সাংবাদিক শ্রীযুক্ত শেখর দত্তের চোখে: ‘ সাব-ইন্সপেক্টর করমচাঁদের ডায়রি ’

Philosophers have defined man as rational animal but man`s underlying animality often overpowers his rationality. Perhaps this is the reality which explains human penchant for crimes and journey into the murky underworld , apart from familiar factors such as greed and associated mental retardations. Police officers-serving and retired-endowed with high imaginative faculties and power of expression are eminently capable of exposing the underworld of crime and criminals . Marshall Frank, retired supercop in Miami , USA and Dallas state`s former senior cop Debra Knapp have illustrated the point in their masterpieces , `The upside to crime` and `Mountana the police horse`-the latter a childrens book. Tripura`s popular police officer Arindam Nath`s latest book `Sub-inspector Karamchander Diary` based on his professional experience as DSP (central) in the state capital is an authentic study on crime and criminals observed from a highly imaginative and creative angle. The backbone of the book is Sub-inspector Karamchand (Nath`s junior colleague in West Agartala police station) who used to maintain a diary of events and characters related to crimes and the dark recesses of the underworld.

Nath`s book is a veritable revelation to the extent that under a thin camouflage he has shed transparent light on crucial protagonists of the underworld and their operational style. A discerning reader would find it easy to identify the quintet who died together while manufacturing crude bombs in erstwhile Hostel No-2 of MBB college as the killers of CPI (M) activist turned Youth Congress Vice President Swapan Das. The blast had occurred in the run-up to the Loksabha polls of 1996 while Swapan Das had been slain in his home a few months earlier in December 1995. The leader who had plotted the murder had gone to Calcutta to attend an all Indian conference of his organisation after handing in the blue-print to his hired assassins. It is to Nath`s immense credit that barring experienced journalists and active players in the act nobody would be able to what or who he is hinting at in the camouflage.

The state`s most famous-possibly notorious-murderer and mafia don Amit Ghosh, currently serving long prison term, also appears in `Sub-inspector Karamchander Diary` towards the end in the pseudonym of Abhishek . Nath was the police officer who finally brought Amit alias Abhishek to justice by arresting him in connection with a murder case but ,significantly, Amit alias Abhishek had been a regular caller by telephone. Amit`s voice and manner of expression would emit signals of threat and possible danger but Nath had a most bizarre experience when one fine morning Amit alias Abhishek`s wife, a one-time cabaret dancer in Calcutta, materialised in his office to complain of threats to her and her two sons lives from her consort.

Nath has imaginatively focussed on varied human characters in his book in all their diverse traits : perennial police source Sudhir who made police station his virtual home , polygamous Kabir Bhai and his border home and a large number of burglars, dacoits and murderers and their graduation to the murky underworld of crimes. But the most startling conclusion a reader is left with from a study of Nath`s book is that the old adage-`frailty thy name is woman`-might well be replaced by a new adage : inconsistency or unpredictability thy name is woman. What illustrates the point is the life and evolution of a veiled character Tilottama Das of a bordering village. Tilottama had been violated by a criminally-motivated man , Madhav Das , allowed the violation to be an almost regular affair and finally collaborated with the violator in having her husband murdered and then turned an approver in court to have the supposed paramour land in jail with a life-term. A truly amazing crime that defies any definition.

`Sub-inspector Karamchander Diary` is Arindam Nath`s fourth book-a testimony to the man`s creative and imaginative faculty. Endowed with a flair for lucid expression, reflective of his pristinely simple nature, Nath is well on course to producing more books with eminent readability as their forte. The `Gyan Vichitra` and `Book World` publishers have made a laudable job in producing this sleek 128-page volume with a good cover photo from Sukanta Banik and Aparesh Paul.