5.56 Caliber - Teaser

Teaser : 5.56 Caliber

Subham Chatterjee ( CCAN-2.5-1306-1300/77)

Nothing encumbers mud better than human blood. As the lost and weary sun retires, the winter twilight smelling of gunpowder succumbs to a silent night, moonlight staggering through a plight of napped clouds, fast escaping the landscape of Kantadi, a small village in Purulia district of West Bengal. Another round of INSAS light machine gun firing sets panic among the vultures perched at the top of high palm trees, breaking their attune.

Atop a semi-burnt mud house Aswani Mahato lay still. His lean faded shadow boasts a Maoist flag, a stolen INSAS standard rifle, few RDX cable wires, and few beedis�" strips of tobacco flake wrapped in Tendu leaves. He hasn’t eaten anything since the assault by the paramilitary force took place a day ago, aiding in high resistance towards the incoming State force, Government’s reply to their burning down of police chowkis in and around Purulia district accounting for the loss of lives of twelve policemen . Mahato faces the eminent threat of being captured or being shot dead in the encounter. Only the darkness of the night and the inaccessibility of the terrain near Kantadi keep him safe, as of now.

He considers smoking a beedi. His vigil over the state highway 5 is slowly taking its toll. Unsure of whether the police are on the other side of the highway, waiting for a prompt flutter to shoot another round at; he considers taking the risk of lighting up his beedi. His leaders said their armed resistance is a struggle towards national liberation against imperialism, which they will achieve by rejecting parliamentary democracy and capturing political power through protracted armed struggle. He reflects whether he understands the ideology his leaders spoke, or the words ‘your children will have enough food to sustain’ made him take his weapon today. He like many others lost faith in the government when his lands lay neglected for years, stripped of proper irrigation, drinking water, schools, and health centers. They wanted a government of their own. He helped setting up unofficial administrations in remote areas where they had a strong hold. A fresh gush of cold late autumn wind blew in, swaying the white kaash flowers which bloom as the harbinger of Durga Puja in West Bengal. It is difficult for him to light the match. He pauses for the sudden burst of air to cease.

To be continued.

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