Story of their Assassins continues ………….

Thus came to a rather farcical end my effort to get one of the most dreaded criminals in India arrested after a chance encounter with him at an airport lounge. Even subsequently, he was not arrested by the Delhi Police as a co-conspirator in the case of the attempted assassination of Tejpal and Bahal. His name was, however, mentioned in the charge sheet of the case in ‘khana (column) number 2’ as an accused against whom sufficient evidence had not come on record.

Tyagi, in the interim, was under trial with his associates in the Tarun Tejpal–Aniruddha Bahal assassination attempt case in the Tees Hazari court. He was often taken by the Uttar Pradesh Police to the Roorkee, Bulandshahr and Haridwar courts for cases that were pending trial there. As the days went by the limelight on Tyagi faded. He was lodged in Tihar Jail and occasionally taken to courts in and outside Delhi, escorted by a police guard whose strength kept declining progressively. Tyagi knew it was time for him to flee.

Those who have driven on highways in India are familiar with built-up areas coming up ever so frequently, creeping up to the road within sniffing distance of the busy traffic. Wayside dhabas—eateries popular for their fresh food served steaming hot—petrol stations, motor workshops and grocery stores dot either side of the road in a haphazard and chaotic manner. Pedestrians hop across the road as if they are on a suicide mission. Often, in larger townships, a bus station, with countless passengers carrying all manner of luggage, adds to the cosmic chaos that is India. Decrepit and ramshackle buses, overloaded with passengers, zoom in and out of the terminals, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Small puddles of putrid water dot the landscape like festering wounds. Yet, bus and railway stations in India, with their hustle and bustle, are living testimonies of the energy and drive of the country.

To be continued …..….