There was the sound of a police jeep and heavily armed policemen entering my neighbour’s compound as I stepped onto my balcony, “What’s happening?” I shouted to my neighbour.
“Sedition!” he shouted back as he opened the door and let the police in. “I called the police to arrest my wife and children!”
“Whoa! Whoa!” I shouted as I heard screams from his house, “Why ever would you do that?”
“Anti-national!” said my neighbour angrily, “Said they were against my policies! That they wanted to change what we ate for our meals. I was patient with them initially, but they insisted on having potatoes and cauliflower twice a week, so I had to take this step!”
“Maybe you should have taken their suggestion!” I said mildly.
“We are very democratic here!” said my neighbour, “I make the suggestions and they all vote in my favour! And do you know what my eldest son did?”
“Shouted at you?” I asked.
“No! He quietly dialled a restaurant and asked them to bring a potato, cauliflower dish! Absolute mutiny; going against the policies of the government of this house. That was when I decided to book them! And I have the evidence!” said my neighbour, craftily producing a soiled looking parcel, which I recognized was from the local restaurant, “The potato and cauliflower dish arrived after my son ordered it, and the police say they will book the hotel owner for high treason for being an accomplice to this dreadful act!”
I watched as the police dragged his wife and children out of the house, and stared dumbfounded as my neighbour handed over the soiled packet to the police who carefully labelled it as part of their evidence. I ran down my steps to the poor wife who was a close friend of my wife’s, “My wife will come and visit you, and don’t worry I will look after your dog!” I said to her.
“Put out your hands!” shouted the policeman to me as he produced a set of handcuffs, “We will have to arrest you also.”
“I am innocent!” I said.
“Under sedition law nobody is innocent!” said the police constable as he roughly put the handcuffs on, “You have tried to aid this disloyal woman, and that is enough for us and the court!”
From inside the police van, we watched fearfully as my neighbour walked proudly back to his house and stood on his porch, then watched even more in shock as the police chief walked over and put a garland around his head and came back to the van, “We have been told to felicitate anyone who helps us book seditious offenders!” he told us.
I looked bleakly at the handcuffs on my hand and stared at the soiled packet of evidence that had already started smelling!
Sedition was sure raising quite a stink..!

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