POSTMORTEM
Episode One
What comes into our mind when we hear the word "Postmortem”? It's an examination of a dead body by some medical students to determine the cause of death. But it's the misconception. The word has a different meaning. Its other meaning is the analysis or discussion of an event held soon after it has occurred, especially in order to determine why it was a failure. It is according to the Oxford dictionary.
We read the newspaper daily. There we find many murder cases. We even demand the punishments of culprits alleged by the onlookers. Have we ever thought who were the real culprits? Every murder has secret stories behind. If we investigate those behind the stories, we may find different culprits. They never get punished. Those investigations are called postmortem. In this story, readers will go through the postmortem of a murder. They will get to know the secret story that caused the murder.
He was sitting in the police van eagerly waiting for the post mortem reports of his wife and two little daughters. He was sad, exhausted. He was charged for their murders. The allegation came from the relatives of his wife, Kusum. It was 1:30 noon. He was surrounded by police officers. After the incident, he spent four nights sleepless in police custody. He was investigated several times by police investigation officers but he replied to him one thing that he didn't kill his wife and daughters. He looked at his wristwatch. 30 minutes passed.
Finally, the report came out. It was clearly written that they died because of burning in the blaze. When the officer-in-charge received the report, he ordered the driver to go straight to the police station.
Upen Bakshi, a handsome, attractive man had a lot of fling in his college time. He appeared to be a Greek God. He was well built, clean shaved with silky hair up to his shoulder. He was the central attraction of the college. Other boys hated him because most of the girls had a dream to become his girlfriends. For the same reason, several catfights among the girls took place in there. Every other day, he had to be present in the principal office to be warned because of his attractiveness.
Although he himself enjoyed his attractiveness and liked to enjoy with many girls but he never dared to fall in love with any of them because of his family.
His father was a rich businessman. He was one of the elites in society. He assisted the local M.L.A in finance. He was very tough and conservative. He had warned his son to do whatever he wanted but never do love marriage. Even he warned to disown him if he went against him.
"Order, order, keep silence,” the judge ordered to the crowd standing in the courtroom. All the relatives from both sides were present in the courtroom. They sat on the bench.
Upen was standing in the wooden box to the left side of the judge's seat. He was surrounded by six police officers.
Tarun Kala, a lawyer appointed by Upen's brother-in-law, stood up. He started explaining the incident.
"Your Honor! Upen Bakshi used to beat and torture his wife. Earlier, he had threatened her several times and often said he would burn her alive. Finally, on 13th June, he burned his wife and daughters alive in his newly bought car."
"No, Your Honor, he is telling lie." Upen cried out.
The judge looked at Upen. "If you want to say something, you have the right to speak."
Upen first looked at the judge and then turned to his wife's relatives sitting there.
"Why would I kill my wife and daughters? I loved them a lot. It was an accident. On 12th June I bought a new car because my wife had demanded it. After buying it, I decided to take them on a trip and I did so. It was scheduled to take its first ride. On 13th June, as it was my holiday, I took my family to Goa for an outing. She sat in the back seat with her daughters. We were very happy. I had no idea about the engine of the car. It was new. As I drove the car the whole day, its engine became overheat. In a fraction of second, it exploded and the fire started coming from the dashboard. I felt hot. Somehow, I managed to get out of the car. I saw my wife and daughters remained trapped inside it. I tried to save them and I also got some burn injuries while trying to rescue them. My wife and daughters were burnt alive in the car and I could not save them," Upen said. Upen paused and cried like a small child.
At that moment, Suren Bakshi, another lawyer from Upen's side stood up. He was one of the cousins of Upen. He submitted some papers to the judge.
"Your Honor! These are the post mortem reports of my client's wife and daughters. Even there are other papers of the car. If you notice them carefully, you won't find any evidence that proves my client is guilty." Suren demanded his release.
For some moments, the judge ran over his eyes over all the papers and looked at the crowd. He took more time to decide on the final verdict.
"I found no evidence against Upen Bakshi. I can see that the engine of the car exploded. It's really a case of an accident. Therefore, I have decided to release him right now."
Upen's family felt relieved. They brought him home. Upen wanted to spend time in his room. For 4-5 days he was in police custody. He needed rest. He entered his room saying goodbye to others. In the room, he stood in front of the mirror. He saw his own reflection in it. He remembered his past and the incident.
Upen was not happy. Kusum was not as attractive as he was. His father wedded him to Kusum without his consent. Within a few days, she got praise from others because of her meekness. She became the cynosure of his family. She managed enough to turn Upen's anger into love. It went like this for a year. The situation became worse when she gave birth to a girl child. As Upen's family was conservative, they also went against her. Upen took the chance.
To be continued................
