Malda:The village of West Narayanpur within the limits of South Chandipur Panchayat Samity in the Manikchak Block of Malda district in West Bengal, is just another non-descript village that dots both banks of River Ganga, snaking through the district. But, this West Narayanpur is suddenly grabbing eyeballs for something very unusual - that of a person who was born here in 1920 and whose house is here awaits his arrival as he steps into the 104th year of existence, albeit from behind bars.
On November 30, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar granted interim bail to 104-year-old Rasik Chandra Mondal, serving a life term for a murder committed in 1988.
Rasik had never moved out of West Narayanpur as he had a few bighas of land stacked with fertile alluvial soil with silt deposition from the Ganges. The land was perfect for multi-crop cultivation and this very land eventually turned into a bone of contention between Rasik and his brother Suresh. High-pitched arguments eventually turned more sour between the two houses and in 1988, Suresh was shot dead inside his house. Suresh's wife Arati lodged a complaint with the Manikchak police station against 18 people, including Rasik.
All accused were arrested and booked under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC. Trial started and in 1994, when Rasik turned 68, he along with another villager Jiten Tanti were sentenced to life imprisonment. Since then, Rasik has been a resident of the Malda district correctional home, only to be shifted briefly to Balurghat central correctional home in Dakshin Dinajpur district for a short period.
"I have been told that my husband is coming soon. It is a great thing. After staying with my son's family for such a long time, it is good that he will be back. I am waiting," Rasik's wife Meena Devi told Etv Bharat.
Meena has passed 85 years and can hardly hear these days. The toll of age and loneliness is evident on her face, as she sits on the porch of her youngest son Uttam's house, clasping a framed photograph of Rasik.
Even while speaking, her gaze never leaves the studio grab featuring her husband in dhoti and kurta with a background that takes one to the promised land of a bungalow with a fountain in the foreground.
Rasik's youngest son Uttam told Etv Bharat that his father had come home once in between when he was released on parole. Even Jiten Tanti, the other villager sentenced to life along with Rasik, had also come home on parole. Unfortunately, Jiten slipped in the swirling waters of the river while taking a bath and died. Rasik was back in prison after his parole ended.
"We had appealed to the High Court for his bail challenging the lower court's order in 2018. But, that appeal got rejected. In 2020, when my father was 99-year-old and stepping into his 100th, we filed an appeal with the Supreme Court citing his age and related ailments. Whatever the law says, we think that a practical approach should be adopted in adjudicating such pleas. We are elated that finally he is getting out and coming back home to us," says Uttam.
Uttam's eldest brother has passed away and two of his brothers stay in Delhi. His sons Prabir and Apurbo are busy making preparations for their grandfather's return. But, neither Uttam's wife, nor anyone in West Narayanpur want to go back and dig into old times.
Some of Rasik's neighbours say, Suresh's wife Arati, who had filed the initial complaint of murder, had left for Bihar 30 years back along with her children and has never returned. A section of villagers flatly state that Rasik had a land dispute with another villager, who took a chance of the feud between the brothers and shot Suresh. But, evidence went against Rasik.
The Supreme Court bench, in its order, has said "As an interim order, we direct that the petitioner, Rasik Chandra Mondal, will be released on interim bail/parole during the pendency of the present writ petition, on terms and conditions to be fixed by the trial court". An officer of the Malda district correctional home said, "We have received the Supreme Court order and steps are being taken for the release of Rasik Mondal on bail."
It is far-fetched to even think that 104-year-old Rasik Chandra Mondal will have a Hachiko moment when he steps into his house. But, just as the Japanese Akita dog Hachiko continued to wait for over nine years for his owner Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University even after Ueno's death, Meena Devi holds on to her husband's photograph expecting to eventually hold Rasik's hands. Hachiko was born in November 1923 three years after Rasik Chandra Mondal.
