by M.Mohankumar
Mohankumar’s poem relates to the confession, many years later, of a CRPF constable who was involved in an encounter in Kerala in 1970 that resulted in the death of a Naxalite leader.
All the media carried the same story: it was
an encounter death, the young revolutionary,
fugitive from law, getting killed in a shootout
with the police. For thirty years it remained
a well-kept secret. Then, an ageing, sickly man
came out with a stunning revelation.
We saw him sobbing, stuttering the words,
wiping tears from bleary eyes. It was murder,
he said, cold-blooded murder. And it was I
who did it. I did it under duress.
What could a constable do but obey? he asked.
I took the rifle, put the nozzle on the chest
of the handcuffed, blindfolded young man,
and pulled the trigger, even as my heart melted,
even as the revolutionary cry died on his lips.
And the birds came home to roost, the birds
of guilt. I lost my sleep, he said, and peace; I was
haunted by visions, and plagued by nightmares.
It was unbearable, he said. But I’ve borne it
all these years. Now that I’m rid of servitude
and free from obligations, I make this open
confession, and feel relieved. But where,
I ask, where is redemption for a killer like me
who killed a young man in cold blood?
This poem relates to the fake encounter with the police in Kerala in 1970, in which a CRPF constable was ordered to shoot an unarmed Naxalite leader. Following his confession, he was prosecuted along with two senior police officers. He died while the trial was still in progress. One officer was acquitted and the other suffered imprisonment but was released betimes because of old age and failing health.
Mohankumar has published eight volumes of poetry in English, his latest collection being “Gleanings” which released in 2016. His poems have appeared in almost all reputed literary magazines in print in India. His first collection of short stories in English, ‘The Turning Point and Other Stories’ has been published by Authorspress, Delhi. Mohankumar retired as Chief Secretary to Government of Kerala.
