‘I can’t permit that right now. I can’t let her go. Go away.’

‘Arrest me too, sipahi sahab. My whole life is here. My home, my kids, the father of my kids –’

At that moment Pulok arrived.

‘They have arrested Mei Lin. They said she would be taken to the police station. But she is not there. What will I do now? They said that she has conspired against the country.’

‘I’ve heard that all of them have been taken to Chowkhani’s cowshed. She might be there. But they are not allowing anyone to go in.’

‘They have to let me in. I’m going there right now.’ Ignoring Chitta’s caution and defying the guards, he entered the lane. The guards surrounded him immediately. They started kicking and beating him. Chitta, Johori Khan and Rameswar ran towards him and brought him back, pacifying the guards. Blood dripped from Pulok’s head, mixing with his helpless tears.

Inside the cowshed, Mei Lin was sitting on the floor. Yunlin was beside her with the baby on her lap. The baby had been crying ever since they had been brought to the shed and Yunlin did not know what to do. Mei Lin took off her shawl and passed it to Yunlin.

‘The baby might be catching a cold. Wrap her with the shawl.’

Yunlin took the shawl and looked at Mei Lin with moist eyes. Wrapping the baby in it, she held it to her bosom.

Liang, Akong, Yao Sen and Tung Chin came to sit near them.

‘Did you see Pulok before they took you?’ Tung Chin asked.

‘I saw him. Called out to him too. He didn’t hear. I requested the police many times to stop the jeep. But they didn’t.’

‘Don’t worry, he will do something. Where is your father? And what about your uncle?’

‘I haven’t seen my father. No one knows where he is. But my uncle and aunt are over there somewhere.’

‘Wait here. We’ll go outside and look for them.’

‘Don’t go out. They will abuse you.’

‘Let them.’

Tung Chin and his friends went out to the courtyard.

Almost all the people from Makum and the nearby areas had been confined to the cowshed. Only A. C. Chow and Manchung Ho were not among them. They were now busy in a closed-door meeting with the government officials. They were safe as they had sided with the government. Both their family and property were safe. How could they afford to lose their hard-earned property? What was wrong, if they gave the government some information about Cheenapatti?

‘You will have to talk to your people once,’ one of the officers said.

‘Which people?’ A. C. Chow asked, taken aback.

‘The people in the cowshed. They might create trouble. They respect you. If you tell them that they have been arrested for a few days, it will be easier for us to handle them.’