Chapter 7 #2
From her balcony, she could partially see into their house when the windows were open.
She had done this before as well—especially when she heard or saw him beating his wife.
In those moments, she would go under the pretext of borrowing sugar or some household item to save her from her husband's beatings.
She had tried multiple times to convince his wife to file a complaint, but the woman never even admitted she was being abused. Eventually, Akansha stopped pushing.
She came home, quickly prepared Siya’s favorite button idli, and fed her. Afterward, she let her play in the hall and quietly went to her room.
She peeked again toward the neighbor’s house. She knew it was wrong, but her instinct told her the girl was in danger. Only the father and daughter were visible; the wife was missing.
Alarmed, she immediately called the woman, Kavita, Shekhar's wife and asked her to return home without delay. The urgency in her tone was enough—she understood and came back.
Shekhar realized his wife had returned earlier than expected and immediately understood Akansha’s involvement. His anger shifted into something more calculated—he wanted to retaliate.
The next day, he filed a complaint against her, accusing her of voyeurism under Section 354C and informing police that she had been spying on his household.
A constable later came to inform Akansha unofficially that a complaint had been made verbally and the Sub-Inspector wanted to speak to her. The word “voyeurism” hit her sharply. He also added that it wasn’t on record yet, but refusal to come could escalate it into a formal case.
Akansha had no choice but to go.
Richa was on an important assignment, so she didn’t disturb her. She dropped Siya at Richa’s parents’ house instead and decided to call Richa if things escalated.
Richa’s father insisted on accompanying her, and Akansha agreed gratefully.
Together, they headed to the police station to deal with the situation.
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Richa’s mother went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for Siya. She handed her phone to the little girl so she could watch her favorite cartoons, but Siya could tell something was wrong. Her mother had looked tense the entire way back, unusually quiet and distracted.
She had caught bits of conversation too—words like “police”—and that had scared her. Even though she was small, she understood when something serious was happening. And just like Akansha had taught her, she knew exactly whom to call in situations like this.
She carefully unlocked the phone and dialed a number.
It didn’t take long for the call to be picked up.
“Mamu...” Siya said softly into the phone.
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The sub-inspector grew irritated seeing Richa’s father with Akansha. He had expected her to come alone, which would’ve made it easier to pressure her into backing off—exactly what Shekhar wanted.
“Committing a shameful act and then bringing people along to cover it up?” the inspector taunted.
“I have not committed anything wrong, sir,” Akansha said, struggling to control her anger. “That Shekhar is a creep… he is a womanizer.”
She wanted to lash out, to wipe that smirk off his face, but forced herself to stay composed. Not now. Not when things were already slipping out of control.
The police officials kept trying to intimidate her, pushing her to drop the matter. Akansha held her ground, explaining everything she had seen and suspected, but it was clear they weren’t listening.
The decision had already been made. Somewhere behind the scenes, Shekhar’s influence—and the money he had pushed—had already tilted the case.
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"Siyu... Whose phone is it, baby? Where is mumma?
Where are you?" Akash questioned, his worry instantly rising.
His niece barely called him; they only spoke once every month or two.
His sister had refused to maintain contact with anyone in the family except him, and even that connection had been something he had to insist on.
He had found her a couple of years ago in a condition he never wanted to remember again. She had looked so helpless then that even now, the memory made him shake his head, forcing it away.
"Mamu... mumma... police... I'm scaled(scared)," Siya cried into the phone.
"Siyu... don't worry, mamu is here. Mamu will make everything right. Where are you, baby?" Akash asked softly.
"I'm at licha(Richa) aunty's house," she said between hiccups.
"Okay, give the phone to Richa aunty or her mother or father," he said gently.
Siya refused.
Akash had to promise her that he would bring her mother back safely, and only then did she hand the phone to Richa's mother, who explained the entire situation to him.
They didn't know Akash was an IAS officer.
To them, he was just Akansha's brother, someone who rarely came to meet them.
They had never even seen him, but since they knew of him, Richa's mother still told him what had happened.
He asked her to take care of his niece while he went to handle the situation.
Akash reached the police station with his lawyer. Akansha's eyes widened in shock the moment she saw him there.
"What are the charges on which you summoned her?
Hm?" Akash asked, struggling to keep his voice controlled, though anger and concern for his sister still seeped through.
He loved her deeply, and till date, he had not been able to forgive his family or his brother-in-law for what they had done to her.
The Sub-Inspector studied his crisp authority and the reputed lawyer beside him. He understood the man was powerful, but he refused to be intimidated.
"I'm not answerable to you, sir..." the S.I said.
"Akash Dikshit... Divisional Commissioner... I think now you are," Akash replied.
The words landed heavily. The S.I visibly stiffened. They were used to dealing with district magistrates regularly, but a divisional commissioner stood far higher in authority than a district collector.
"Sir... we received a complaint that this woman committed voyeurism," the S.I said, trying to justify himself.
"What?" Akash stared at him in disbelief, fury flashing instantly. "Show me the formal complaint," he demanded sharply.
"Sir, actually... the man didn’t want to register anything formally. So we called her here just to warn her not to repeat such acts," the Sub-Inspector added, unaware of how deep he was digging his own grave.
"What the hell? You're talking about Section 354C, and you're saying there is no formal complaint? Do you understand that summoning a woman like this without written orders or a complaint is itself an offense?" Akash said sharply.
"Sir..." the S.I tried to speak again, but Akash cut him off immediately.
"Shut up. Shame on you. I will personally look into this matter. If you are found guilty, I will write directly to the Commissioner recommending your suspension," Akash warned him firmly.
"Let's go..." Akash said softly, turning to his sister.
Then he looked at his lawyer. "I'm sorry, Mr. Awasthi. I thought your help would be required, so I requested your presence. Thank you for coming."
"No problem, sir... always happy to help. Let me know if anything," the lawyer replied before leaving.
Akash gave the officer one last hard glare and took Akansha with him, while Richa's father followed behind.
"Thank you so much for not leaving my sister alone, uncle," Akash said sincerely.
"Are you her brother, Akash? I didn't know you were in government service, beta... and you're an IAS?" Richa's father asked in surprise.
"Yes, uncle... but what's the use when my sister doesn't even think of calling me, even at times like this," Akash said, the last line clearly directed toward her.
"Who called you?" Akansha asked sharply, but Akash ignored her. He was still angry—couldn't she have called him even once?
"Uncle, come... I'll drop you home. We still have to pick Siya from there," Akash said.
Richa's father nodded quietly, sensing the silent tension between the siblings.
Akash dropped him off but did not go inside.
Akansha had already requested him not to reveal that her brother was a DC to anyone.
He did not fully understand why she chose to live in secrecy, but he respected it nonetheless.
She rarely spoke about her family, her ex-husband, or her siblings.
People only knew her brother's name, nothing more.
Siya jumped into Akansha's arms the moment she saw her.
"Mumma... where is mamu(uncle)?" the little girl asked curiously.
"He is waiting in the car for us. Say bye to Nana-nani (maternal grandparents)," Akansha said.
Siya called Richa's parents 'nana-nani', and they adored it just as much as they adored her. To them, Akansha and Siya were family.
Siya waved goodbye to the elderly couple and ran outside toward her favorite uncle.
"Mamu... Thank you... You ale a supelhelo (Superhero)," Siya said, kissing Akash on his cheeks.
"Woah... Thanks, my Siyu... Someone should learn from you how to greet me so cheerfully," Akash said, kissing Siya back on her cheek and lightly taunting his sister.
"Siya... you called mama? Why, baby? Didn't I tell you I would come back soon and that it wasn't a problem?" Akansha asked, upset with her daughter.
"Mumma... I'm scaled," Siya said, hugging her uncle more tightly, trying to feel the safety of his protective arms.
"Di... stop scaring her," Akash said. He didn't like it when his sister reprimanded his niece. He loved both of them to the moon and back, but he loved his Siyu a little more.
"I wasn't scaring her... I'm just asking her..." Akansha defended.
"And by doing that, you're scaring her," he said, earning a glare from his sister.
"And you shut up," Akansha scolded her brother and stretched her hands out to take her daughter.
But Siya hugged her mamu even tighter. Akansha rolled her eyes at her daughter—she always started her drama whenever her uncle came to meet them.
"It's okay, let her stay here," Akash said.