A constable learns, walls have ears, a little too late

A cop’s job is to be always on the vigil, and as one hapless constable found out, this applies as much to looking out for suspicious activity as it does to watching one’s mouth.

Being a crime reporter, I have to make regular visits to police stations to scour for news and incidents. Recently, when I called on a senior police inspector at a police station in south Mumbai, I was informed by the staff that the inspector was busy in a meeting. I was asked to wait for a few minutes, and since I knew the inspector well, I decided to.

While at the police station, a conversation between two police constables attracted my attention. One of them, an orderly to
the inspector whom I wanted to meet, was talking to  his colleague, and the man starring in the schmooze was none other than his boss.

The orderly was complaining that the inspector keeps him darting about the office all day. He also said that the inspector cannot see him take even a small breather and orders him to do petty work on learning that he has nothing else to do. As his emotions welled up, the orderly could not control himself and began hurling abuses at his boss.

The other constable, though keenly following the topic, did not say much and remained diplomatic.

After ranting about his senior for nearly 15 minutes, the constable spotted me and asked me the purpose of my visit to the police station. I told him that I am a journalist, known to his superior, and have come to meet him.

As soon as I furnished my ID card, the constable’s face quickly turned from a furious red to fearful pale white. He asked me whether I had heard their conversation, to which I replied in the positive. The constable then pleaded with me to keep his snide remarks about his boss a secret, lest he lose his job. I assured him that I won’t spill the beans on him, and since then he has become a good source and a friend.