The midnight call

It is the midnight call that can result in vital files going missing in investigations, witnesses turning hostile or the media mysteriously dropping stories that it has been pursuing until then

For those who are incredulous when they hear that powerful, influential people could fob off authorities and conceal the disappearance of Sheena Bora for three long years, perhaps it can be said that they have fortunately not had to deal with that ubiquitous Indian practice called the "midnight call".

The midnight call might not be actually made at midnight but its intentions are just as dark. It is made by a very powerful person to convey a very pointed message to someone else.

The message, in most cases, can be summarised in a few words: "lay off", "drop it", "look away" or "let it be".

It is not expected of the person who receives such a call to be unacquainted with the consequences of defying the caller's request. From having his kneecaps kicked in to losing his job, the midnight caller's cryptic words, mostly delivered in the most emotionless of tones, are meant to be taken very seriously.

More deadly than a dagger, more lethal than a bullet, its power lies in its insidiousness and its unaccountability.

The midnight call is why the police don't register FIRs, why lawyers don't accept cases, why journalists can't report on stories they are pursuing and why the wheels of justice are often derailed.

"Lay off", "drop it", "look away", or "let it be" have been the safety net of an India that has allowed too many matters to be pushed under the carpet, too many skeletons to rot in closets and too many criminals to have got away with their crimes.

With the assurance that a midnight phone call can be made as the last resort, to get themselves off the hook India's rich and powerful have landed themselves in the mess they're in.

It is the midnight call that can result in vital files going missing in investigations, witnesses turning hostile or the media mysteriously dropping stories that it has been pursuing until then.

It is the knowledge of the midnight call, couched in banal words, delivered often as an afterthought and in the most casual of manners that can put the fear of god into the Davids who fight the Goliaths of this world.

How it works is that the person they are opposing has the power to reach out to someone who has enormous leverage on their allies. This powerful person then dials the number of their ally, hitherto neutral and uninfluenced, to pull their punches or go slow on their actions or even remove him or herself from the scene.

The morning after the midnight call is predictable. Its victim suddenly finds himself friendless and with no support.

This is the way the upper classes in India have got away with murder. One call, a few words and enormous consequences.

Fortunately for us all, an antidote to the midnight call has been discovered. Discussing the ins and outs of the Indrani Mukerjea case, a policeman spelt it out bluntly.

The rich and powerful can get away with anything, but if the public somehow gets to know that they are trying to subvert justice, the game's up for them, he said or uttered words to that effect.

What he was saying is what we've recently been witnessing, whether it was in the murders of Priyadarshini Mattoo, Shivani Bhatnagar or Jessica Lal. Due to intense public scrutiny, the accused in these three cases were sent to jail.

So there you have it, the antidote to the insidious midnight call: public pressure.

And thank god for it.

Malavika Sangghvi is a Mumbai-based writer malavikasmumbai@gmail.com