The previous month, a major fist fight had broken out when the Perumal temple’s office bearers, including Srinivas, had objected to the faithful, who had gathered at the nearby Mughal Masjid to offer Friday noon prayers, loitering near the temple and leaning on its walls. The temple’s priest, Muthuswamy, had shouted at the young men for leaning on what he said were old, holy walls and casting disrespectful gazes towards the deity.

The men had made fun of the old priest and his potbelly. The priest’s attendants had then badly roughed up two of the youth. One of them, Sadiq Mir, a software professional and the son of the mosque’s sixty-eight-year-old muezzin, had fallen to the ground and hurt his head badly after being shoved by one of the attendants. He sustained serious injuries and slipped into a coma.

The mosque’s imam had lodged a complaint with the police against the priest, the temple’s managing committee and the priest’s attendants for assaulting Sadiq and his friend Imran, who had received only minor injuries in the assault.

Sadiq’s family members, including his wife and two young daughters, spent the next few weeks praying for his recovery and keeping a vigil outside the intensive care unit where he was being treated.

Then, on Friday night, the doctor attending to Sadiq had told his father that Sadiq could be taken home as there was no chance of him recovering. He could die at home, if the family so wished. The doctor’s advice had despaired his family. Sadiq’s daughters had cried for hours.

Vishu’s father and mother were stunned by what had happened to their innocent son. His mother, unable to bear the shock, suffered a heart attack and passed away the same day.

Atharv had to prepare for two cremations.

Relatives, friends and acquaintances were expected to arrive for the funeral by 4 p.m. The last rites were to be done before the sun set.

Srinivas’s friend Somaiya was also expected to arrive that afternoon. The two had done their master’s in history from Delhi University and had shared a hostel room at the time. They were good friends and had kept in touch.

Somaiya had been posted in Tuticorin for six years while working with the CTC. He was the one who had advised Atharv to become a lawyer, though Srinivas had scoffed at his son’s career choice. Somaiya had been close to Vishu too and had taught him the mechanics of tiny heat-propelled toy boats.

Somaiya was hurting. Atharv was crushed with sorrow but had no time to grieve. He had to assemble the pyres before the sun set.

18. MURDER AND RETRIBUTION

18

MURDER AND RETRIBUTION

The news about Vishu’s murder spread like wildfire through Annamalai Nagar, stunning the sleepy neighbourhood and plunging it into an uneasy silence.