A Dialogue in the Clouds: Police Officers and Martyrs Confront Their Past

‘Oh! We don't even need to stand here, we are flying, aren't we!’, said one of the three police officers dressed in blue above the clouds.

‘And man! We were wearing civilian clothes when we were about to die! How did we end up here in police uniforms!’, said another.

‘Maybe it's because we ate the salt of this uniform, man!’, said the third police officer.

‘Oh look, boys! It looks like a lot of fun over there, they are singing and dancing, let's go too!’, the first police officer said, pointing towards a group enjoying singing and dancing above the clouds.

‘Duty here, and in a place where others are rejoicing?’, the second police officer asked.

Seeing the three people in Nepal Police uniforms, the crowd was startled. The music stopped for a moment. The singing and dancing stopped. ‘You came here too?’, a young man spoke in an angry tone.

‘Ha ha! We don't need to, we can also dance, sing, and rejoice here, let's go, let's go’, said the third police officer, laughing.

The three flew to the other side of the cloud in an instant.

It was a group of 70 or 80 people. Everyone was singing, dancing, and rejoicing with happiness.

Seeing the three people in Nepal Police uniforms, the crowd was startled. The music stopped for a moment. The singing and dancing stopped.

‘You came here too?’, a young man spoke in an angry tone.

‘You won't leave us alone, will you?’, voices started coming from the group.

‘We didn't come here intentionally! We just found out we were here, the three of us met here! We didn't even demand to come to heaven’, the first police officer spoke.

‘We don't know about other things, but tell us why you shot us?’, a small boy spoke in an angry tone.

‘Where?’, the second police officer asked.

‘On Bhadra 23, didn't you shoot us in various places? You pretend not to know!’, another young man spoke.

‘What did we do to you people! It was a peaceful protest, we were going from Maitighar towards Baneshwor, some friends might have gotten angry, might have thrown stones, but you shouldn't have shot us just like that!’, said the martyr who settled everyone down.

‘Oh! You are the martyrs of the 23rd? Look, we met here, we haven't had our fill yet, tell us why you beat us to death?’, the third police officer said.

‘This matter must be clarified, come on! Let's sit and talk’, one of the martyrs asked everyone to sit down as he sat down himself.

The police officers sat on one side and the martyrs on the other.

‘What did we do to you people! It was a peaceful protest, we were going from Maitighar towards Baneshwor, some friends might have gotten angry, might have thrown stones, but you shouldn't have shot us just like that!’, the martyr who settled everyone down spoke.

‘How was your protest peaceful? Throwing stones, breaking the gate of the Parliament building, breaking the wall and trying to enter the building to set it on fire, how is that peaceful?’, the first police officer countered.

‘It was peaceful, maybe only a few friends were angry, most were students’, another martyr spoke from behind.

‘We are taught in training that we should never leave our duty until our last breath. What was our fault, why did you beat us to death?’

‘Look! We got a chance to state our case here, didn't we! This is how it is! After becoming police, we receive training, and we are taught to work on our duty without wavering even an inch. Not only are we taught this, but we are conditioned to live that way. The security of structures including the Parliament building was also our responsibility. So, what were we supposed to do to those who were breaking the gate of the building, throwing stones, breaking the wall, and trying to enter and set it on fire? We had a gun in our hands, and you had stones, bricks, and fire in yours. You hit us with what you had in your hands, and we hit you with what we had in ours, that's the story. If you hadn't attacked us like that, if you hadn't tried to set the fire, we also had no desire to open fire like that.’, said one police officer in a calm manner.

‘What would have happened if a Parliament building burned down? It could have been rebuilt, but can a person be rebuilt?’, a martyr stood up and spoke.

‘We are taught in training that we should never leave our duty until our last breath. What was our fault, why did you beat us to death?’, the first police officer repeated.

‘Shooting students too?’, a voice came from behind.

‘Students should be going to school and college! Why would they come to throw stones like that? To come with fire to burn down the Parliament building?’, the second police officer spoke in a slightly louder voice.

‘I had no one at home! Only my mother, who will look after the poor mother now?’, someone spoke from the crowd of martyrs.

‘I also only had a wife and a small 2-year-old son, who will look after my wife and son now?’, the third police officer spoke in a disappointed tone.

‘Tell us first why you beat us to death?’, the first police officer demanded.

‘Us! After you shot us, our friends got angry and beat you, and you died. There was no way to stop the public's anger, who could stop it? Why did you become police then?’, the martyr who settled everyone down spoke.

‘Why become police! There was poverty, no employment, we did it to support our families! Is that even a question to ask? If we were sons of rich fathers, would we have to take up jobs?’, the second police officer immediately retorted.

‘You people always lose! Losers...! You lost in '046 BS too, you lost in the People's War from '052 BS to '058 BS, you lost when the King was overthrown, and look, you lost to the people again recently. Why fight a war you know you will lose? Why fight when you know the outcome?’, a voice came from behind.

‘Enough! Even if we came here, may our children receive the comforts and facilities we never saw or experienced’, said the police officer who only had his wife and child as support, looking down at the earth.

‘We have no desire, where does the war start? Who initiates it? When does it end? We don't know anything, they assign us duty, we have to do the duty, they say we shouldn't leave even our own father on duty, what should we do, you tell us! After all, you won in the end! They say change has come to Nepal!’, the first police officer spoke softly.

‘Change is what we all wanted! Look, can you imagine, for what salary we worked 24 hours a day, we also had families, didn't we? We also wanted to send our children to good schools! If the country's leadership had improved the country's situation, our salaries would have been like those of British Gurkhas, Singapore Police, and Indian Army! We weren't satisfied either!’, he added his point.

‘That's fine! Now there will be change, the country will progress’, the martyr sitting in front spoke.

‘Enough! Even if we came here, may our children receive the comforts and facilities we never saw or experienced’, said the police officer who only had his wife and child as support, looking down at the earth.

‘Yes! May they receive comforts’, the voice echoed from the crowd of martyrs.

The talk of change and the future calmed everyone down. A sense of satisfaction was visible on everyone's faces.

Just then,

Suddenly, faint piano music began to play from afar. The music was so sweet that all grievances against each other vanished from their minds. Everyone experienced a sense of bliss. Everyone became engrossed in the music.

The three police officers disappeared into the clouds with new white uniforms and reappeared in the crowd moments later in the new attire. Now everyone was in the same color uniform.

‘Whatever happened has happened! So many days have passed. The earth is clearly visible from here. It felt unpleasant for a couple of days seeing our families, but it doesn't feel like anything now. It was destined to come here; who can stop death! Now, are you protestors or are we police! We are all liberated, free from worldly attachments... everything!’, the first police officer spoke.

‘If that's the case, why are you still wearing those police uniforms?’, someone spoke from the middle of the group.

‘That's right! We need different clothes!’, as the third police officer was saying, three white uniforms floated down from the clouds.

The three police officers disappeared into the clouds with new white uniforms and reappeared in the crowd moments later in the new attire. Now everyone was in the same color uniform.

The faint music began to play louder.

To the rhythm of the music, everyone slowly started dancing, one by one.

Martyrs and police officers mixed in the same group, dancing.

As time passed, they became unrecognizable.

Who was the police! Who was the martyr!