A Gruesome Ordeal

The reader will recollect my description of the events that had occurred in the aftermath of the police firing in Ongole town on 22nd November, 1972 during the “separate Andhra” agitation

As part of my duties I had to conduct an inquest (an inquiry into the cause of death) of the four persons who had been shot dead in the firing. Fearing a long ordeal ahead of me I had an early lunch before proceeding to the hospital where the inquest was to be conducted.

The proceedings were preceded by a postmortem performed by the resident pathologist in the District Headquarters Hospital.The sight of all that flesh and blood and the exposed entrails churned by stomach and it was all I could do not to throw up there and then.

And then I had to record the statements of the two constables who had fired their weapons on the orders of the district collector. They were local constables and, quite understandably, frightened out of their wits at the prospect of being publicly identified as the persons who had (in the words of the agitating public) “murdered” innocent citizens.

As they deposedbefore me their legs trembled and tears welled up in their eyes. I felt sorry for their pitiable plight. Their fear was quite justified even though they had but done their duty.

Fortunately public sentiment was somewhat assuaged when the state governmentordered a formal inquiry into the incident by the collector of aneighbouring district. By the time enquiry was completed tempers had cooled and Time, the great healer, had contributed its bit to the return of normalcy.

Troubled times indeed; but full of experiences to look back upon with a sense of satisfaction that one had discharged one’s duties fairly and fearlessly.

By :Dr MOHAN KANDA