. I have come to lodge a complaint against him. Today as I started for my office, I saw his bike parked under a tree. He followed me to the bus stop. Instead of getting on the bus, I walked into the police station.”
“Madam, good morning.” He continued to smile. The constables were as much surprised as she was.
“Sir, this is no joke. Please file a complaint against that person. He is still loitering around.”
“Madam, DCP sir has just informed me that you are the new ACP. Welcome madam and hearty congratulations.” Turning to the sub-inspector he said, “Gopal, do I have to remind you of the protocol?”
She stood there stunned.
“Madam, isn’t this your surprise visit to our station? Your well-kept secret is out madam.” His giggle was annoying.
“Remember we are public servants. You have yet to file my complaint. Take it down.” She said in an authoritative tone.
She left the police station with a mysterious smile.
There was no two-wheeler in the vicinity. She let out a sigh of relief and walked towards her bank. She was already late by half an hour.
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