Upon hearing Anurag Sir's question, Sneha couldn't speak at first. It was as though the words had gotten stuck in her throat.
Sneha stood before Anurag Sir, head bowed, eyes red, tears streaming down her cheeks. All the surrounding sounds—the scraping of chairs, the clinking of spoons—seemed to fall completely silent in Anurag Sir's ears for that one moment.
He took a step closer and, in a very gentle voice, said,
"Sneha… why are there tears in your eyes? Look at me properly. Has something happened? Did someone say something to you?"
Sneha kept her head lowered. Tears dripped steadily from her eyes onto the floor.
Deep concern filled Anurag Sir's eyes. He knew Sneha was the kind of girl who attracted trouble without even trying—trouble seemed to follow her on its own. That's why he became extremely worried.
Still, he reassured her softly,
"Tell me what happened, Sneha. You can speak fearlessly to me. I'll handle everything."
Sneha bit her lip and shook her head slightly. She remained silent for a while, then said in a low voice,
"Sir… can we go somewhere else… somewhere no one else is around? I… I want to tell you something."
Anurag Sir, now even more anxious, replied,
"Of course. Come."
---
When Anurag Sir suggested taking Sneha to her own room, she refused.
So he brought her to his room instead and asked her to sit.
Sneha slowly sat on the edge of Sir's bed.
Anurag Sir pulled the door shut.
Then, sitting beside her, he asked gently,
"Sneha? Tell me what happened. Why do you look so troubled? What's wrong?"
After a long moment, Sneha finally found her voice again.
Very slowly, she said,
"Sir… I… I've gotten into a very big problem."
Anurag Sir felt as if his heart had lodged in his throat. Strange, alarming thoughts raced through his mind.
Even more tense with suspense, he asked,
"What happened? Tell me."
Sneha spoke haltingly,
"Sir… I'm coming from D.D. Sir's room… he… he had called me there. And…"
She stopped.
Anurag Sir could clearly hear the tremor in her voice.
Forcing his own tone to remain soft, he prompted,
"And…?"
Sneha continued slowly,
"Sir, he said that I… that I had written a letter… about my bra…"
Anurag Sir, stunned, repeated,
"Bra…?"
Sneha, her face flushed with embarrassment, said,
"My bra and underwear were in his room…"
Anurag Sir stared at her in utter disbelief.
Sneha, still looking down, went on,
"He said I had sent them… I didn't do anything, Sir. I didn't send them!"
Tears flowed from her eyes.
Anurag Sir, shocked, said,
"What are you saying… he did all this…!"
His eyes slowly turned bloodshot.
Sneha continued,
"Yes, Sir. He said that by doing all this, I apparently wanted to get close to him. He said I was acting… that one day I would come to his room on my own…"
Her voice trailed off. She sat with her head bowed.
This time Anurag Sir could no longer control himself. A strange fire blazed in his eyes.
"What a shameless man! How dare he speak to you like that!"
Sneha, head still lowered, said,
"I didn't write anything, Sir… his language was very filthy… He said if I couldn't prove it, I was guilty… Sir… he… he spoke words that sounded like blackmail… said I could resolve the matter 'in another way'…"
Sneha began to cry loudly.
Though Anurag Sir was furious, he spoke calmly,
"Listen, no more crying now. I'm here with you. But if we go straight to the authorities right now… they will blame you instead."
He knew the female teachers at school were jealous of Sneha. They would surely put the blame on her.
Anurag Sir continued,
"They will demand proof, and we don't have any. You will only be humiliated further. I won't let that happen."
Placing a reassuring hand on Sneha's shoulder, he said,
"Don't worry about anything. I'm here. I'll take care of everything."
Sneha gave a small nod. For the first time, she felt a little comforted. She felt slightly better.
Anurag Sir gently stroked her head with care and said with a soft smile,
"Do you suspect anyone?"
She replied that she suspected her roommates.
📍 Hotel Corridor
Anurag Sir stopped a hotel boy outside room 312 and asked casually,
"Hey, did anyone deliver anything to this room last night?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice,
"No, Sir…"
Just then, the announcement for the second day's excursion from Pratapnagar Girls High School echoed through the hotel.
---
📍 11:10 AM — Summit of Childanga Fort Hill
Students and teachers had all come together to explore. Lush green surroundings, paths wrapped around the hills. A mix of walking and short drives. Everyone was in high spirits—taking photos, chatting happily.
The girls were climbing the hill.
Most of them were ahead, but Sneha lagged a little behind. Suddenly her shoe came loose. While everyone else continued upward, only D.D. Sir remained right behind her.
D.D. Sir abruptly came up beside her and stood close.
D.D. Sir (in a deep, soft tone):
"Your shoelace has come undone… shall I tie it for you?"
Sneha stepped back in fear — "No, Sir, I'll do it myself…"
Suddenly D.D. Sir placed his hand on her shoulder.
Sneha flinched. A shiver ran through her body. She stepped back again and said,
"Sir! Why… why are you touching my shoulder?"
D.D. Sir whispered,
"You were quiet this morning… I thought you had understood how to reach an understanding… I just want a little compromise…"
He moved closer. His hand slid toward her back. Over her clothes, he felt the strap of her bra.
At that exact moment—
"STOP!!" — a voice thundered like lightning.
Like a storm, Anurag Sir burst forward.
Eyes red, seething with rage. The steel water bottle in his hand was gripped so tightly it looked as if he might hurl it.
Anurag Sir (in a roaring voice):
"Remove your hand from her body, D.D. Sir. Right now!"
D.D. Sir froze. Instantly, he pulled his hand away from Sneha.
Sneha quickly moved away from him.
D.D. Sir (flustered):
"No, no… I was just helping her… her shoelace had come undone…"
Anurag Sir (eyes blazing):
"Helping? Is this how you 'help' by putting your hand on a student's back? And what exactly were you implying this morning when you called her to your room? I know everything—I heard it all from her own mouth. The letter, the undergarments, the insults, threatening an innocent girl!"
D.D. Sir (face red):
"How… how dare you insult me like this! I am your senior teacher!"
Anurag Sir (furious):
"You are not a teacher—you are a shameless beast. I spit on your seniority."
D.D. Sir started to say something,
but Anurag Sir cut him off,
"And if you ever go near her again—even by mistake—I will throw you off this hill myself."
D.D. Sir said nothing more.
Anurag Sir, in a gentle voice, said to Sneha,
"Come with me."
Sneha quietly followed behind him.
-----
To be continued.....