The Curse of That Night (7 page)

Chapter 11

Aarti

The feeling of finally completing school and standing on the threshold of a new life... college life, is simply indescribable. It gives an individual a pleasant feeling that finally, he/she is free from the closed circuit environment of a school and is ready to lead a jolly yet responsible life in the college campus. As the college reopens, the fresh batch of students enthusiastically step into the campus, with much excitement for the days ahead, including the interaction with their seniors.

Very often, there is also a fear lurking around, fear of ragging, which acts as a major dampener for all the excitement. This fear is not unfounded, as it’s a fact that college ragging has, at times, taken very ugly form. What is normally supposed to be amicable welcoming of fresher’s into college life by their seniors, sometimes turns into gory act of physical and mental harassment.

Over the years, the practice of ragging has turned ugly. Instead of just being a fun way of interaction, it has turned into a type of molestation (both physical and emotional) of the freshers. Every year, we hear a number of cases of severe physical ragging as well as sexual abuse during ragging. This has a great adverse psychological impact on the personality of the students and the scars of such incidents take a very long time to heal. Suicide cases have reached the peak, just because of misbehaviour by the seniors during ragging.

So was the case with Aarti… well a lot worse actually…

Morning was a bit different than usual, as Aarti had to reach her new college a bit early. She had given her name for Miss Freshers’ competition. She woke up early, which was quite unusual especially after the long vacations.

Obviously, she had to look a kilo prettier than what she looked every day!

“Stop.”

While coming back from the auditorium in the afternoon, some seniors caught her; a group of three boys.

“First year?” asked one of them.

“Yes,” she turned around to face the trio.

“Don’t you have to wish your seniors? Give me your introduction,” the guy came close to her.

She could smell that he was drunk.

“Sorry sir,” she said.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Aarti,” she said.

“
Arey
Vijay
iski aarti utaar
,” he said and laughed on his own joke.

“Sir, I need to go. I have a class to attend,” tried Aarti to get away.

“
Naachna aata hai
?” asked the third one who was silent till now.

“Sir, please let me go,” this time she tried to push him away, but his huge gymed body didn’t even move an inch.

“
Tu jaanti hai
who am I? Omi
bhai
,” he said and came a bit closer. Now it was becoming difficult for Aarti to even stand in front of him, obviously the alcohol was taking over.

“Look whoever you are. Ragging is not allowed in this campus. So you better back off or I will complain to the authorities,” she said.

“Ha ha ha!
Omi
bhaiya, dhamki dey rahi hai
,” said one laughing.

“Dance.
Chikni chameli pe naach
. Sexy
vala
,” Omi
bhai
held her arms tightly.

“Leave me!” she screamed, jerked Omi’s arms and gave him a tight slap.

Silence, the students stopped to take a look.

“Kiss me,” said Omi gravely.

“What?” Aarti was shocked.

“Either kiss me or I will make the rest of your four year stay in this college hell,” Omi came closer and tried to kiss her.

Aarti retaliated with one more slap on Omi’s face.

“Fuck you asshole! Now I will see who will make whose life hell. I am going to the director,” she said and ran.

The students who witnessed it were dumbstruck.

“What the fuck! Circus going on here? Get lost!” screamed Suraj, the third one. Everyone just left for good.

“
Bhai, roko ise bhai. Ijjat ka faluda kar gyi hai. Saali, ra***
,” said Vijay.

“Shhhhh… wait, we will take care of her. We will teach this whore a lesson. But not now
, abhi mamla garam hai
. She doesn’t know whom she has slapped. Later,” said Omi and the trio went out of the college.

Aarti was still running, tears in her eyes. She had heard about ragging from her friends in school, but this, she had never
expected. Three drunken guys, roaming around in college campus, molesting girls and no one dared to stop them. Not even a single person!

“Hey, wait!” someone yelled from behind.

She ignored.

“Hey you,
Jhansi ki raani
,” this time the yell was louder.

She turned.

“Do you know whom have you slapped and abused?” he asked.

“No, and I don’t even give a damn!” said Aarti.

“But I suggest you should. He is Omi Yadav. Son of MLA, Sunil Yadav,” he said.

“I am going to the authorities,” she said and asked him to move.

“Ha ha ha! You too try your luck. Nothing will happen,” he said and stepped aside.

She ignored him and took the stairs to reach the office.

Well, sadly that boy was right. Nothing actually happened.

Nothing at all…

This day marked the beginning of her miseries…

“
Bhai
, we need to do something,” said Vijay.

“
Haan bhai, is laundiya ko sabak sikhana zaroori ho gya hai
,” supported Suraj.

“Hmmm… yes, we will… we will teach her a lesson, a lesson for life,” said Omi.

Chapter 12

Abhijeet

Abhijeet now had everything he ever desired. Money. Fame. And a beautiful fiancée. But still his heart craved for one thing. Rohan. His brother.

“Have you invited Rohan?” he asked Darsh.

“Yes sir, I called him up,” said Darsh.

Abhijeet knew people do not generally say this about his brother, but Rohan was actually a letdown growing up. His inability to take decisions and to always look confused and unconcerned was a little irritating. But, nevertheless he did love him. He was his brother after all. Rohan had come back and had grown up to be a matured man.

True, he had a lot of money, good enough for Rohan to live a lavish life. But, he wanted Rohan to be independent and not dependent on him for money. Secondly, Rohan was into drugs and gambling and Abhijeet just couldn’t see him taking a wrong path that would certainly lead him to destruction.

Rohan seemed a little confused and disturbed when he came back to India. Abhijeet hoped him to grow out of it. Abhijeet
wanted him to settle in life and get married as soon as possible as he thought that he would become a little more responsible after that.

He hoped that stopping Rohan’s funds and finances would make him a little more responsible and mature and help him live a better life.

“If I’d have to make him hate me in the end, to make him a better person, then it’s just a small sacrifice I am ready to make,” he would say.

Little he knew that the person Abhijeet cared for so much was planning for his death…

Chapter 13

Aarti

The clock showed 12:30 a.m. There was not even a single auto in sight, at the most inappropriate place – a lonely area in Delhi. Aarti was standing right in the middle of that stretch waiting for an auto.

“Damn this phone!” the phone’s battery was out.

She had won Miss Freshers’ title and had got four passes for a disc along with a cash prize of two thousand rupees. She and her three friends Anjika, Divya and Ankita had decided to go for a party.

The party was still on.

“I need to go,” she said.

“So early? It’s just 12:00!” said Ankita.

“No, Dada must be waiting for me,” she gave them a valid reason.

“Ok, girl. Bye.”

And she left the place leaving her friends behind.

“Come on!” she tried to switch on her phone again but in vain. The night had turned a bit chilly.

The clock now showed 12:35 a.m.

Aarti had no option left. It felt scary. Just as she was trying her phone for some luck a car stopped in front of her.

“Any problem?” he asked.

“No. I am ok,” she said. Talking to a stranger and asking him for a lift seemed inappropriate at that time considering the crimes against women in Delhi.

“You want lift? I can drop you somewhere,” he asked.

“No, I am fine. I will wait for an auto. Thanks,” she replied.

“Look, you will not get an auto from here. There is an auto stand at the T-point some three kilometres away. I can drop you there,” he said smilingly.

Aarti had no other choice than to accept his proposal. The guy looked genuine too!

She sat inside the car and the guy revved up the engine.

They hadn’t even driven a kilometre when a speeding Mahindra Scorpio overtook them and halted right in front of them. That guy suddenly had to apply brakes.

“What the fuck! Are you mad?” he screamed.

Aarti shut her eyes momentarily, and was rudely woken by a loud rapping on the car window. The guy opened the door and before he could react, he was pulled out by two men and was thrown onto the road. Horrified, Aarti shrank further into her seat. Even as that guy battled the assailants a few feet away a hand snaked in through the window and unlocked the door. She looked at him. She had never had a more terrifying moment in her life.

The limited visibility was enough for Aarti to identify the face of the most villainous man she had known.

Yes, it was Omi Yadav. On seeing her, his expression changed. His face looked like a hungry tiger waiting to eat its prey.

He reached in and stroked Aarti’s arm, “How are you babes,” he slurred looking at her lecherously.

She looked at the guy who had offered her lift. He was lying unconscious in a pool of blood.

Omi and his two friends were completely drunk.

“
Oye bhen****
. See who is here,” he laughed, calling the other two who were busy kicking the already unconscious poor guy.

“
Oye
Vijay, leave that asshole aside.
Mar gaya hoga saala
. Come on let’s do what we are here for. Have some fun with this sexy girl.”

Aarti screamed in fear, shivering and trembling as Omi dragged her with him into the Scorpio’s back seat. When she tried to resist, Omi punched her face. The other two climbed in the front. Vijay started the car.

“Please let me go,” Aarti said, still shivering. The men only laughed.

“Omi
ko thappadh maregi. Saali ran**.”

Thereafter, Omi pinned her down in the back, one hand on her thigh and the other inside her T-shirt. The foul smell of liquor suffocated her. She begged for mercy but no one listened. Even as she cried and screamed herself hoarse, Omi told Vijay to take the car to a place she didn’t remember. All along the journey the swine kissed her and felt her up forcibly.
She was finally dragged into a farm house. What happened there was a haze of unending humiliation and unbearable pain.

Omi and Aarti were on the bed. When did that happen?

“No,” no she did not like it.

She was on the bed and he was on top of her. Aarti’s lips mumbled something about leaving, about Darsh worrying.

She was mumbling like a deranged drunk. His lips locked on Aarti’s and she just couldn’t say anything. She tried to twist her head away. He was so heavy. She opened her mouth to breathe, to scream, but his hand covered it. In her head, her voice was as clear as a bell.

“NO I DON’T WANT TO!”

But she couldn’t spit it out.

She was still struggling and wham! Her clothes were ripped off. Even as she pleaded and begged, even as she kicked, threatened and swore, her fate was clear, dark.

He grabbed her hair and yanked and all she could do was scream but that did nothing. Her naked body was spread on the bed and the wrinkled cotton sheets were drenched with blood, sweat and tears. While he felt pleasure, she felt pain. She was doing everything she could to get away. She felt violated and ashamed. Her virginity was gone and all to a monster who called himself a man!

Darkness lingered deep tonight – as she lay scorned in a helpless fight. Held down by his obscure embrace, her pride cracked like ice in cruelty’s face. Deliberation flickered in the flame of vileness, as she became exposed and relentless. All attempts to escape his sin were feeble against the degradation he sought to win. He finally removed himself from her and walked away.

When the night’s immoral beast gave up his dark quest – abandoning this distorted mess – she was internally torn and outwardly battered. She had survived, but was entirely shattered.

She was brutally raped; not by one but three men who took turns on her. First Omi. And when he had his fill, he let Vijay and Suraj make merry.

She felt like a piece of meat thrown in front of three wild dogs. She was ravaged until morning, when finally she lost conscious.