RIP

by Deva,Mukul

  Perhaps they are to keep his tail clear . . . or his backup team . . . but for what? What are you up to Colonel Athawale?

  ‘Stay with them and keep me posted at all times.’ Then he alerted the team following Krishna that they had a tail on them. Of course there was not much they could do about it, since they had to go where Krishna went.

  *

  ‘We are in position.’ Karan’s voice came through Krishna’s headset. He sounded tense. To be expected.

  ‘Anything unusual?’ Krishna asked.

  ‘Nope. Same old, same old.’

  ‘Right. I’ll be there in ten. Just coming up to Ashoka Hotel now.’

  Krishna knew he could speed up and reach faster, but he stayed within the speed limit. It would not do to get stopped by a cop, and this part of town was infested with them. The SVD sniper rifle on his rear seat would earn him no brownie points with the cops. Especially if they ran a match on it and found it was the one that had been used to kill the judge.

  *

  Fuck! When the man tailing Krishna reported in, Raghav cursed, now remembering the CBI surveillance team. How the bloody hell did I forget them? For a moment he wondered whether he should warn his men that by now they would most probably be under surveillance too. It was but a fleeting thought. Forget it! Why spook them? These buggers are expendable. I just need to ensure I don’t go anywhere near them . . . or even call them to the farm again.

  He knew they were no longer useful assets and it was time to start cutting loose from them.

  ‘I have no idea who they are,’ Raghav told his watcher. ‘Could be his own men backing him up to ensure he’s clear. Be careful and stay with him. Let me know where he’s headed.’

  Ending the call he began to work out possibilities and contingencies.

  If both my teams are under surveillance also then . . . they should be . . . these cops aren’t dumb. Damn!

  Cursing himself for the slip up he began to innovate.

  No point diverting the other two men towards Krishna. That’ll only increase the number of watchers.

  The vision of a long line of cars following each other suddenly made him smile. But it was a wintry, humourless smile. The gravity of the moment seized him again and he began to fret . . . wondering what Krishna was up to.

  Maybe he has just stepped out for something else. Maybe it will all be a false alarm.

  His mobile buzzed again.

  ‘The colonel has turned off from Ashoka Hotel and is heading towards Race Course Road,’ his man told him.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Of course. I can see him clearly . . . he is right in front of me . . . heading towards the security barrier on the road leading to 10 Janpath . . . slowing down now. Seems to be looking for something.’

  10 Janpath!

  Raghav was astounded; every kid on the streets of India knew who lived there.

  Bloody hell! Was the man crazy? He couldn’t be planning to take Sheila Kaul out? The NDC party president is guarded like friggin’ Fort Knox.

  For a moment Raghav’s brain went numb, but now he had a strong feeling that Athawale was out on no idle ramble . . . K-Team was either going in for a strike . . . or at least casing out the target.

  Fucking hell! If they manage to hit the bitch the shit would really hit the fan.

  ‘He is speeding up again now.’ His spotter’s voice tugged Raghav back. ‘Crossing the security barrier and circling ahead.’

  The alarm in Raghav’s head was running amok now.

  ‘Stay with him,’ he barked. ‘I’m on my way.’ Then, slipping on a Bluetooth headset. ‘And don’t cut the call. Stay with me.’

  Running out from the rear of the house Raghav got into the less conspicuous coupe parked beside the Mercedes he usually travelled in. It was a backup vehicle. Seldom used. Generally only when the Merc went in for servicing.

  Raghav started the engine and began to edge down the barely-used dirt track that led to the rear boundary wall. Taking care not to rev the engine or make any sound that would alert the CBI watchers.

  Not many people were aware that his farm had another exit to the rear. It was seldom used, barely wide enough for a car to get through. But possible if one did not really care about the car paint or a few bumps and scrapes. Raghav did not give a shit about either.

  Slowly inching out of the rear gate he turned down the narrow alley running along the rear boundary wall and headed for the main road.

  The CBI surveillance team had no idea their quarry had flown the coop.

  Getting on to the main road Raghav finally gunned the engine and sped away. At this hour he knew he would not meet much traffic. Even so Race Course Road was a fair drive.

  ‘He is turning back again now. Seems to be heading towards 10 Janpath once again.’

  Raghav’s excitement mounted as his man reported in. Now he was sure that he had guessed right.

  Hot damn! So they are going for the big one. For a moment admiration for Krishna swept over him. Some balls! Then his jealousy took charge again. But the motherfucker should have stayed away from my wife.

  Roaring down the road as fast as he could go Raghav had already hit the IIT crossing when his spotter called again.

  ‘He is slowing down now. Again looking for something.’

  Raghav’s excitement escalated. As did the certainty that they had gotten lucky. The colonel seemed to be up to something for sure. Something deadly.

  Raghav speeded up, now weaving his way through the traffic like a maniac.

  *

  Krishna missed the turnoff the first time. Cursing under his breath he drove past the security barrier that blocked the road leading to 10 Janpath. Aware that this stretch of the road was covered by dozens of security cameras he kept his cap pulled low, masking his face. Then he hit the section where the road was one way and was forced to take an even wider loop. Calling the others Krishna let them know that he was running a bit late and began to re-take the circuit at the same sedate pace.

  *

  ‘Are you serious?’ Vinod was equally astounded. ‘Janpath Road?’ He swiftly analysed the situation. Everyone knew who stayed there.

  Could they really be trying to take out the NDC president? Were they that crazy? She had more guards than the freaking PM.

  Vinod could not believe anyone would be that stupid.

  But what if they pull it off? Shit! All hell will break loose.

  Unbelievable though it seemed Vinod knew he could not ignore it. They were para commandoes after all.

  ‘Stay with him,’ he commanded, willing himself to stay calm. ‘Watch out for others too. If you see anything that constitutes a hostile action you’re authorized to move in and apprehend. Or kill.’ The last two words slipped out seamlessly. Vinod knew he could not allow any harm to befall the president of India’s ruling party. ‘I’m on my way.’

  Racing for his car he got in and told the driver to burn rubber. He was grabbing his mobile as the car shot away.

  *

  It took Krishna almost twenty minutes to loop around and again hit the traffic island ahead of Ashoka Hotel. He joined the stream of vehicles and headed back towards the Mark’s house again.

  This time Krishna spotted the side alley when it was still a hundred metres away. There were several cars behind him, in the lane on his left. Slowing down he allowed them to pass and inched into the outer lane. Though he was running late, Krishna resisted the urge to speed up. He knew undue haste would draw undue attention.

  Finally turning into the narrow alley.

  The tree-lined alley had houses on both sides, large colonial bungalows with huge gardens. There was not much activity visible in most of them. But without exception they all had armed guards manning their gates. Logically so since most of them belonged to the who’s who of Indian politics.

  No. 10 Janpath lay about a click to his right now.

  Krishna went almost to the end of the alley and parked to one side. To his right, leading off between the
last two houses, was a narrow path . . . barely a footpath.

  Krishna retrieved the sniper rifle from the rear seat. It had been dismantled and was in a black carry bag; the kind people use for tennis racquets.

  Hand on the door handle Krishna paused; something did not feel right. He checked the rear view mirror.

  All clear.

  Still that nagging, uneasy feeling. A longer look. This time all around.

  Nothing.

  Finally pushing away his misgivings, he exited the car and slipped down the narrow footpath.

  The path was not supposed to be there at all. Servants unwilling to walk around the houses, to get to the Mother Dairy milk booth on the other side, had trampled it into existence.

  Krishna crossed over to the next alley, where Kulwant had parked the Maruti van he was using today, a sorry-looking vehicle, but good well-maintained engine. Very common and inconspicuous. It would not stand out on Delhi roads.

  Kulwant drove off even as Krishna was settling down in the shotgun seat. A few minutes later they were on the main road, on the other side of the Mark’s house.

  Mindful of the police barricades ringing the area Kulwant also maintained a sedate pace.

  *

  The surveillance car tailing Krishna knew it could not turn into the alley without alerting him. So it drove ahead a bit, reversed and headed back till the driver found a suitable spot in the line of cars parked across the road. On the narrow, busy road that took several long minutes.

  The motorcycle rider who had been riding the box ahead had also looped back by then. He parked alongside them for want of any other suitable vantage point, but was facing in the opposite direction, ensuring that between them they had Krishna covered no matter which way he went when he came out of the alley.

  Krishna’s car lay silent and still. Both did not realize that the car was empty. It was parked in the shade of trees lining the alley so they could not see inside.

  The alley Krishna had entered was a dead end; the existence of the footpath known only to the domestic staff that worked in the handful of houses in the alley. And to those who had taken the trouble to reconnoiter these lanes thoroughly.

  Unaware of its existence the surveillance team assumed Krishna was boxed in.

  They settled down to wait for him to move again.

  *

  Coming up behind them was Raghav’s team. They also had to go past and then swing back. Finally they managed to park a hundred metres from the unknown watchers tailing Krishna.

  ‘He’s stopped in an alley just short of the security barrier.’ The shotgun rider reported to Raghav.

  ‘Fine. Keep an eye on him. I’m almost there.’ Raghav was nearly breathless with excitement now.

  Acknowledging Raghav’s command, his men also settled down to wait.

  Another sixty metres away, the CBI team following them also halted.

  By now the bugger’s muddle was complete. Everyone assumed that the ones in front had the quarry in sight. Not that they had an option. The road was just too narrow for them to remain undetected if they closed in on their subject.

  *

  ‘How far is he from Janpath?’ Vinod was also having a tough time controlling his excitement, and worry. ‘Really? Stay alert.’ He cautioned them again. ‘Take him in if he heads towards No. 10.’ But he was increasingly uneasy. Vinod knew he could not ignore this threat any longer. He dialled again.

  Despite his senior rank it took considerable effort for Vinod to get the SPG duty officer at 10 Janpath on line.

  ‘Are you sure she’s not stepping out at all today?’

  ‘Very sure. With all these anti-corruption agitations going on she’s having a high level meeting here. In fact people have already started arriving. We’re waiting for the PM now.’

  Holy crap! The PM is also going to be there! Was he the RIP target? No way! How could they have known about it in advance? The shadow of a cold sensation splashed across Vinod. Could there be someone within . . . someone high up who was behind the RIP? Someone with a completely different agenda! What the hell am I missing here?

  ‘Everything in order?’ Vinod insisted.

  ‘Yes.’ By now the SPG man’s antenna had begun to flare. He was very aware of the high degree of threat to his protectee and cautious to the point of paranoia. Also, in the pecking order of security personnel, like the Praetorians, the SPG believed they answered only to Caesar. And God. ‘Why? What’s going on?’ he demanded curtly.

  ‘We’re not sure yet, but there may be a threat developing.’

  That got the SPG man’s attention. ‘What do you mean?’

  Vinod began to brief him. Fully engrossed in hearing him out the SPG duty officer in the glass enclosed guard room, with his back to the gate, did not see the barrier rise and a cavalcade drive out. Vinod’s warning had caught his attention completely. He listened with rising interest, and alarm, as Vinod explained.

  The SPG duty officer had been right when he had told Vinod that Madam Kaul was not moving out. However, Ranvijay, her son, tasked to make life uncomfortable for the UP state government, was assiduously proceeding for his assigned task.

  The details shared by Vinod alarmed the duty officer. ‘Why the hell did you not tell me right away?’ Banging down the phone he ran out and sounded the alert.

  Reacting like all highly trained troops, within seconds a platoon of SPG men had surrounded the entire complex. There was an even more formidable ring of men around the main house.

  The barrier at the gate was clamped down and spikes rolled across the entrance. Backed by an array of amazingly sophisticated electronics, armed men stood sentinel at every possible ingress point into the NDC president’s house.

  Even a stray dog would have had problems getting in.

  However, warned by Vinod that the possible attackers were highly trained Indian Army para commandos, the duty officer called for additional reinforcements; he was going to leave nothing to chance.

  The lockdown on 10 Janpath was complete.

  However, in the hullabaloo, it skipped the duty officer’s mind to check on the NDC president’s son. Or inform Madam.

  *

  ‘Mark is coming out now.’ Karan’s voice erupted crisply in Krishna’s headset. On a concall, with all K-Team members also logged in, he knew the others would have been alerted too. ‘Turning left.’ Karan intoned.

  Krishna swiftly evaluated.

  Like the previous days Ranvijay’s cavalcade would probably turn right at the next junction, head down to Jorbagh, cross the Safdarjung airport flyover and then turn left onto the Ring Road at AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). From there it was a straight run down the Ring Road all the way to the DND Expressway leading to NOIDA.

  ‘We’re moving now.’ Krishna had automatically adopted his commanding officer’s tone—firm and decisive— demanding instant, unquestioning obedience. ‘If he stays with yesterday’s schedule then we go with Hunter One and Two. If not, we take a call as per situation.’

  K-Team acknowledged in quick succession.

  Krishna nodded to Kulwant, who started the Maruti van and pulled into the traffic. They hit the road well ahead of Ranvijay’s cavalcade and were soon speeding past Jorbagh towards AIIMS.

  Krishna knew that the other two teams would be bringing up the rear, ensuring they had Ranvijay in a box. Even if Ranvijay’s convoy changed direction the other two teams would stay with him till the lead team managed to turn and catch up again. And if he stayed on track then Karan and Kashif would peel away after the DND Expressway and take up position at Hunter Two, the alternate ambush site. This was to ensure that in case K-Team was unable to get a clear shot from Hunter One, the main ambush site they would have another opportunity at Hunter Two.

  No matter which way the cookie crumbled, between them, K-Team would ensure that Ranvijay Kaul did not return home alive today.

  Spines and resolves, both hardened as their cars raced closer to the kill zone.

  *


  Raghav only slowed down when he hit Race Course Road, aware that this was a zero tolerance zone for the traffic cops. He was about to call the surveillance team to check if Krishna had moved again when he saw a Maruti van pull into the traffic just ahead. He could not make out the man driving it, but spotted Krishna in the front passenger seat. Krishna seemed to be talking on his mobile. Raghav could not spot the men he had sent to tail Krishna.

  Guessing his men had probably lost Krishna, Raghav began to follow the van.

  For a moment he thought of alerting his team, but then remembered that they were under surveillance and decided to go it alone.

  Why increase my problems? In any case I’m more than enough to take care of the bastard.

  Anger and arrogance overrode his judgement.

  *

  Coming up from the opposite direction Vinod had just turned the corner from Jorbagh and was haring towards 10 Janpath when the traffic light turned red, forcing his driver to stop when the car in front did.

  Boxed in Vinod told the driver to cross to the wrong side of the road and keep moving.

  The driver was trying to extricate the car and reverse out of the line when Vinod saw Krishna and Kulwant drive past. He only vaguely knew Kulwant’s face through the photos provided by Nanda, but he did not miss Krishna.

  Why the hell hasn’t the surveillance team reported he is moving?

  Vinod’s mind was still to reconcile with that unexpected sight when he saw Raghav also drive past; hunched over his wheel, his attention focused on the car ahead; it was clear that he was following Krishna. That shocked Vinod even more. He cursed the men who’d been tasked to keep an eye on Raghav, for not alerting him that he was also on the move.

  Then he remembered the men who had been backing up Krishna when the colonel had driven out from his house. Vinod swivelled around, trying to spot them. Failed.

  Perhaps their task had been to distract my surveillance team.

  The questions were mounting.

  Is that why Raghav is here now? Watching the colonel’s back?

  Vinod cursed again, wondering where the CBI surveillance teams were and why they had not warned him. But he also realized that right now it was more important to keep his suspects in sight rather than worry about them. He fought to clear his head.