1

A father and a son were locked.

They were getting beaten up

in a corner where the CCTV couldn’t peep.

Their knees busted.

Lathis were shoved inside their asshole

after stripping them off their clothes.

Their body was throbbed and they bled

and bled again.


All these were not the reason

of their death. The report said 

it was heart attack 

and fever.


2

A young man was taken

into custody at night

on Sunday.


A joint team of army

and police came 

to pick him up.


Next morning

his breathe went missing

only his body was found.


his life was worth a job

and a few lakh rupees.


I guess

life can be commodified.


3

I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe

in my AC room, but the Kashmiri

crushed by the jeep can.


On Facebook, I will change 

my cover picture and use

#BlackLivesMatter


and when a safai-karamchaari

will come to my house

I will sprinkle ganga-jal 

on her “filthy” body


mind you

I am not a hypocrite

India is just not the same

as the west.


Sutputra Radheye is a poet and commentator from Assam. He has written on cultural and political issues for several publications, such as FrontierCountercurrentsJanata Weekly, and Culture Matters.