The Other Side(71)

The manager, who was a huge woman with a kindly smile, swept in after some time.

“I am Dr. Rajiv Gupta. I want to talk about Poonam, my cousin, who stayed here last year,” he continued on the lies.

“Oh, my my! Poonam, she was such a sweet lively girl. Everybody in the hostel loved her. It was sad to hear about her suicide. But I still cannot believe that a girl like her could commit such an act. Why, I remember the last time she left for home with her boyfriend, that Gupta kid. She was so happy. She had asked for my blessings while informing me that they were going home to inform their parents about their decision to marry. Little did I know that she would never come back. Some ten days later that Gupta came and told me that Poonam was no more. She had jumped into a well in her village after her parents refused to get her married to him. He even took all her luggage away. It was a shock for all of us. I still miss her,” the lady said, making loud sniffing noises.

“Why did you give her stuff to a stranger?” Rajiv asked.

“But he was no stranger. He was her boyfriend. Some girls even said that they had a court marriage a month before this incident. I forgot to tell you that some photographs of Poonam were found below the mattress. Since you are the only kin I have come across you might as well take them,” the lady said.

“Oh that will be nice. I'll give them to her mother. The poor lady has still not recovered from the shock of her only daughter's demise,” Rajiv maintained.

The lady trundled off and was back in a few minutes, panting slightly from the exertion. She was carrying a brown envelope that she handed over to Rajiv, who resisted the temptation to take a look at the contents immediately. He merely slipped it in his pocket and walked out.

He walked into a small restaurant, ordered coffee and removed the envelope from his pocket. There were some twenty photographs in all. He was not surprised to recognize the girl in the photographs. There was a man whom he presumed to be Prem Gupta in many of the pictures. The snaps were taken at a Hill Station, probably Ooty or Mussoorie. Some featured Poonam and some were of Prem but most were of the couple in lovey-dovey poses, probably taken with the help of the camera's auto timer. Two of the photos, presumably taken in a hotel room, could be termed quite intimate and were an evidence of their close relationship, if nothing else. He carefully put the photographs back in the envelope and mulled over his further course of action as he sipped his coffee. He seemed to recall a snippet of conversation, which hinted at a court marriage between Poonam and Prem. Maybe it was a line worth investigating.

An hour later saw Rajiv in the Muzaffarnagar Civil Court. He felt a familiar surge of panic while entering the premises. The mulling crowds, the lawyers in their neckties and the policemen escorting handcuffed criminals always made him nervous. He



The Other Side

281 quickly made his way to the office of Registrar of marriages and talked to the head clerk. The man was obviously a veteran and initially did not pay any attention to him. Rajiv decided that it was his day of white lies.

“I am Dr. Rajiv Gupta from the CMO office and I'm investigating a complaint of bigamy. Will you help me to find out about the matter?” Rajiv said in a heavy tone.

The clerk did not seem to be too impressed but a 500-rupee bribe was sufficient motivation for him to rise and shine. Fifteen minutes later Rajiv left the premises with a photocopy of the marriage certificate in his wallet.

He decided that he needed to visit Harldwar next. He reached the city in the late afternoon and stood outside HDFC bank while gulping down a soft drink. At 5:05 PM, he saw a familiar face coming out of the exit gate. He looked the same as he did in the pictures Rajiv had seen a while back. A smart young woman dressed in formals accompanied him. They were holding hands and laughing in unison.

'Well, for one so average looking, this Prem Gupta certainly has good taste in women,' Rajiv thought as he moved in to intercept them.“Excuse me, Mr. Gupta. I need a couple of minutes of your time,” Rajiv said standing ahead of them.

Prem looked at him quizzically. “Do I know you Mr…?” “Doctor! It is actually Dr. Gupta. I am the Medical Officer Incharge of PHC, Jhinjhana. I need to talk to you,” Rajiv informed.

Prem Gupta's expression changed at the mention of Jhinjhana. For a moment, his eyes went blank and the colour drained from his face but he recovered quickly. “Deveika, my dear, please wait for me in the parking. I will just talk to this gentleman and be with you in a moment,” he said turning to the lady.

He saw the girl off, turned smoothly and gripped Rajiv's biceps with surprisingly strong fingers. “Yes! What can I do for you?”