‘But there is one thing you need to keep an eye on. And that is the Maoists. You know how they are. When they hear of something like this, about people fighting the government, they always want to be involved. Always. I have seen it many times in Chhattisgarh. So if you hear of any Maoist activity, you have to put a stop to it. And if you do happen to catch any Maoists, it will be the best news possible. Because if that happens, the Supreme Court judges will be convinced Deogan and the other villages are a big problem, and the mine is the only solution to it. So, you have to be in control of the district.’

Patnaik agreed, although he did not think there would be any Maoist problem. That one time he had arrested the Gond leaders had been a made-up story, because the villagers had never been in touch with Maoists. So he was going to relax, but keep an eye on things.

And Ghosh had left. The Company was happy with the way things had turned out, and the Big Person from Bhubaneshwar who used to bother Patnaik so much called up the police officer, and Behera, and told them things were looking good, and they had done well. There was, Patnaik thought, not a cloud in his sky.

A few days after Ghosh left, Patnaik, sitting in his office playing with a glass paperweight, got a call from the Superintendent of Balangir Jail. They were on good terms, but the superintendent did not call often.

Patnaik could hear the man shuffling paper on his desk and clearing his throat. He waited.

‘There was something I had to tell you. It might be important. On the other hand, it might not be. I don’t know. I just thought I should tell you.’

‘What is it?’ asked Patnaik.

‘You know how it is in the jail. People tell me things.’

Patnaik nodded to himself. Of course there were prisoners who gave information to the guards. Important information, and sometimes, useless news. Patnaik had informers of his own almost everywhere in Balangir.

‘So people here have been talking. Not just one or two. Many of them. They are saying a very big Maoist leader is going to visit Deogan.’

Patnaik stopped fiddling with the paperweight and put it down on his desk. There was a short silence.

‘A very big leader?’ he said.

‘A very big Maoist leader. That’s what they are saying.’

There was another silence as the jail superintendent shuffled some more papers at the other end, and cleared his throat again.

‘Look, I know this might be nothing. It might be just a rumour, or nothing important. But I heard it from my informers, and not just one or two of them. Several. So I thought I should tell you. And I know you arrested those Gond villagers for talking to Maoists some months ago …’