Jyoti Ghag for BeyondHeadlines
My Dad couldn’t rest even being in executive suit of the Hospital surrounded with his children and Grand Children. He was very much disturbed watching Paresh being in lot of pain. Dad was not sure how to handle the situation which Meena and Mr. Shirke created for him and Paresh. He kept insisting me with getting Paresh married on schedule date and I use to divert the subject. When Dad and I were having conversation at his hospital room about looking match for Paresh, Dad’s very best friend Mrs.Vichare overheard the conversation while entering his hospital room. She suggested that I should visit her relative, Mrs. Temghare in Thane who runs Matrimonial business. Dad was happy to explore the option and asked me almost immediately to go to her with Paresh’s Bio data. He instructed me about disclosing Paresh’s recent break up to her. While Dad talking to me about visiting Matrimonial office I was thinking about Vichare Aunty who was disappeared from our life since year 1973 and mysteriously walked back in our life in that moment. The entire situation was so suspicious that I had to ask her, why she is back after disappearing from our life for near 25 years. She said, “Meena was in contact with her in past few months who informed about Paresh’s break up and Dad being in the Hospital.” If I would have known about Meena’s plan of breaking up Paresh’s marriage for bringing the girl home as Paresh’s bride to whom she could manipulate then I never would have convince Paresh to marry Sushma.
Around end of January ‘98 Mrs. Temghare came up with few proposals but Paresh was not around that time. He was very disturbed with the incident so our other sister had taken him out of town on a vacation. My then two years old daughter Kimaya and I joined them as per Paresh’s request. Our eldest and youngest sisters were with Dad. The three of them agreed with the choice of the girl name Sushma Subhash Yande which Mrs. Temghare suggested for Paresh. Sushma had chemical Engineering diploma, was raised by poor widowed mother Sunanda Yande with help of engineer diploma holder brother Sushant Yande. Her family’s financial and social status was nowhere near our family but it did not bother us because we were looking for the girl who was educated, smart, open minded and had a desire to be a part of large family. Dad called us since we were out of town and expressed his opinion about Sushma being right match for Paresh. We all were concerned about Paresh and his thought about settling down with another girl. Paresh was not ready to get engaged again this soon. He was upset when he learned that Sushma, her mother, her uncle and her brother visited Dad’s Thane residence unannounced in spite of being informed that he is out of town for a week. Yande family were so much in hurry to get their daughter married in our family that did fixation without even seeing groom in person which put all of us in suspicious mode. When we found out that Sushma’s younger sister was engaged to be married before her we tried to justify their action of being under social pressure. Paresh was very much determined to not wed Sushma or anyone else in that matter. I had to convince him to say yes to this marriage as Dad’s emotional peace was totally depending upon it. Gradually Paresh had change of heart and said yes to Sushma. Everyone in our family gave blessings to Sushma. Finally they were married on 18 /2/ 1998.
After couple of days of the marriage Sushma started showing her true colours. She refused to have any physical relationship with Paresh, even refused to sleep in same bedroom since first night of their Wedding. Interestingly within couple of weeks after their marriage, Meena accompanied Sushma to 21 the clinic for going through an abortion. We were very disturbed after learning the fact about her pregnancy. Dad and I felt guilty for pushing Paresh for marring Sushma. We were shocked with Meena’s involvement in Sushma’s life even before Paresh saying yes to her, but it never occurred to us that bringing Sushma in our life could be Shirke Couple’s first step towards destroying Dad and his family.
Sushma almost immediately started abusing Paresh, Manish and Dad verbally. She started filing false complaints at Vartak Nagar Police station against Dad and Manish. Meena was openly supporting Sushma and her mother Sunanda in making Dad, Manish and Paresh’s life miserable. Until then our Dad was very happy in his own home with Paresh, Manish, and his wife and with his grandson. But daily arguments and unpleasant surrounding was making difficult for Manish’s wife to raise their five years old son in such disturbing environment. She decided to be at her father’s place in Delhi with their son till the situation at our Dad’s home turned being in back to normal. Manish refused to go with her to Delhi because he was concerned about Dad and Paresh. Dad was keen to escape the entire situation so he was happy after receiving letter from US immigration office that his Green Card process has become active. Around November 1998 he made second US trip and stayed with us at our Washington home. Dad instructed Manish and Paresh about how he wishes them to run his house hold in his absence with his monthly earnings. I am still saving that written documentation which could prove that till date Sushma has continued collecting monthly rent from Dad’s multiple rental properties.
Dad was enjoying peaceful environment at our Washington home. Our kids were very happy to have their Grand Dad around. In December 1998 Manish informed Dad that Sushma and her mother going out of Paresh’s control and have started meddling in Dad’s finance by collecting his both Government pensions’ and monthly rent from his commercial rental properties. Manish also became suspicious about Paresh surviving escalated emotional, physical abuse by Meena, Sushma and her mother, the information I requested him not to disclose it to Dad at that time. Around January 1999 Sushma and Shirke couple started abusing Manish too; the information Manish couldn’t keep it to himself. The news of Manish Paresh getting abuse in hands of Meena, Sushma and her mother put Dad in ICU at Seattle Washington Hospital with 2nd Anxiety attack. I bared significant amount of expenses of his two days Hospitalisation followed by his evacuation from US on medical ground with the escort service of medical doctors. Dad was disturbed with the thought of putting me in tremendous financial stress but was keen to fly back to his home in Thane to take control of the situation.
Sometime around January 21, 1999 late night Dad and I arrived unannounced at his Veer Savarkar Nager, Thane Bungalow from Washington. The same night around 3:00 a.m. Sushma ran away through back door of Dad’s home with taking her few belongings. Paresh accompanied her that night but returned home the next early morning. Paresh informed us later that Sushma ran away that night and stayed at Meena’s home in Shree Nager Thane. Sometime in the first week of March 1999 Sushma gave Dad a notice through her lawyer making allegations U/s. 498A of Indian Penal Code,” abuse of newly married daughter in law”. Vartak Nager Police and Thane Commissioner Police officials investigated Sushma’s said complaint. Around March 11, 1999 Vartak Nagar police Station in-charge inspector Mr. Ram Kanake and Thane CP Official Mrs. Archana Tyagi found the charges to be false and closed the investigation. Same evening Sushma and Paresh picked up their remaining belongings in Vartak Nagar police’s presence and left Dad’s home for good. I still remember the advice inspector Mr. Kanake gave 22 me that evening. He said,” madam I am saying this with my years of experience dealing with ill minded individual that this is the beginning of your problem, Please save all the documentation going forward which could help you in keeping your father, brothers away from the legal trouble your brother’s wife may put you through in future.”
Dad was already disturbed with the fact that his own daughter Meena was involved with Sushma and Sunanda in filing false charges U/s. 498A of Indian Penal Code. These ladies were using Paresh against Dad, Manish and me in such a way that we started thinking that Paresh is willingly supporting Meena and Sushma’s ill behaviour toward us. Absolutely no one in the family other than Sushma, Meena and Vilas knew till 11 th Jan 2003 that Dad had a Registered Will. The facts around my Dad’s registered Will and his illegal restrain for 17 months were unfolded after his murder.
Vartak Nager Police closed the case of charges U/s. 498A but after that incident Dad became aware of Sushma and Meena’s ill intention towards him. Around beginning of the April’1999 Dad made registered Will with help of his lawyer Mr. Sunil Patankar who was practicing law in Thane District Court and helped Dad during the investigation of Sushma’s said complaint. Dad’s best friend Mr. Vasant Gole helped him in getting his living Will registered. During the process of drafting the Will Mr. Patankar came to know the exact Valuation of my Dad’s self-earned property and my Granddad’s self-earned property which must have made him greedy. After entire process of Will being registered and getting sealed in related Government office in Thane Mr. Patankar violated my Dad’s trust and informed Meena and Sushma that Dad disowned Meena and Paresh from his living Will. He also informed them that my dad plans to spend rest of his life with me at Washington. Sushma, Meena and Vilas wanted to stop Dad from moving with me to US. It wouldn’t have been possible if Sushma and Paresh would have continued staying out of Dad’s home and physically away from him. Around beginning of May’99 Meena personally helped Paresh and Sushma in getting them forceful entry and to re-settle in Dad’s Bungalow. The Dad’s property documents and forge signed bank transaction show that after May’99 Sushma started taking charge of my father’s finance without his knowledge. During same time Sushma and her associates falsely started changing Dad’s property papers into Paresh’s name. These people made Paresh emotionally disturb and mentally unstable so they could use him as a pawn and eventually could make him transfer the entire Dad’s property paper on to Sushma’s name. Around same time Sushma also made Paresh close his “Krishna Travels” business. She successfully made him penny less by keeping entire proceeding of his business sales to herself.
Meanwhile I flew to India just to deal with Dena Bank NRE account and eventually recovered the copies of part of the said transactions from Dena Bank. Sometime around middle of June 1999 I tried filing complaint to anti-corruption Mumbai office against Mr. Shirke which Mumbai anti-corruption official denied. Interestingly Mr. Shirke was tipped of about my visit to Mumbai anti-corruption office at Worli and the same evening Mr. Shirke once again threatened me with his usual threat of Dad’s and my both brother’s life which I didn’t take it seriously at that time. I did let Dad know about Mr. Shirke’s threat and requested him to be more alert around Meena and Vilas Shirke.
(The writer, Jyoti Ghag, daughter of second World War veteran & retired (1974) Mumbai Police Officer.)
