Nagano ke paas ke pahadon mein Haru ek aam sa lakdi kaatne wala tha. Na koi afwaah, na koi kahani. Subah 5 baje ghar se nikalta, shaam tak kaam karke laut aata. Gaon ke log us par bharosa karte the, kyunki woh hamesha niyam follow karta tha aur bina wajah jungle ke andar tak nahi jaata tha.
Ek din sarkari order aaya—kuch purane ped kaatne the. List mein ek bahut purana cedar ped bhi tha. Haru us jagah pehle kabhi nahi gaya tha. Ped tak pahunchne ka rasta tang tha aur mobile network bilkul nahi tha.
Jab usne pehli baar kulhadi chalayi, awaaz normal nahi thi—lakdi tootne ki jagah, awaaz bhari aur khokhli si lagi. Usne kaam roka aur chhaal ko dhyaan se dekha. Andar se ek purana kagaz nikla, sadi hui rassi se bandha hua. Kagaz par haath se likha tha: "Is ped ko na kaato."
Haru ne kagaz jeb mein rakha aur kaam band karke wapas mud gaya. Raste mein use laga koi uske peeche chal raha hai, par mudkar dekha to sirf ped aur pathar the.
Gaon pahunchte hi usne forest office ko report ki. Agle din jab team us jagah pahunchi, ped kaat chuka tha—par Haru wahan nahi tha. Zameen par uske boot the, theek tarah se rakhe hue. Koi khoon, koi nishaan nahi.
Report mein likha gaya: "Missing. No evidence of accident."
Us ped ko kabhi dobara chhua nahi gaya
Aur....
Haru ke gaayab hone ke baad police ne case open kiya. Gaon walon se poochtaach hui, par kisi ne kuch ajeeb nahi dekha tha. Forest office ke records check hue—us area mein illegal logging ki complaints pehle bhi aayi thi. Investigators ne andaza lagaya ki Haru ne shayad kisi galat cheez ko dekh liya tha.
Jungle mein talashi ke dauraan ek purana truck ka tyre mark mila, jo authorized vehicles ka nahi tha. Police ne report mein likha ki Haru ka last decision—kaam chhod kar wapas lautna—shayad kisi ko pasand nahi aaya.
Kuch mahino baad case dheere-dheere thanda pad gaya. Haru ka ghar band raha, par uski jeb se mila woh kagaz abhi bhi evidence locker mein pada hai.
Us par likha ek hi sentence aaj bhi bina kaate saaf dikhta hai:
"Jo dekh leta hai, woh laut kar nahi bolta."