The Truth Undefeated

It is a conspiracy that was designed, manufactured and sold to the Chairman cum Chief Executive Officer – Mr. Franklin of the Alpha Company. Two senior executives Jack, and Kavita of the Northern Business Unit made an alliance to sell a false narrative to the company chief with the help of an office assistant Kim. Jack held the position of Unit Head and Kavita was an elderly woman, yet she played the lead character.

Mr. Franklin was either too innocent or too hasty. He believed the hateful talk of Kavita and Jack against three young executives Paul, Alex and Nick who were also working in the same business unit.

   

Make a suspension order against the trio and send them to the president’s office in the corporate headquarters, 300 KMS away. Mr. Franklin directed his office.

At around 10:45 night, Alex heard his phone ringing. With eyes tired and exhausted, he looked at the screen and it was an unusual call from his brother.

Hello! Alex! Listen! ‘You along with Nick and Paul stand suspended’. What? Alex couldn’t believe it. His voices start trembling. The reasons were unknown to him. Next morning, the news struck the company and newspapers. There was a pin drop silence in the corridors of the business unit.

Kavita and Kim were seen celebrating the news but Jack was feeling unhappy. He was anticipating an alternate action against them. The misery was visible on his face. It was as if he knew that he would be landed in trouble. He was obsessed with accumulating money with the help of Kim. Kavita was acting as collaborator and more so she had some serious crises of her identity.

Paul, Alex and Nick travelled 300 KMS to report to the President’s office. At first, they were afraid to appear before the president but to their surprise, he offered them a cup of tea. He had also used acronym PAN to remember their names

While they were sitting, a young well-dressed person who later turned out to be the office associate entered into the office. He asked them in a high tone. Are they the same people who were suspended? We heard that they are behaving like Hitler?

PAN didn’t answer his question. They made a plan that they will not make any attempt to reveal anything to the president unless he would ask them to reveal their heart out. Days had passed but the president never questioned them about their suspension. They also maintained a top secrecy. Meanwhile, the same office associate who mocked them on the first day appeared before the president for some official signatures. He started complaining against Kavita. In his words ‘Sir, I know Kavita who has accused these boys. She is a traitor. The drama she had created in the corporate headquarters when I was serving there can’t go away from my eyes’. The president, however, maintained silence.

After a few days, the accused requested the president if they could meet Mr. Franklin. “No!  Don’t go! He is annoyed with them and his anger has not gone away”. However, he made the appointment possible for them a few days later. When they stepped into the chamber of Mr. Franklin and introduced themselves, he expressed his displeasure. “How can they intimidate Jack and Kavita? Don’t they know that they are in the beginning of their career and the suspension can lead to termination of their services? They must mind their behavior.  He has asked for the enquiry. Let the report come”.

PAN stepped out from the office with a humble request ‘Sir if found guilty, they should be given the highest form of punishment’.

In the meantime, due to intense cold wave, Mr. Franklin passed an order for closure of all business units operating in the market. The trio were advised by the president to go back home till further instructions. Meanwhile, he had asked for the enquiry based on the fund scam allegations levelled by the various corporate executives against Jack and Kim. The whole episode took a new twist and turn.

Slowly and steadily, the accusations against Jack and Kim were found true. However, the enquiry committee could not find Paul, Alex and Nick guilty of charges.

Subsequently, without a formal reinstatement, they were sent back to the business unit by the president. By then, Jack had retired from his services and Kavita was looking after the business unit affairs. However, she was shocked and surprised to see Alex, Nick and Paul back in the office. Many workers who were dancing to her tune were also seen enraged.

At 2:15 noon on Saturday, Mary, the vice president, and an enquiry officer appointed by Mr. Franklin arrived at the business unit. All the unit executives including Paul, Alex and Nick made their presence before Mary who began her investigation with Kavita.

Madam “They specifically, Alex and Nick, have been disobedient to her. She is short of words how arrogant they were. The tears of Kavita from her eyes even started falling down”

Look Kavita, Alex and Nick are charged with serious harassment allegations and the charges were levelled by her. Is there anyone who would stand by her? What about the preliminary investigation report of the incident if any? Kavita couldn’t manage to get even one nor was the preliminary investigation report produced before Mary.

The next to be questioned was Nick.

“When Kavita was involved in an argument with Paul outside the building, he requested her if she could seek out the reconciliation inside to avoid public gatherings. But instead of going for reconciliation, she started shouting to the extent that she threatened and dared him and Alex to face her. The irony was that the unit head, Jack endorsed her complaint against him and Alex when he was not present in the office on that particular day. Straightaway, he turned white into black and brought it to the notice of Franklin without a preliminary enquiry”.

“Kavita was not only suffering from behavioral problems but she was a collaborator of Jack and Kim. Their only fault was that they dared to call a spade a spade”. Alex added on his turn.

And Paul concluded that “He got into the controversy when he refused Jack to put up his signatures on unwarranted vouchers”.

When Mr. Franklin could not get any evidence against Paul, Alex and Nick, he passed a formal order to put them back to the job in the same business unit after a prolonged time of 150 days and the Kavita was transferred to another business unit that was insignificant in size and less in reputation. The good thing is that the truth was arrived at and the justice was partly delivered but the bad part of the story is that the mental agony suffered by Paul, Alex and Nick was beyond repair and the worst part was that Jack and Kim had gone unpunished.

Author is Assistant Professor in Cluster University Srinagar.

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