True story
The ‘Goa' as they say paradise of the white sands, beaches and sun.Every season innumerous tourist flock together alike those migrant birds over here .And they left behind many memories for us to remember while returning back to their town.This land is a true heaven, but even in the heavens serpents take hideouts and we never know when they would hiss and give out poison.
This story is very important to be exposed because it is mandatory for me now so as to prepare our generation to face every bitter reality of life without shaking their legs,and accept it in a calm manner which might in furtherance contribute some difference in others life too.During Portuguese regime the discipline of Goans was very good and all the Goans of those days were simple, docile and were known as “susegad”.
Generally speaking what harshness and militancy which is portrayed today was not really existing in those days' amongst Goans. There were no crimes with the exception of few here and there and that too with that very big intervals.
And the chronology of events of this story dates back in the seventies where Mr Dourado(name changed to secure identification) his wife and tiny tot young daughter were residing in their villa house in caranzalem North Goa.Mr daurado was a small businessman and local landlord in his locality,this small nuclear family was very hospitable caring and well known in their village for their unique nature.
It was Sunday that day when Mr Dourado and his family had returned home attending the mass in the village church.
Mrs Dourado was actually explaining the sermon to her daughter that was preached by the priest in the church.while Mr Dourado was attentive in hearing what was being explained to his lovely dear daughter.
Untill that time someone gives a loud knock on the door .To the surprise of Dourado he didn't had any clue who exactly was it at the door, that early sunday morning.
As he opened the door he saw one guy standing bit far distant from the entrance of the door.when Dourado asked him what it was? He joined hands and said “patraon(owner boss)I am looking up for a job ”,and is unemployed as i didn't had any local support and he was starving as the money what he had brought while coming to Goa was all finished.
Mr Dourado kept investigating and starring at him and finally he asked his name.The guy said ' I am Kumar from Kerala.Than Dourado went inside and told his wife that he wants to employ this guy as a domestic servant to manage out all the household ,To which his wife also agreed and told him to get it done.
‘Kumar 'was lucky to seek that job over there .Because this was one of the happy family which he had never seen in his lifetime.After some period of time Kumar became the trustworthy person of the family,and everyone was dependent on him for silly and minor things as he had succeeded in winning their trust.
But none ever can predict the fickle mind of a person when and where it might take a ' u ' turn.one fine day Mr Dourado had to live Goa for seven days for some of his business deal.This time he not feeling that easy to go somewhere far outskirts living his family behind .But somehow he dared and told Kumar to handle everything untill the time Dourado was back.
Kumar now wanted to live a comfortable and luxurious like his ' patraon'he too wanted to become rich but overnight.
Now was the time his owner was not there in the house.His guilty mind and greed had disturbed his sleep.He thought if he loses this golden opportunity then there is no chance later.
Next day he got up early and told Mrs Dourado that he was going to the market to buy household things and fish.But actually he didn't go to the market but went in the bar and got himself heavily drunk .while returning back he had two carry bags in his hands and he reached to the villa.
There Mrs Dourado was knitting wool she sensed Kumar coming in her room and before he could reach up to her she asked there sitting in her rocking chair.
What shopping he did and what fish he had bought to cook for the lunch?The moment he entered Mrs Dourado felt uncomfortable as Kumar's eyes were totally red and he behaved in a suspicious manner.still she asked him what was wrong?But as and when she was standing up from her chair,Kumar was rushing towards her searching something in one carry bag that he was holding,in a spur of seconds he removed the chopper from the carry bag and straight away gave a harsh blow on her head with the sharp side of the chopper.
She just collapsed there on the floor and her blood had stained the walls of her room,and Mrs Dourado was lying in the pool of blood.By the time she fell Kumar became nervous and started frisking the house to collect all the cash,gold jewellery and many expensive items.
As he was rushing to pack up his bags,he saw one ball coming into the room which went near Mrs Dourado body.For a time being he got scared but later he found that it was their young tiny dot daughter he didn't even felt mercy for that small soul who still yet haven't seen the world completely.He just went towards her catching the ball and lifted her up strangulating her throat and neck with one hand and just threw her where her mother's body was there .At that time Kumar was possessed with his guilty ideas to fulfill them all at one time.Now the greatest challenge for him was to hide the bodies,so thence he didn't take any second and pulled both the bodies in the bathroom and turned them into pieces.The same sweet home had become one butchery where humans were slaughtered down to pieces.And later they were stacked into the steel trunk,and Kumar had Scott's free from the scene of offence .
Later after few days weird stink followed in that locality where everyone was searching from where it came.police was also called in.
On the other hand Mr Dourado was coming back from the airport with the taxi as he didn't any single clue of this matter.when he reached home he saw his house was crowded wherein there were cops,ambulance,fire brigade and the hearse van .
As he alighted from the taxi his neighbours rushed to him and stopped him going inside.seeing that he got panicky and ran inside.
When he entered the room he was stunned to see that trunk which was full of flesh and decomposed meat.He just collapsed there in an traumatic shock and wanted to never got up.All his dreams were crushed down and he fell like a broken pieces of mirror.There was no one who could understand him and his agony.How one could survive normally in this society where humans have least importance and all what is required is just things and money?
When the news of these crime spread all over Goa, the entire Goan population was shocked. Some even called for the return of Portuguese “Sarkar” to straighten and restore the law and order situation in Goa which was bended by the deputationist administrators brought in by MGP from outside Goa and also Ghantti Mama Police force from Maharashtra.During those days such crimes in Goa means a big thing but for outsiders, non-Goan Ghantti Police, non-Goan Government employees it was nothing big, for them it was a normal situation because in their states such crimes were daily routine. But for us Goans it was something abnormal and unacceptable.
“God has given you two hands to work nicely and earn your daily bread. God has given you hands not to kill human beings and cut them into pieces and pack them into the box” referring to these crimes and criminal Kumar. In many places in Goa priests started highlighting on these crimes in their sermons to educate the people. Tiatrists (dramatist)composed and rendered beautiful songs on these crimes one of the famous was M Boyer's where he described the intensity of crime committed that time and compared it with the crime rate that was in the Portuguese time.Rom Rem Red the trio tiatrist which sang in Kuwait on these crime and the same song had passed a chill deep in their veins.
Later Kumar was arrested and he confessed to his crime.
During the trial of Kumar at Panjim Court,opposite Customs Jetty one could see a huge protests,processions,and march for the humanitu, all the Goans were very furious. They wanted to drag Kumar from the hands of Police and tear him down into pieces and upside down.But Police “bandobast” was very tight. The Police sensed the fury of the public and provided top security so that nobody could know which side and and through which door Kumar was taken to the courtroom and brought back. Mob fury was gaining momentum, everyone could feel the pulse of the public wrath against Kumar there.Even some of the crowd members had sticks, iron rods and soda bottles in their hands.
In the courtroom Adv marathe chose to defend Kumar's side,to which mob became furious and made chaos on the road ,the same road was cordoned by the mob.They wanted to kill Adv Marathe too for defending this matter.Adv Marathe had vast knowledge of Portuguese laws as he had studied law in Goa.
After some period of time all the local newspapers came up with the fresh headlines 'kumar sentenced to death.’High court confirms Kumar's death sentence.
Shashikala kakodkar was the first women chief minister of Goa that time .It so happened that after the confirmation Catholic patriarch approached the govt to spare life of Kumar and avoid the hanging of Kumar on the scared land of Goa as this was the first time in the known history where a man was going to be hanged.But shashikala kakodkar showed the scorn at patriarch for pleading the mercy she said ' Goa's patriarch to get cheap publicity asked for mercy for Kumar.’
To this entire Catholic community took it as a grave insult and later shashikala kakodkar was also dragged down from the ruling benches.
Kumar was lodged at aguad central jail at for aguada.This jail was constructed by the Portuguese and was known as historical jail where it was also known as kaala paani jail unlike Andaman and nicobars cellular jail.But this kaala Pani name was derived because the prison was surrounded by the sea water and prisoners could see the sea from their cells but those times they were chained and they could hardly move.
Kumar got settled in aguada,he had started working .judging his personality and nature no one would believe that he would go up to such vast extents of inhumanity.Kumar knew well now there was no chance of his and all what was going on outside the jail was just a drama and laughing stock.Infact he had started repenting ,neither he wanted to live nor he was alive. And after crossing such heights he realised it was much more easier to earn money but you can't buy good name for yourself with that same earned money,you achieve name only by your deeds and good karma's .
Though Kumar was sentenced to death he had all the sympathy of prisoners towards him.
For any court it may be easier to pronounce the capital punishment with the harsh tone.But exactly no one knows how is the execution of such capital punishment is carried on.
It is no way different from planning to kill human with the cool mind just because he did something wrong or he is proved wrong .But let me bet on this there is no judge so far yet in this world alike God who can judge all the hidden spaces of our mind and hearts better.what judgement we pass is just merely on the basis of evidence and papers.Which inturn can be fabricated looking at ones position and influence.
Here in aguada there was panic,all the prisoners were praying for their own life and mercy to God.But there was no one to listen to their prayers.
Literally speaking this exucution also breaks all the soldier because it is difficult to see someone suffering and struggling to take his/her last burst of breath.
The staff of the jail was informed about the execution,because getting the hangman was not an easy task.Since Goa did not have the facility of a gallows, special gallows was built at Aguada, down the Aguada Fort facing the sea.
Now Kumar was told about his last date of life.He was asked to express his last wish or will if he had any.He said he would tell them later.
Right before the execution the same prisoner is segragated from other prisoners and kept away in solitary confinement for 48 hrs.
Kumar was placed in the cell no.14.where he had passed his last fearful and painful moments of life in blood tears .
where finally Kumar was hanged at 6.00 am in the morning on 28th January 1978. When he was asked for his last wish, he said that his body be donated for Goa Medical College to further the studies of the students there. He also requested his colleagues in the prison at Aguada not to follow his example and be calm in life because crime ultimately makes you suffer, like me.And the last he said no one is to be hanged in Goa after my execution is over and to break the gallows when everything was finished.
Life is to be given
Not to be taken.
I know this story to the best of my knowledge because I too was incarcerated in the Aguada central jail
and it gave me the opportunity of researching on the subject of reformation and the prevalent legal system. I had spent three and half years in the cell no. 14 where Kumar had spent his last night of his life unfortunately his death time was 6:00 am.
But let me tell you here at last those walls in the cell no.14 are still eager to tell this story to everyone but no likes to visit the jail or think about this people.I have sensed all his weeps and tears in that dark cell where humans were not considered as humans.
Today the Aguada central jail is closed and new jail is built to accommodate more people or criminal?????for what is still a big question mark?
When we say law, it's for the general good of the society . Our constitution does provides for capital punishment in the rarest of the rare case . Hence it's our duty to be the responsible citizens and asset to our nation and not the liabilities.
The main purpose of telling you this story is not to bring any sympathy towards the wrong doer who was hung but it's for us to understand the social inequalities prevalent in our society. As they say the reality is always harsh, and of course. The real facts of this case is worse rather than what is written here. But as an un the root causes of all the crimes erupts from the same society.
When we say criminals, their cradles indeed were rocked here, in the same society.
Hence it becomes our utmost duty to stand for each other and help each other, so that everytime law doesn't takes a harsh course, such ways crimes will never end up, perhaps we can exert coercion but still it's not enough to bear when certain normal humans turn out to be socio psychopaths or an default products arising out of the social diferrences and despite of what we call today as ' our civilised society'.
Life is to be given not to be taken.
[The author of this article, is presently writing in detail about this story and soon going to release his book soon ]
(Also the same story is already published published in one of the anthology but in short limits) .
The End ….
By Abhijit B Patil
