Have you ever spent time in a police lockup?

Have you ever spent time in a police lock up? How was your experience? Was it scary? Well I had a unique and exciting experience of a police lockup. I was in my Graduation second year, pursuing Bachelors in Tourism Management from IITTM, Gwalior. I was 19 years old and had a very casual attitude towards life. I was staying with my friends Manuj, Ankit, Ankur, Anish and Ajit in a rented flat.My friend Ajit was very influential in my college. He made close contacts with some of our college officials and faculty members. We often used to get benefits for his contacts. My other room mates were also actively involved in college politics; as a result I was always in thick of action whatever the case maybe.

In September 2006, our college was instructed by the Ministry of Tourism to celebrate tourism week as a part of a global initiative taken by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). Our college for that purpose constituted an organizing committee in which I was also included as a member. My role was to make available the required costumes, accessories, equipments for various cultural events to be performed by the students of my college throughout the week. One day I was watching a dress rehearsal of a group dance on ‘Vande Mataram’ by A.R.Rahman. Suddenly my friend Sumedha who was also a participant in that group dance, asked me to find a sword as they needed it. I lethargically started my search but a sword was not a very common object, so I was having a tough time searching it. I asked the local shopkeepers, my neighbors, my seniors, juniors and every one I knew but all of them were clueless. Now the day of performance was also approaching fast and I was notching my hair in complete despair. Then out of nowhere I came to know about a place called ‘Char Sahar Ka Naka’ near Gwalior fort where I could find the sword.

I immediately set out for that place and that too very enthusiastically. I found the store and hired a sword. Finally my problem was solved I was happy but I did not realize that very soon another unwanted problem would emerge out of nowhere. I safely stacked the sword in my bag and started my journey back to college in an auto. I was sitting like a gentle man from beginning to the end of the journey. As soon as I reached my college area, I paid the money to the auto driver and started walking towards my college. Suddenly I brought out the sword and started waving it as if I was fighting a battle. I was deeply immersed in my play, imagining myself as a Rajput prince killing all his enemies. My play was ended when a police jeep screeched to a halt besides me. A constable jumped out of it and in typically Jat accented Hindi said “Uthao saale ko”, and put me in that jeep. I was terrified by the fact that now I have to be in a police lockup because of my foolishness. I was presented in front of the SHO who asked “bta kis ko maar ne jaa raha tha” I was speechless. I had never dealt with a police man earlier in my life and I always feared them. Somehow I gathered courage and said “uncle do I look like a killer?”. He said, “ I don’t know but now you will spend the entire day in this lockup.” Shocked, I called my friend Manuj and was further shocked to get his reply “we have just opened a full bottle of Royal Stag so please don’t disturb us.”


I was in big trouble, my trusted friends were not coming to my aide, family leaves in Delhi and I had no local guardian in Gwalior. I wanted to call my dad but realized that if he came to know about it he will disown me completely .I laid on my back on the floor of that lockup and started wondering what would happen to me, my career or my reputation etc. I did not know when I dozed off. I woke up when I received a blow of a lathi on my back. I jumped being completely stunned. The same constable who caught me was staring madly at me and in typically Jat accented Hindi said “saale apne mama ka ghar mai aaya hai kay tu” and “nalayk kuch to sharam kar le” I was actually happy seeing his frustrated face. Then the SHO called me and instructed me to write 25 times on a paper that I will never wave a sword in open area. After this I was dropped in my college with the sword. When I entered my college auditorium I saw that all my friends were aware of my foolishness and I was the buzzword in entire college. I quickly moved to the green room, found Sumedha and gave her the sword. The performance was brilliant and I was called on stage as a part of the team and was given credit for my important role and was acknowledged for my troubles. Even today whenever I recalled the incident, I laugh at my foolishness but it also make me realize that police man are like us, human being so there is nothing to worry unless you don’t commit a crime.

Saurabh Das