Translated into English by Saravanan Karmegam.
Chapter
21: Jarang camp.
***
The chapters translated so far.
Chapter 4: Neethaka Yama Nobure
Chapter 13: The dance of the sea
Chapter 17: Assembly of Tamils
Chapter 19: Nee Soon Training Camp
A captain from Punjab namely Rakbirlal Arora was in the Jarang guerrilla camp. There was a Malayali Havildar in his squad. His name was Sukumaran. They were close friends. There was also a Tamil Havildar in his team namely Palavesamuthu. He was thin, dark complexioned, and a man of indomitable spirit and heart of steel. He was the arch enemy of these former duo. One day, the trouble caused by these three men in the camp first shook the Jarang camp and then the entire Indian National Army.
5th guerrilla regiment was one of the armed units which was ready for despatch to the battle field after their training. Those who were holding the ranks above lieutenant in that unit were actually from British Indian army and others were equal in numbers. The platoons were functioning as separate units with new and old incumbents.
It was not unusual that the quantity of food items and clothing coming to the camp would decrease during journeys and after reaching its destination. It was a truth as old as the period of Alexander the Great. But many experienced Tamil men who had earlier worked in commercial centres and cargo transport departments were working more in numbers in Jarang Camp. They were experts in the assessment of accounts that pertained to decreasing materials due to unavoidable reasons en-route, unavailability of vehicles or pest infestation. They held this duty of accounting materials in the store room as one of their primary war time duties.
The
responsibility of looking after Store room accounting was with Rakbirlal. He
along with his dearest accomplice Sukumaran was selling the food items in the
black market with the blessing of some senior officials and thus making filthy
money indulging in pomp and gaiety. The rice and pulses which were already in
short supply due to disturbance in transporting them were found adulterated
with tiny stones and sand particles and visibly rendered rice and pulse one had
to search in plate.
The complaints sent to the camp commander Jagar Singh didn’t yield any results. The graffiti of Rakbirlal and Sukumaran in compromising poses with disgusting footnotes explaining their ‘intimacy’ started appearing on hostel walls.
Palavesamuth and his friends teased Sukumaran in Malayalam “Sukumareee…O my swwety! You are my lady” and threw obscene gestures at him.
It was Monday at about four in the evening. Pandian was lying on bed. He didn’t go to the forest with his team as he had a head ache. Other than two squads which were at their leisure, remaining squads had gone out for training.
A timid noise of commotion that rose from the southern side grew louder gradually. People were shouting abuses in Hindi and Tamil.
Who’s that? The body gets shuddered at once. These buggers Palavesamuthu and Rakbirlal…. He rose with his lungi and vest and ran towards them.
Palavesamuthu was lying on the ground like a corpse. Rakbirlal, with his six feet frame weighing two hundred and twenty pounds, was pressing him down with his left leg on the former’s chest and pummelled his face with both hands. Two soldiers were standing beside them with their raised hands holding bamboo sticks.
Pandian reached there and yelled at him “Captain”. Rakbirlal looked up to him.
“Get up immediately”
“What?” Rakbirlal roared and rose with his sparks emitting eyes and moved his right hand to take his pistol out.
Pandian pounced upon captain from behind, pulled two of the latter’s fingers with his left hand and ran his right hand encircling the captain’s neck. His left hand opened the pistol pouch and transferred it to the right hand. Within a second, the left hand pushed the captain down while his right leg throwing away a hard punch on his hip.
Rakbirlal fell onto the ground. Those two soldiers took to their heels and disappeared.
Pandian
looked down. The condition of Palavesamuthu seemed worse. ‘Once he regains
his consciousness Rakbirlal would get up anytime. I have to inform Colonel of these
incidents for taking action’.
He quickly ran towards Colonel Jagar singh’s office.
Palavesamuthu tried running his hands along the ground. His eyes were heavy and couldn’t open them. Pain all over his body. ‘What all these nonsense? Rakbirlal and his soldiers standing around….I should have finished them off with a single swing of my sword. It was my foolishness I didn’t do that.’ The sun light was slightly visible. The trees were visible opaque. What is that lying in front of me? Is it Rakbirlal? How did he fall? I am unable to move my body. It seems that my death is certain. Before that I must finish him off too. My eye sight is almost gone and the head is spinning. Unable to fold the legs. I must get up anyway. My eye sight is gone. Head is spinning. Where is my sword? O my waist! Here…I must get up now. A bit more…a bit more…Avoiiiiii- his let out an ear piercing yell- It is he….yes..it is he….I pummelled him. Again and again. My head is spinning. A big bull hit him down and he fell on the ground. Paining everywhere.’
Colonel Jagar singh came there running. Some of his officers followed him with pistols in hands. Pandian came behind them.
Jagar Singh was stunned at what he saw. Palavesamuthu’s body was lying, frozen. With bleeding streaks of injury on cheeks, Rakbirlal pointed to Pandian and shouted at him something holding Palavesamuthu’s sword in his hand.
Colonel
checked the pulse of the body and ordered his soldiers to take it to the cremation
ground in the rear. He then turned to Pandian and roared:
“You are under arrest. You are singularly responsible for all these”
He then called upon two of his officers, ordered Pandian to be put in jail and walked to his office.
Lance Naik Chinnaiya lying in the hospital shed dragged himself somehow and reached the veranda and further moved stealthily to the entrance. He then gave the sepoys under Havildar Beer Mohammed as much as he could a brief of events that had occurred in the camp. Beer Mohammed called upon Sepoy Udaiyappan and told him to go the forest to alert the troops returning to the camp.
The three squads that had recently completed their training in Remo jungle were on their way to their base camp. Udaiyappan intercepted the first squad led by Thagavelu near Peechang river side and appraised him of the events.
“Who’s is in wireless cabin” Thangavelu asked him.
“Gnanaprakasam”
“Tell him to remove all wires and hide somewhere. Run fast now”
Udaiyappan took to his heels and ran fast to the camp.
Thangavelu passed the information to other two squads that were coming behind. Thangavelu’s squad entered the camp, went straight into the armoury and got all the sepoys standing guard arrested and placed new guards there. Then they went to the jail building, put the guards under arrest and released Pandian.
Kannusamy’s squad coming second went straight into commander’s office and arrested Colonel Jagar Sigh along with other officers and Sepoys.
The third squad under Yakup teamed up with Thangavelu’s squad and rounded up two opposing squads which were coming in separate groups from Kelan forest area. The team that was at leisure in the camp assessed the situation swiftly and took prompt pre-emptive action by arresting other opposing squads.
The entire episode ended within forty minutes. As though the camp area was bigger, the act of usurpation went off smoothly without any untoward incidents due to the cooperation extended by the guards.
Pandian took charge as the new commander of Jarang Guerilla camp.
Captain Rakbirlal, Sepoys Bola Singh and Sevaram were awarded death penalty and were summarily executed. Pandian called upon Gnanaprakasham and asked him to send a wireless message to Taiping Head Quarters. The message was sent as followed:
“Havildar Palavesamuthu was brutally murdered. In order to bring the extremely volatile situation under control, the murderers were awarded death penalty and it was executed with an anticipation of approval from the higher authorities. Situation is very grim- Jagar Singh, Colonel, Commander of Jarang Camp.
A reply came in a while.
“Netaji is coming. Colonel Kalik Usman and Colonel Banerjee and Major Rajappa are also coming with their troops. Everyone should be at their respective places. By the order of Netaji. Rakojirao Chitnis, Major General, Head Quarters Division, Taiping”
At about
seven in the evening, several cars and trucks were streaming in the camp with roars.
The gate was opened. It was ordered that everyone must assemble in the ground
in the centre. Everyone assembled there. Colonel Banerjee led the
investigation. In that very grim situation, everyone explained the course of events
as it had happened briefly in five or six sentences.
Netaji was giving away the list of punishments in English and Hindustani, sometimes in stammering command of voice since his body was shivering in anger. Orders were passed wireless from Jarang camp.
‘The
designated officers working in the designated camps must come to Jarang to take
charge of it. Along with it, the designated officers from Jarang camp are
hereby transferred to the designated camps. Colonel Jagar Singh and lieutenant
Pandian have been dismissed from the service. Both of them will be placed under
arrest and will be court martialled.’
***Chap 21 “Jarang Camp” ended.
Chapter 22:
“The Freedom” will be published shortly.
