WHILE commenting on the kidnapping of the Hindustan Times photographer Ashok Karn in this column (abduction of a jounalist), I narrated the heart-rending story of Malka Begum, who was virtually snatched from the jaws of death. Suddenly, she became famous. But the fame did not fetch her any dividends. Since she lost only a "foot", she was not entitled to any compensation, apart from a pittance for medical treatment. But she got a cheque for Rs 2.2 lakh on account of losing both her parents. Out of this, her two brothers took Rs 50,000 each. She has two sisters who were given Rs 10,000 each. The rest - Rs 1 lakh - was deposited in a fixed account in her name. For her future and welfare.

When Malka returned to what remained of her family after four months in hospital, she had no clue that she was in for another betrayal, this time by her own saviour, the knight in shining armour. The army jawan who pulled her out of the pond, Mohammed Taj of Kashmir Light Infantry, began visiting her. What's more, he told Malka's brother that he wanted to marry her. Given her condition, the family could not have turned it down. Yet, the family had doubts about the proposal. They feared that the sympathy he had for Malka would not survive for long. But when Taj brought his parents and they too agreed to the nikkah, they readily consented. In any case, Malka did not have much say in the matter. Taj was at that time posted in Ranchi.

Newspapers flashed the news of the wedding on March 25, 1990. A truly fairytale end, wrote one of them. After the wedding, Taj took her to his village in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. The area was totally new to her. It was a hilly terrain and she was not used to living in such altitudes. Nor could she communicate with her in-laws because she spoke only Hindi and Urdu. And to cap it all, she could not do most of the domestic chores because of her handicap. Malka realized that Taj's parents had concluded that she was a useless daughter-in-law. Hence, she did not mind when he brought her back to her brother's house at Bhagalpur.

Next year, Taj came and stayed with her for a month. Towards the end of 1991, she gave birth to a baby - Fathima Taj - who had grown into a sprightly young girl, who told me in English that she wanted to become a pilot. Her husband resurfaced in Malka's life when he came and spent two months with her at her brother's house. By then, even the villagers were upset with him. Why was he not taking her with him? They even threatened to create a scene if he did not take her. All this had a salutary effect on Taj who took her and Fathima to Ranchi. She spent about three months there, which she considers as the best period of her life. A much-delayed honeymoon! But life in the once summer capital of Bihar was too good to last.

Pregnant for a second time, Malka was again dropped off at Bhagalpur and Taj returned to Ranchi. There was no communication from him for a long time. When she gave birth to a boy, Mohammed Imtiaz Ali, he was duly informed about it. All she got was a letter informing him that he had been posted to Rajasthan. There was a hint that he would come and take Malka to the new place of posting once he was able to settle down. That was the last correspondence she had from him. "I am not bothered about him. What more can I expect from someone who does not even want to see his son?" said Malka.

"Does your daughter not want to see him?" I asked her. Malka did not have to answer that question as Fathima intervened, "No I do not want to see him."

"What about your younger brother?" I turned to him. A vacant expression on his otherwise cherubic face was quite suggestive.

Malka is yet to reconcile to the fact that Taj could cheat her of all the money in her fixed account. On one of his visits to enjoy his conjugal rights, he asked for some money. It was all for her! Since Malka could not live with his parents in the village, he wanted to buy a plot of land in a town area. She had some doubts. After all, he had neither been a responsible husband nor a responsible father. But when she swore on the Holy Koran, she gave in and let him have access to the bank account. Of course, she consulted her brother, who too advised her to trust him. "How could we believe he would cheat us?"

Taj never returned. He did not buy any land. He did not provide for any maintenance. He did not even divorce her. He simply deserted her. Malka tried to contact him through his commanding officer. After a considerable wait, she got a letter from the Army authorities saying that he was dismissed from service for gross misconduct on September 23, 1993. There has been no trace of Taj since then. Her efforts to recover the money through the courts have also been in vain. Taj is believed to have joined the ranks of militants and was shot while trying to cross over to Pakistan. In any case, she is no longer enamoured of her husband and it does not matter to her whether he is alive or dead.

Malka today lives in her own house built under the Indira Awaz Yojana Scheme at a cost of Rs 20,000. It was far from complete and did not have an attached toilet when I visited her. Nor did it have proper windows. She is a well-known figure in the area but she has to depend on the munificence of well-wishers to bring her children up. Her brothers who have four children each are hardly in a position to support her. She approached leaders like former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav for a Class IV job in the government, which would have helped her to stand on her own legs. She needs Rs 2500 for a special shoe, which does not last for more than a year. The only steady income is a monthly allowance of Rs 100 for the handicapped she is entitled to. Meanwhile, 22 persons accused of killing Malka's parents and their neighbours have been exonerated while 14 were sentenced to life imprisonment. They all have gone in for appeal. (Readers who would like to support her and her children can do so by writing to Malka Begum, Sadaruddin Chak village, P.S. Habibpur, Bhagalpur, Bihar).

To be continued....
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The writer can be reached at ajphilip@yahoo.com

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