Brihannala

The trouble began during the second week of the final year.
It was supposed to be ragging.
At least, that was what Arjun called it afterward.
A group of first-year students had gathered near one of the quieter sections of the campus after lunch. They were nervous, carrying notebooks and trying to avoid attracting attention.
That was precisely why Arjun noticed them.
"Freshers," Karthik said.
Arjun smiled.
"Let's have some fun."
Prakash immediately understood where this was going.
"Leave them."
Rohit laughed.
"Why? We're just talking."
"You know how this ends."
Arjun looked at him.
"Then don't be scared."
That was enough.
The five walked toward the students.
At first, it was ordinary college ragging.
Names.
Departments.
Where they came from.
Why they had chosen the college.
Then the questions became deliberately embarrassing.
The students laughed nervously.
Some tried to answer.
Some remained silent.
Arjun enjoyed watching them struggle.
He didn't think of himself as cruel.
He thought he was teaching them how college worked.
That distinction mattered to him.
It meant he never had to question himself.
A group of senior girls nearby noticed what was happening.
One of them walked toward the group.
"Enough. Leave them alone."
Arjun turned.
"Why?"
"They're first years."
"So?"
"They're uncomfortable."
Rohit laughed.
"Then they should learn to handle college."
The girl stepped between them and the juniors.
"Stop."
For a moment, Arjun seemed amused rather than angry.
Then another student joined her.
Then another.
Within seconds, several boys and girls had gathered.
The atmosphere changed.
The first-years moved away.
Someone told the seniors to stop.
Someone else told Arjun's group to leave.
Nobody did.
The argument grew louder.
Rohit moved forward.
"What's your problem?"
The girl raised her arm to keep him back.
Rohit instinctively reached out.
His hand caught the edge of her shawl.
He pulled.
It happened in an instant.
The fabric slipped from her shoulder.
Rohit immediately let go.
He hadn't intended to pull it away.
But intent no longer mattered.
The girl reacted immediately.
She pushed him away.
Another student stepped forward.
Someone shouted.
Then another person pushed Rohit.
Rohit pushed back.
And suddenly the argument became physical.
"Stop!"
Prakash shouted.
Nobody listened.
Karthik grabbed one student.
Vikram pushed another away.
Someone stumbled.
Someone shouted that the seniors had attacked first.
Another voice shouted that the seniors had only been defending the girl.
The distinction disappeared in the noise.
Arjun saw Rohit being pushed.
He reacted instinctively.
He stepped forward.
"Don't touch him."
A student pushed Arjun.
Arjun pushed him back.
That was the moment everything changed.
There was no longer a clear aggressor.
There were simply two groups fighting.
Students gathered around them.
Some tried to separate them.
Others started shouting.
A phone appeared.
Someone began recording.
A lecturer heard the commotion and came running.
By then, the damage had already been done.
The five friends were taken to the administration office.
The first-years were taken separately.
The students who had intervened were asked to provide statements.
The girl whose shawl had been pulled was visibly shaken.
Rohit repeatedly insisted that it had been accidental.
"I didn't try to do anything."
Nobody said otherwise.
But the administration wasn't investigating only the moment the shawl was pulled.
They were investigating everything that had happened before it.
Why had the first-years been surrounded?
Why had they been subjected to humiliating questions?
Why had the seniors refused to stop?
Why had the argument become physical?
Why had Arjun and his friends fought back instead of walking away?
And why had several students already complained about the same group?
The answers began forming a much uglier picture.
This wasn't one accidental tug.
It was a pattern.
The incident had simply exposed it.
The enquiry committee began collecting statements.
Rohit maintained that the shawl incident was accidental.
Karthik insisted that the other students had attacked first.
Vikram claimed they had only defended themselves.
Arjun sat quietly.
For once, his usual confidence had disappeared.
Then the committee asked about Prakash.
"Was he with you?"
Arjun looked across the room.
Prakash said nothing.
Arjun leaned back.
"That poor coward?"
The committee looked at him.
Arjun shrugged.
"Don't include him with us."
Prakash's eyes lifted.
He understood.
Arjun was deliberately separating him from the group.
He was making Prakash appear irrelevant.
The words were humiliating.
But Prakash knew why they had been spoken.
Arjun could have named him.
Instead, he had chosen to protect him.
If Prakash escaped the enquiry, he might keep his academic record clean.
He might keep his final year intact.
He might protect the future his mother had worked so hard to give him.
Arjun would never admit that was why he had done it.
He would rather make Prakash feel small than ask the committee for mercy.
That was Arjun's way.
Even his kindness had to wear the mask of arrogance.
By evening, the college had contacted the parents.
Not merely because of the fight.
Because of the history behind it.
The committee had found earlier complaints.
Students who had been mocked.
Students who had been intimidated.
Girls who had complained about inappropriate remarks.
Juniors who had been afraid to report incidents because the group was considered influential.
The ragging incident had simply been the final piece.
The administration was no longer asking whether Arjun and his friends deserved a warning.
They were asking what consequences were appropriate.
And for the first time, the possibility of suspension was openly discussed.
There was also concern about whether the matter could move beyond college disciplinary procedures.
The five friends had entered the administration building believing they were dealing with another college argument.
They left understanding that their final year might not continue as planned.
That night, Suresh's phone rang.
He answered casually.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was formal.
"Mr. Suresh? I'm calling from the college administration."
Suresh sat upright.
"Yes?"
"We need you and your wife to come to the college tomorrow morning."
His expression changed.
"Is something wrong with Arjun?"
There was a pause.
"We need to discuss a serious disciplinary matter involving your son."
Suresh looked toward the staircase.
Arjun was upstairs.
His car was parked outside.
His room was probably filled with the confidence of someone who still believed tomorrow would resemble today.
Suresh didn't yet know what had happened.
He didn't know how many students had complained.
He didn't know what his son had said.
And he certainly didn't know that the problem wasn't going to end with a suspension.
Because by tomorrow morning, the college would begin asking a question that nobody in the Suresh family had ever asked before:
What had they actually taught their son about other people?