“Yes! Acc…dent while coming to his rally in Leh… eck security measures Samar!”
“Yes, yes…”
Atharva and Qureshi came striding towards the stage, smiling, waving, with a bubble of security and KDP members around them. Samar began to move towards them, hoping to catch Atharva’s ear before he walked up the stage. But he had already turned and began striding up the stairs. Samar ran, tearing through Qureshi’s team of members and Qureshi himself, catching up in time to cover Atharva’s right, the side facing the crowd. He pushed ahead of Atharva.
“Atharva, listen…”
They were on the last step and about to step on the stage when he registered something hurled in the air. And then his collar was snatched by Atharva before they both fell down. A loud boom tore through the air. The crowd erupted in screams. Samar rolled over and saw smoke near the stage. His back felt locked. But Atharva was already on his feet, swaying. “Where?”
“At the foot of the stage!” One of their security guards was yelling. “Two bodyguards and one member injured. First Aid is on their way to you sir.”
“What is the intensity?” Atharva barked. Samar found his bearings and jumped to his feet, his back forgotten. Atharva was wiping blood off the back of his ear. His nose was bleeding.
“Roof of a photo studio opposite. MANPAD used from the second floor we think.” Their Security Head informed as a bubble closed around them.
“Any more?”
“No, this looked like a threat to break the rally. We are sweeping the place… How many?” He barked into his walkie.“Any more?… Good. Hold them for me… Out.” He tucked the walkie-talkie in his pocket and turned to them —“Three men in mid-twenties, found with a make-shift catapult, they had three more petrol bombs but they have been ceased. We are good.”
“Are you sure there is no more threat?”
“Positive.”
“Evacuate the ground!” Samar ordered, grabbing Atharva’s bicep that was grazed. He caught Atharva by the neck to tilt his head, but Atharva pushed his hand away.
“Let me see man, you hurt your head when you fell. You took my body weight as well…”
“I am fine.”
He clearly wasn’t.
“Order immediate evacuation,” Samar bellowed to the security behind him.
“No!” Atharva cut him off.“Can’t you see? It’s going to be a bigger stampede if they order immediate evacuation.”
Samar turned. The crowd was going berserk in front of them, held back only by barricades and manned exits.
“We can’t possibly do the rally now…”
“Hell with the rally,” Atharva strode and climbed up the broken stage.
“Atharva!” Samar yelled, looking back at Qureshi already managing the team of volunteers to run down to exit routes.
“Don’t run,” Atharva’s voice reverberated on the mic. “You will end up hurting each other if you run blindly. The emergency exits are opening on three sides. There is no danger here…”
“Run! Run!” People shouted.
“This asshole!” Samar muttered. “Get him down!” He commanded the security guards. They didn't dare do it. Samar would happily do it but what would that look like? Two KDP leaders fighting on the stage.
“I am here, aren’t I?” Atharva bellowed into the mic, standing with his chest out like a bloody sitting duck. Samar panned his head across the tops of all buildings in the distance and kept watch, wishing he had a Glock right now to cover Atharva.
“This is a big gathering, we will have to take care while leaving. Please. Don’t run. Not yet. The main exits are being cleared. Give it a minute. Just be calm for one minute. I will stand here with you until the evacuation starts. Right here where you can see me. Trust me. 50 seconds… My people of Leh,” the idiot kept talking, stepping to the edge of the stage, “in all these years, nobody has reached out to you, nobody has made you feel theirs. In turn, you have been indifferent to them. Rightly so. But this ends here. 30 seconds more, please, just hang in there,” he went calm. “Whatever I was going to say to you today is forgotten now. Except, that I see you, I care for you. I am here, I will always be here. And that will not change…” his gaze went to the back, and he raised his hand up. “The main exit has been cleared.”
“Sir,” their Security Head came to his ear. “Two have been neutralised.”
Samar nodded. “Is the ground safe?”
“Yes. But it’s better if we evacuate you all.”
