Ming stood up. So did Lee Chang, Akong, Tung Chin’s two elder brothers and Yunlin’s husband. Lao Thien Lee, Ho Chang Ho, Mok Min and his sons, Mei Hang, Mei Fung, Ahlin, Wenlin and some others also stood up.

Disregarding the order to keep bowing in front of the officials, Liang stood straight as well. He came forward and said firmly, ‘Don’t beat him.’

One official turned towards Liang. ‘Why shouldn’t we beat him? Because he is from your group? Alright. Then you tell us who has sent him.’ The official slapped Liang hard.

Looking at the official’s eyes, Liang said coolly, ‘No one has sent us. If you think that someone has sent us, then it is you. You have sent us. You have appointed us. I –’

One official came forward and punched him with all his force. Immediately two others joined him; one of them had a stick.

‘Confess. Who has sent you – confess. If you confess, your punishment will be reduced.’ They started beating him.

‘I won’t. I won’t confess. What will you do? Will you kill me? Kill. Kill us. We are already dead. How will you kill us again?’

With a grave and red face, Mei Lin stood up. She went to the dais and said resolutely, ‘Leave them, sir.’

They stopped and looked at Mei Lin with surprise.

‘They are not spies. No one has sent them. No one has sent us either. We were sent away from India, sir. We are not spies,’ Akong said and stood up.

‘We are not spies. We worked hard for a living in India. They arrested and put us in jail suspecting us to be China’s spies. All our belongings were taken away. We were kept in a cowshed. Now you all are telling that we are India’s spies. Someone has sent us. What will we do, sir? What will we do?’

‘If you need to punish, then you must punish us as well,’ Lao Thien Lee said.

‘Punish me, too. Kill us. Instead of killing us little by little, finish us in one go. Let all the sufferings be over. We can’t tolerate this anymore,’ Yiu Yi’s father said, sobbing.

Almost everyone was weeping. Some were sitting with their heads down, some pulling their hair, while some others were covering their faces.

The officials stood baffled. They could not let these people, who were on the verge of rebellion, go on any further. If the situation deteriorated any further, the news might reach the higher authorities. The local leaders of the CPC and the affairs commission might get into trouble.