Good

Assistant Commissioner(AC) Simon Sen is retiring today. He has
served Calcutta police for thirty-five years. He began as assistant
sub-inspector(ASI) and rose through the ranks to become AC narcotics.
Simon is a tough man. Work is everything to him. He was an orphan and
grew up in a home for people like him. Scholarships allowed him to
attend university. He was a good student and he could have joined the
government police service. But, he wanted to do the real thing-fight
criminals and battle crime with his bare hands. He was confident that
he would be successful in what he had set out to do. The police service
people had air-conditioned cabins from where they issued statements for
television. Simon did not want that. His aim was to make a difference.
And he felt that he could do that only by starting from the bottom of
the police hierarchy and climbing one rung at a time. Money was not
important. He never married. All he needed was a change of clothes
every day, two meals and the newspaper. The police department provided
him living quarters so accommodation was not a problem. His colleagues
used to say he was mad. He probably was. He came to the police station
at the break of dawn and stayed there till midnight. Whenever he was
assigned a case he worked like a dog to solve it. And they all knew
that Simon Sen was the best police officer in Calcutta. And most of his
colleagues hated him for it. One of his last postings was at South Port
police station. South Port is the worst station in Calcutta. The port
area is infested with criminals of the worst kind. Gold smuggling is a
major problem and so is gun-running. South Port is seen as a punishment
posting. So it truly is. But Simon Sen took it as a challenge. He
personally led many raids, made innumerable arrests, organized meetings
with the public. Very soon everything in South Port area was under
control. The commissioner of police recommended that Simon be made AC
narcotics. Ten months before he retired Simon became assistant
commissioner.
It is a tradition with Calcutta police that retiring employees do not
have elaborate farewell ceremonies organized in their honour. Instead
colleagues contribute the day's salary to buy a gift. Simon Sen's
fellow officers gave him set of wine glasses. When Simon opened his
gift he was disappointed. Wine glasses are of no use to a person who
does not drink. Simon began packing his clothes into a suitcase. He did
not want to stay in Calcutta a day more. He loved the hills and Tiger
Grove was the place he was headed for. The train which would take him
there was Darjeeling Mail and it was due to leave at five pm the next
day. Well, the train started a full two hours after scheduled time.
Simon was travelling in the three-tier sleeper class. He had been
allotted an upper berth and without wasting time he put all his luggage
there. After taking a good look at his compartment he decided to sit on
the lower berth till the train started. But when the train did start
the gentleman(?) occupying the lower berth asked him to vacate HIS
seat. Simon Sen protested that the berth technically became the
property of the ticket-holder only after ten pm. This person who had
been allotted the lower berth suddenly began to abuse Simon Sen in the
vilest language possible. He called Simon a thief, a cheat and swindler
and called his ancestors perverts. At first Simon failed to understand
what was happening. When he did he quietly climbed to his berth. At
around midnight when everyone was asleep the door of the compartment
was forced open. A group of men carrying handmade guns entered and woke
the passengers up. Simon, who was only half-asleep quickly understood
what was happening. The men with guns asked the passengers to hand over
all their valuables failing which they would shoot. When a young woman
refused to give her diamond necklace to the looters she was shot in the
arm. Simon could take it no more. He attacked one of the robbers and
managed to take his gun from him. Another robber and another pounced on
Simon and began to beat him up. Simon struggled hard and got better of
them with great difficulty. He was about to hit another robber when one
of the passengers asked him to stop. He told Simon that he had no right
to expose the lives of so many innocent people to risk. If the robbers
wanted something they would take it and leave. Two other people told
Simon the same thing. Simon saw that he had no other option but to
withdraw. He felt terrible though. After the looters had taken all they
wanted they left the compartment without harming anyone.
The reason why Simon Sen wanted to come to Tiger Grove was its climate.
Winter seems to reign here all year around. There is heavy rain in June
and July and it's never ever hot. Simon stayed in a hotel for about
fifteen days and then purchased a wooden cottage. Most people in Tiger
Grove live in wooden cottages. Wood is so abundant here and so cheap
that people see no sense in building brick and mortar houses. Three
days before Simon had gone to the railway station to buy a newspaper.
It's the only place where you get it in Tiger Grove. The Darjeeling
Mail was entering the station and a teenaged girl was about to jump
before the moving train. Simon pulled the girl away and her life was
saved. The proper thing to do next was to report the matter at the
local police station and let the law take its course. But Simon Sen
brought the girl home. And trouble began the very next day. A bomb was
hurled at Simon's house. The next morning a phone call was made to
Simon. He was asked to let the girl go. But Simon was adamant. He
bought the girl new clothes, cooked his best meal for her. Though the
girl reacted little he repeatedly assured her that everything was okay.
That evening the deputy mayor of the town visited Simon Sen. He bluntly
told Simon that Tiger Grove was a town of good, decent people. It was
therefore not proper for Simon Sen to give shelter to a young girl
about whom nobody knew anything. And Simon was unmarried. As always
Simon brusquely said that what he did was nobody's business. And he was
only trying to help the poor girl.
Next morning Simon was visited by the police. He was informed that the
girl had lodged a complaint accusing Simon Sen of indecent behaviour
and molestation. Simon was told that he was being let off with a
warning in light of his good service record as a policeman. The police
took the girl with them. Ten minutes after the police left Simon Sen
shot himself on his right temple. He died instantly.