The next morning, an important panchayat meeting was held. All the men of the Thakur family, along with the elders of the village, sat in the open courtyard near the chaupal.

Digvijay arrived with his young son Dhananjay, intending to teach the boy how justice was handled in the family. A lesson, perhaps, in responsibility. But today’s matter was different. This time, the accused was not an outsider — it was his own brother, Ratnesh.