Mr Ataur casually sat in his chair and turned on the AC. He is the sub-inspector of Chandrima Thana. He has been here in Rajshahi for three years now. This part of the country is known for its summer.
"Has anyone seen my tab?" He shouted.
The air seemed to become warmer as the day progressed. Mr Ataur appeared more hectic for no reason.
Sergeant Jahanara entered the room with a pile of files, noticing the tab.
"There sir, on your left," she said, putting the files on the table.
Mr Ataur smiled. He took the tab and turned it on. He is always relaxed in the office while others barely have the time for a short nap.
"Sir, you've to sign these files now. Can't be late," Jahanara said.
"Calm down, Jahu," Ataur whispered, "no need for any rush. The dead bodies aren't going anywhere."
He calls her Jahu. Everyone knows that Mr Ataur has a soft corner for Jahanara. Though, nobody knows what Jahanara has in her mind.
"Sir, they are melting," said Jahanara.
"They have already melted themselves while living, hahaha,"Ataur laughed, not in a good manner.
He had no measurable feelings for the girls who committed suicide. It's trending news throughout the country. A considerable number of young girls are killing themselves every day, the government being highly concerned about the issue.
"Do you know how to make cold coffee?" Ataur asked Jahanara when she was about to leave.
Jahanara turned back and nodded.
"There's the machine and supplies. Make two cups for us.”
Mr Ataur is more of a luxurious person. He bought a coffee machine last month. He loves to relax in his office and drink coffee after lunch.
While Jahanara was making coffee, Ataur made himself comfortable in his chair. He started scrolling through a WhatsApp group on his phone. There are a few dudes in this group who share scandalous videos. Mr Ataur has a bad habit of following such groups. He doesn't mind watching scandalous videos of young girls. In fact, he enjoys it.
Jahanara brought two cups of cold coffee. She put the tray on the table and stood still, holding her mug.
"Sit down, jahu," Ataur said.
He loves Jahanara and intends to marry her one day. However, he's a married man himself and has a beautiful little girl. But the distance from his family made him fall in love with another woman. It's not that he doesn't love his wife; it's just the distance. He never got his wife for more than one month because of his job. His wife is the only thing he has a craving for. But despite everything, he loves Jahanara.
Jahanara is a lovely woman. She has a mole on her chick. But she barely smiles. It’s her financial condition that makes her piteous.
Not even a few months ago, Jahanara was having difficulty maintaining her family. Her father is a paralyzed old man. He was admitted into a clinic for a month. When they released her father, Jahanara didn't have enough savings to pay the hospital bill. At that time, Mr. Ataur paid all the fees and waived away the debt.
Jahanara took a seat in front of the table. She didn't utter a word. She always feels nervous around her boss.
Seeing her distressed, Ataur asked, "What happened?"
Jahanara said, with an anxious tone, "Sir, the families are desperate to get their daughters back. Please, give us a command to carry the dead bodies to their family."
"Oh, Jahu! You are a lassie of goodness, aren't you?" Ataur said with a cold sigh, "They were of no use to the country. At least let their dead bodies be useful for medical students. I can't prevent the postmortem as the medical institute has already paid us."
Jahanara silently sipped her mug. It was 12.30 -- midday. A bunch of tadpoles were roaming all over Padma. Mr Ataur enjoyed the air conditioner in his office.
"Which district are you from, Jahu?" Ataur asked moments later.
"Jinaidah," Jahanara muttered.
"It's one hell of a story how you made it here, huh?"
Jahanara kept silent.
"Do the girls there make tapes during sex too?" Mr. Ataur asked with a grin.
Jahanara answered, "I don't know," with a feeling of uneasiness lodged in her throat.
"It seems like only the girls of your district will stay alive in the end. Hahaha..." Ataur started laughing a bit loudly. His laughter sounds like the grin of a devil.
Almost hundreds of girls committed suicide this month. The reason: Their scandalous videos got viral on social media. They chose death over disgrace. In the perception of Mr Ataur, they deserved to die.
"Sir, there's a conference with the commissioner, remember?" Jahanara said all of a sudden, "I've got to arrange the conference room."
"When's the meeting?" Ataur asked.
"Afternoon."
"Okay, but I can't attend. My duty ends at 2 pm. I won't spend a minute more in this damn place," Ataur said.
"But sir, the commissioner said you must attend the meeting."
"Okay then, arrange a video conference. I'll attend from my home," Mr Ataur left the office.
*
In the video conference, Mr. Ashraf Hossain asked, "What do you want to say about the situation, Mr Ataur?”
Ataur had no interest in the question. Yet, he cleared his throat and began saying, "I don't know, sir. I think they deserve the consequences they face. Also, it's their choice to die. As you see, most girls don't choose death. They lead the same life even after getting viral. So, what else can we do? We are here to catch bad guys, not stop girls from showing their bodies."
The Commissioner felt astonished to hear Mr Ataur's response. He said, "Don't you think it's terrible? Don't you think we should catch these guys who are leaking the videos?"
"But sir, that's our problem. We never catch the drug makers. We arrest the dealers. We never think of stopping those who provide the dope."
"Chasing drug lords isn't the issue here. We have to do what we are supposed to do. Do you understand?” the commissioner said with a rough tone. “Catch those bastards who have these videos on their phones. Get access to all their social media platforms. Whoever leaks these videos, catch him. Do you get it?"
"Yes sir," Mr Ataur said gravely.
The video Conference ended. Ataur released a big sigh. He has no interest in this case. Yet, he has to do his job. This is what he has been doing throughout his professional career -- listening to commands and giving orders.
*
The investigation was going well. The Rajshahi Metropolitan Police caught almost three hundred guys with scandalous videos on their phones last week. Still, the girls kept dying every hour.
"Come here, boy. Show me what's on your phone," Mr Ataur asked one of his captives.
Nowadays, he spends half of his day watching videos of the suspects. He keeps all the phones of the prisoners with him. He is asking another new captive what he has got.
"Sir, he is the one who leaked the last video," Jahanara said, "It was an hour ago. We trapped his phone and arrested him as soon as we could."
"Good job, Jahu. Now we have some bastards to show the commissioner. And I have some videos to watch. Hahaha," Mr Ataur laughed.
Jahanara felt nauseous. She is familiar with the behavior of her boss. But still, sometimes, she can't tolerate the words coming out of his mouth.
Mr Ataur was about to open the new video. Meanwhile, Jahanara said, "Sir, the girl may hurt herself. We have to locate her ASAP." Turning toward a constable, she said, "Interrogate the guy and ask him the girl's location."
"Calm down, Jahu." Ataur put on his headphones, "The captives aren't going anywhere," he said as he opened the video.
Jahanara stared blankly at her boss and left the room with a disappointed sigh. Mr Ataur Started to watch the video cozily.
The phone screen glowed with the blaze of a young girl's body. The girl lied face down on the bed. She was sweating over a man and moaning with pleasure. Her hair was so long that it blocked the view of her sweaty posterior.
The camera was rolling from behind. The atmosphere of the room was filled with blueish light and lust. The wave of the thudded breeze was trying to escape away with the jovial cry of the girl. And the girl was wet cuddling the man with every follicle of her body.
When the camera faced the girl, it stopped moving. Mr. Ataur dropped the phone.
He saw something that sucked the glim of his life away. His eyes got stuck on the display as the phone lay near his feet. His heart stopped pounding. The cold aura from the air conditioner felt like the wind of hell.
The video on the screen showed his daughter…
Arifur Abir is a student of management.
