What the Doctor Ordered Continues ……….

As I walked into Satish’s office, I saw Dr Ansari seated on a chair with three CBI officers sitting around him and interrogating him. My colleagues stood up to greet me as I walked in, and, in a dejected tone, one of them said, ‘Sir, since morning the doctor has not uttered a word. He is even refusing to acknowledge that weapons and detonators were recovered from his house.’
On hearing this, I decided to try my luck at interrogating Dr Ansari. But the man didn’t so much as blink. I felt at a loss as to what to do next. He was frail-looking, and the question of being tough on him didn’t arise. As I sat looking at the doctor, I knew that I had to get him talking and soon. We had come this far, caught a man with weapons and detonators, but we needed to go further. We had to get the contours of Dr Ansari’s conspiracy and follow up on them. And for this, we needed the doctor to open up. But, he was in no hurry to give in and proved to be a tough nut to crack.
Many emotions stirred within me and several thoughts crossed my mind. Almost instinctively, I addressed the detainee and said, ‘Doctor, if I brought your holy book here, would you swear by it and say that you know nothing?’ Dr Ansari froze and looked into my eyes meekly and helplessly. His face contorted and he burst into tears. He wept uncontrollably as his resolve to hold back what he knew broke on hearing mention of his holy book. Clearly, he was a deeply religious man, to the extent of being a fanatic. He could withstand the psychological pressures of a police interrogation; he could deal with being publicly shamed, as he had been the night before when he was whisked away by the police in the presence of his brethren; he could live with the prospect of his imminent separation from his family; but, under no circumstances could he swear by his holy book and lie.

To be Continued ………….