And we head to Ratnagiri police station!

So, still upset that I will be late to reach home, i got down. 11:30, wow, its getting late i thought. The scene was something like this. The goon, had moved his car onto the highway. He stood near his car, collar up, gun in tow and wife besides him. He had a small kiddo, who was inside the car. The entire junta of our bus had come down by now. They stood abt 50 mts away from the goon. The owner of the hotel, where our bus had halted for dinner, happened to be a good samaritan. He called the cops, gave ice to the driver and assured that he knew the DCP of the region and would surely help us. What was amazing at this time was the confidence and self-belief that the goon oozed with. But, then I realised, if you have the balls to pull the trigger for such a petty reason, you have the balls to face the 2 penny cops who were on their way.

So the nearest cop station was Ratnagiri. The cops came about 25 minutes later. Typical of what I have seen in movies, a Jeep arrives. 3 or 4 police folks come out. The first thing they do is treat the common man (like me) as a criminal and shoo us away. So the goon, walks with his confident guile towards the police. There was a small cabin, much like the watchmans cabin we have in societies. It was a little bigger though. We stood outside, listening to the conversation. I will put down the converstation in English, because my Marathi is not bad, it is pathetic. Of course, I can understand, but when it comes to writing and talking, I suck.

Police: So what happened?
Goon: Nothing, they burshed my car.
P: And?
G: And what, nothing, they were acting smart, esp the driver and cleaner.
P: So?
G: So, I had no alternative and I used my revolver.
P: Where is the weapon?

The goon placed the gun on the table. It was this sweet looking, silver coloured, shining weapon. Caught my attention immediately.

P: Where is the license?
G: I dont have license for the weapon?
P: So, what do you do?
G: I am a Judge.

Judge, I was like, errrrr. Not even laywer, he is a Judge. This is a twist. But i assumed, may be in this village, the judges are like this. Ignoring the questions running in my head, i presumed he was saying the truth.
The cops removed the cartridge out of the weapon and placed it on the table.

The goon, had all this while, been on his cell phone. I was sure, he was pulling some high strings and soon, the scene was to change.

In the meanwhile, the corrput cops came to the common man. i.e The Driver, Cleaner and owner of the restaurant. They asked what happened, took our side of the story. Spoke to a couple of people in the bus and went back into the cabin.

Another half an hour later, another jeep arrived. By now it was already past mid-night and I was getting restless. These were precious minutes we were losing here. All cops gave a salute. I put all my concentration to hear and see what was going on. DCP Joseph had arrived. Freaking catholic corrupt cop!!! His arrival itself was with him on a call. He came, pulled his cheap troupe into a huddle, they discussed something and he went into the cabin. He repeated the questioning.

Joseph: So who are you?
Goon: I am a doctor!

I was like, WTF, he was a judge, now a doctor, wat is wrong here?
J: So why did you shoot?
G: They hit my car.

In the meanwhile, DCP Joseph got another call. He came outside the cabin to take it. Much like how I come outside my office to take Lourdes's call. Simple, when the boss calls, you got to leave the public area. You never know when the firing will start. :)

So DCP nodded his head furiously for 3 minutes. He called one of the colleagues outside the cabin and looked like he was crying. His job was on the line. Typical hindi picture eh?

The DCP calls the driver and cleaner and says this:
"Mandavli kara na" (Do a compromise) "Kashasati tension gethe, jassth lagla nahin na" (Why take tension, you have not been seriously hurt, right?).

I was numb. I knew, the goon had pulled some high strings and this was a result. The smart chaps that my driver and cleaner were, instead of understanding that they were in the wrong battle, they decide against it.

Please Note: This is where the biggest mistake is made. At his point, if we had entered the bus and left, life would have been better for all. The driver would have had a small bruise. We would have been 3 hours or so late. The cops would not have to taken any more tension. The goon and his family would have been happily hunting for some other poor soul to shoot at.

But, alas, it was not to be. Our dear Driver and Cleaner decide to register a case against the goon and insist on going to the police station. The police try their best to make the 2 guys understand, but along with those 2 fools there were another 5-8 smart azz men in the bus who kept saying, "Nahi, Nahi, Police station chala, case thokwa" (No, No, lets go to the police station, register a case).

Ok, so at 12:30 odd, the entire bus load of people head backwards toward Goa, to Ratnagiri police station.

In the bus, I kept thinking, should I have left this bus and boarded another one, which had come for a dinner stop? May be it would have been a better choice. Or may be justice will be served and the goon be punished. I prayed the goon was taught a lesson.

So at around 1 AM, we reached Ratnagiri police station. Dimly lit, in the middle of no where. Looked like a police station on Mars to me. Only diff, Mars has water, this police station did not have.

So things have started to get worse. I have started to get irritated. People have become restless. All you want now is interation with the most wasteful people servicing the country. The police force.

The next part, tomorrow for sure. Things have just gotten worse. The unimaginable is yet to happen.

Good Luck,
Ashley