My name is Shankar Yadav, aged 45 years and son of Pancham Yadav. We are a native of Varuna Pul under Cantonment police station in Varanasi district. We are four brothers.
Our economic condition was not good and we reared cow and buffalo for a livelihood. However, we were still happy, but some evil eye struck the happiness of my family, which totally ruined our lives forever.
In October 2015, Cantonment police station officer Ratan Singh Yadav kept all of us 4 brothers namely Shankar Yadav, Balram, Suresh Chandr Yadav and Pappu Yadav, confined to the police station for 14 days without any reason. He told my father to transfer his land and threatened if he failed to comply, he would implicate us in a murder case. However, my father did not agree, although he was subjected to sustained humiliation.
Two of us were freed after 11 days, but two brothers were still kept in custody. After 14 days, SSP Varanasi sent his official jeep to call us to his bungalow to record our statement. Later, we were freed from the police station after our mother was called to take us home.
The episode had completely broken our back, while our livelihood was severely affected. My brother Balram also lost his job he was employed in. Our milk trade also closed down, while our 3 buffaloes died. My family was in real doldrums during those times. It was the time of ravaging floods and we could not sleep in the night due to constant worrying.
We went to the police station, but the sub inspector threatened us to implicate us in fake cases. We thought if our lives had been broken apart in merely 14 days lockup, what would happen if we were to be booked in fabricated cases and sent to jail. These depressing thoughts would make us cry and we would feel lifeless.
However, the destiny plays out by itself. On May 17, 2016, then station house officer Ojha called us and took our statement. He later took us to the bungalow of SSP Varanasi Aakash Kulhari. We pleaded with him that you had freed us and now your are sending us to jail, but he did not listen to our pleas. Although the SO tried to favour us by saying that he had taken the statement and that we were innocent, but the SSP merely proclaimed that we were to be sent to jail. At that moment, our bodies felt lifeless.
We were not even allowed to go home and were taken to the Cantonment police station directly from the bungalow and put up in the lockup under fake charges. We thought everything had been finished.
On May 18, 2019, we three brothers were produced before the chief judicial magistrate and sent to jail. On entering the prison, we felt as if our lives had gotten over. The heart was sinking and we were completely lost and incomprehensible. Even the god were not showing any kindness to us. Everyone had turned against us. We did not eat anything in the jail for days, but then we accepted the reality and though how long could we survive without food.
In the jail, we were made to sprinkle water and sweep the floor. We used to get good food only when the inmates created a ruckus over bad food.
Later, our family members approached Allahabad High Court and we secured bail only after 8 months. after such harrowing time, our family has come on the verge of starvation and the livelihood has been lost after our shop shut down. In the jail, I always worried about my family and their well being, and how they would be living outside and fending for themselves. These thoughts were really suffocating. My old parents stay unwell. We worry about their medical expenses going forward. My wife always weeps, while the studies of my children have been permanently affected. My whole family has been ruined in these 8 months.
Interviewer Chhaya Kumari
Victim Shankar Yadav
Translated by Mr. Ashish Awasthi
