Jahangir Shaikh has always been a man of authority. He was the firstborn in his family, the only male out of his five siblings. His father knew he would be once a great man. There was a sufi man who used to sit in the footsteps of the masjid who had told his father that one day, 'Jahangir' would rule over the state.

He was thus named Jahangir, growing up out of his six siblings he was the only one who was sent to school, his sisters were wedded off when they were young. He was never attached to them because they usually were in the kitchen or with his mother, Jahangir, which was surprisingly attached to his mother.

It was his mother’s wish for him to join the army, so he served half of his life, paid off his father's debts, and got his sisters married. At the age of twenty-five, he was well recognised in the village. The sarpanch would often take his advice for panchayat matters.

Jahangir believed he could live a peaceful life, and retire early from the army, he had married his childhood sweetheart Shahida, but when he returned from the army Jahangir had realised that Shahida had fled the city with his cousin. To make matters worse, Jahangir discovered that Shahida and his cousin had not only left the city but also had taken a significant portion of his savings.

The betrayal struck him like a blow to the chest, leaving him reeling from the pain of the double treachery. In the tight-knit community where honour was everything, this scandal threatened to tarnish his reputation, a reputation he had painstakingly built over years of hard work and sacrifice.

That's when he had quit army at the age of thirty five, the sarpanch had let him be a mediator and offered his daughter's hand in marriage. His reputation was intact. Life was getting better, but the betrayal from his first wife had left a visible scar. And then he heard a similar case, a woman had tried running away, he had asked her to apologise but she didn't. 

She was actually smug about it, Jahangir Shaikh was well versed in hadiths, and he knew how to use them in his favour, since the woman was a married woman, but the couple never had committed adultery, he left out the parts and procedures according to which the trial had to be conducted. There were no testimonies, the man and woman denied having committed any sin.

But Jahangir was led by his anger and used this to his advantage. He misled their parents and established a law that every adulterer would be punished, and in his eyes, adultery was a crime worse than murder.

He manipulated religious texts to suit his narrative, convincing the village elders that such a law was necessary to maintain the moral fabric of their society. The sarpanch, out of respect and perhaps fear of Jahangir’s authority, supported him. Thus, the new law was passed without much opposition.

Jahangir's actions were driven by deep-seated insecurity and anger from his own betrayal. Feeling wounded by Shahida's deceit and the loss of his savings, he was determined to prevent others from experiencing the same pain. This led him to impose harsh laws against adultery, manipulating religious texts to support his views. His need to assert control and protect his reputation pushed him to enforce these laws, using his authority and the support of the sarpanch to create a rigid system in the village, driven more by personal vendetta than by justice.

Soon, this was widely accepted because this law benefitted the men because it gave them a powerful tool to control their wives and other women in the village. The fear of being accused of adultery, often with little to no evidence, kept many women in a state of constant anxiety.

The law also led to an increase in false accusations, as men used it to settle personal vendettas or to rid themselves of unwanted marriages. Women who had once felt secure in their homes and communities were now living in fear, knowing that a single accusation could ruin their lives.

He always wanted power. The second insecurity that hit him was that he couldn't have a son. At the age of thirty-nine, his wife gave birth to a daughter. He didn't name her. Thus, the daughter grew up in her mother's shadow. She would sometimes serve him tea or walk with him to the school.

Despite his conservative laws, Jahangir broke one, he committed adultery with a woman, and later married her, buying an apartment where he would visit every week. But two years passed by, and Jahangir soon realised he was the problem.

Turns out the sufi saint was wrong. He wasn't born for greatness after all. The illusion of power and authority he had built around himself was beginning to crumble. The more he tried to assert his dominance, the more he felt an emptiness growing within him.

He had one daughter, and he decided to use her, so he nurtured not as a heir but as a sacrifice. And now, at the age of sixty-seven, all his hard work was bearing fruit.

His daughter was stupid to believe his lies. Why would he change the rules for anyone?

So, the whereabouts of the two women were told to their husbands, Jahangir felt proud of himself that he was finally going to achieve all his dreams and make history.

___

Saahil was woken by loud banging at the door. The two women stepped out of their rooms as Naeema's husband screamed through the door, "I know you are inside open up, or I will break the door."

Saahil loaded his pistol, and as they heard hushed whispers, there were two men outside.

Maheen held Naeema's habd tightly, as they both looked at Saahil for help who directed them towards the balcony, "I will open the door both of you run to your college, he handed them their bags and the two climbed down as the front door started rattling. Sahil didn't open the door until the two women had disappeared from his view. He slowly walked to the door rubbing his eyes as Naeema's husband charged in.

"Where is my wife?"

He scratched his head as if confused by the man's question, "Who?"

The man tried to grab his collar, but Sahil disbalanced him by kicking his knees. The man stumbled back, clutching his knee in pain, but his anger only seemed to intensify.

"I know my wife is here. Tell me where she is!" Saahil remained calm, leaning against the doorframe with a look of casual indifference.

"You're mistaken," he replied coolly. "There are no women here, except for the ones in your head. Maybe you should take a breath and think this through before you embarrass yourself further."

The other man, Naeema's brother, who had been standing quietly outside, stepped forward. He was larger, more imposing, and his expression was one of calculated malice. "We don't have time for your tricks," he growled. "You can either hand her over now, or we’ll find her ourselves."

Saahil's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. The women should be far enough away by now, he thought. He straightened up, his demeanour shifting from casual to deadly serious.

"You're trespassing," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I suggest you leave while you still can."

Naeema's husband lunged at Saahil again, but this time, Saahil was ready. He sidestepped the attack, grabbed the man's arm, and twisted it behind his back in one swift motion. The man yelped in pain as Saahil pressed him against the wall.

"Enough," Saahil hissed into his ear. "If you come after them again, I won't be so gentle. Do you understand?"The larger man moved to intervene, but Saahil tightened his grip on his pistol, pointing it at the man’s chest. "One more step, and I’ll make sure you regret it."

The two men and eyed Saahil, "We will come with police next time."

"Thanks for informing!" With that, he kicked the two out.

___

Saad Nawab Khan had always relished in power. He liked being in control of his surroundings of his people. Just like Jahangir Shaikh, Saad couldn't lose in the power struggles, be it at home, in lands feuds or politics. And now, winning the seat in the national assembly wasn't just about power. It was a necessity for him.

They say criminals get punished by law, but in a country with laws as complicated as theirs, these laws were often bent by the law makers to protect the criminals. So for a man who wasn't under investigation for fraudulents and embezzlements, he had two options, one was to escape the country and the other get a seat in national assembly, and get a clean chit. It was like bathing in holy water. All of your previous criminal records would be wiped away.

He was heading towards control, being careful with his every move. His greatest competitor was his father in law.

The man knew how to campaign, every street had his banner, promising people of bus transport, it was actually funny, before Jahangir Shaikh this city was developing, but because of his conservative rules it's growth stilted.  The population decreased as well as over GDP, the roads, highways were destroyed, girls colleges were closed down and because of the conservative rules and law of human rights in the city, it never got industrial revolution. 

And he was talking about development,  as if Saad would let him win, Nawab Khan had shifted to Azamgarh to escape the authorities, he knew the risks of staying too long in one place, especially with the authorities hot on his trail. But Azamgarh was different; it was a place where law enforcement was easily manipulated, and people in power had a way of making inconvenient truths disappear.

Saad Nawab Khan was pulling every string he could to ensure his victory. Bribes, threats, blackmail—nothing was off the table. He had learned long ago that in politics, the ends always justified the means.

As the election drew nearer, tensions in Azamgarh began to rise. The city was divided, with banners and posters of both candidates plastered everywhere.

The air was thick with anticipation, and everyone knew that this election would change the course of their lives.Saad Nawab Khan watched from the balcony of his temporary residence, the city spread out before him like a chessboard. Every move mattered, and every piece had its place. He had come too far to lose now.

___

I don't know wth is happening in our country, the amount of gang rapes, murder and now a doctor got murdered and raped in her own college. I just get disgusted by the news everyday why are authorities trying to protect the criminals more than the civilians?

And I also hate the fact that it doesn't affect us now, 'girls, babies, doctors get raped every day' it's nothing new. It's so infuriating that women have to take extra measures, a doctor who work 36 hour shift is blamed for her death, why was she alone,  it was her fault??? As a kid I thought all these movies and books were exaggerated, but real life is worse. It's all a disgusting circus. Doctors save our lives, but in our country, they are treated like absolute shit, their seats are sold, the entrance exams are biased. After spending half of your life struggling and getting into a PG college, this doctor who had a bright future was simply killed? And you are letting these criminals go, so they could go on and rape other women, as well as you are motivating other criminals to commit such crimes by showing your indifference.