Tamas

A man named Devdutt—who is also a member of the Communist party—is pacing around his home, trying to come up with a plan that will help the city. His elderly parents are with him. When they see that he is preparing to go out, they are afraid for his safety. A few blocks from his house, people tell him to turn back. They say there is a man lying dead in the street. He sees that the man is not quite dead yet, but thinks to himself that he has no time to stop and help. He must get to his Party office. There, he meets with three other men. They discuss ways that they might each help to stop the turmoil in various neighborhoods. Devdutt proposes that they hold a meeting with a leader from each political and religious group. It is difficult to arrange, but they managed to hold the meeting in a house nearby.

The meeting is difficult and contentious. Members argue over the proper number of political representatives that Hindus and Muslims should have in Congress. The Hindu leaders want the Congress to only represent Hindu interests, and the Muslims want the same for themselves. Finally, they agree to sign a Peace Appeal, which is a statement of their intent to cease hostilities. However, everyone who signs it knows that it is a purely symbolic document that will solve nothing. Suddenly, they receive news that rioting has broken out in the colony of Ratta, and two Sikh carpenters have been killed. Devdutt returns to the Party Office to collect some things prior to leaving for Ratta to try and help with the riots. His father is waiting in the office for him. He scolds him, saying that if he goes, he is leaving them to die. But Devdutt is unwilling to stay.

There is one more death that afternoon. The General runs through the streets, making political speeches. A man on a corner, weary of the General’s shouting and his views, strikes him with a club, killing him instantly. 

Ranvir and several of his men—including a friend named Inder—are inside a house, armed, and looking through the crack in a door for chances to attack their enemies outside. They have established an arsenal in a two-story home. Ranvir sends one of the men out to find firewood so they can heat the cauldron and use it to boil oil. Each time a Muslim passes on the road, they weigh the pros and cons of killing him. But each time, they judge that it is either too risky, or that the prospective target is not valuable enough to justify the risk. Finally they settle on a Muslim man who is a perfume vendor. He is loaded down with bags and will not be able to run. Ranvir and Inder open the door and prepare to strike. As if sensing danger, one of Ranvir’s allies pulls him back inside and locks the door, leaving Inder outside. Inder speaks pleasantly to the perfume vendor, then pulls out a knife and sticks it into his stomach. Inder runs away as the man dies. 

Nathu is increasingly worried as the violence spreads. He is overcome with guilt at his involvement in the incident with the pig. He tries to convince himself that the riots would have started even if he had not killed the animal, but cannot do it. He wants to tell his wife the secret, but does not want to burden her with the knowledge. He tells himself that he does not know for a fact that the pig thrown on the mosque steps is the pig he killed. Only Murad Ali would be able to tell him for sure, and he would never admit to taking part in a conspiracy.

He follows his wife from room to room. She laughs, noticing that he is clinging to her. She asks him several times if anything is wrong, but he says he just wants to be close to her. Finally, he breaks down and tells her what he has done. Once she knows that he killed the pig, but did not place it on the steps of the mosque, she says he has done a terrible thing, but is not responsible for the results. Later in the afternoon, after his wife has finished cleaning, she feels as if an evil spirit has crept into the house. 

A Sikh man named Harnam refuses to leave his business, despite the fears of his wife, Banto. He believes that as long as he stays faithful, God will protect him. As the day passes and no customers arrive, his strong spirit begins to waver. A friend named Karam Khan passes by. Harnam is happy, knowing that he will surely stop to talk. But Karam Khan says only that he must leave or he puts himself and Banto at great risk. After this disheartening conversation, Harnam tells Banto that he still feels they cannot leave. He points to a shotgun and says that if it comes to the worst, he will kill her and then himself. Then he decides that they must try to leave, after all. As they are packing a few things, they hear the drums of the rioters nearby. Before they leave, they open the cage in which their mynah bird sits, giving it a chance to fly away. It refuses to leave its open cage.

They have only travelled a short distance when they hear a phrase that Harnam has repeated many times: “Banto, God is your protector. He’s everyone’s refuge!” It is the mynah bird, flying overheard, mimicking Harnam’s familiar words to his wife. As they walk, they hear rioters breaking into their shop. They see flames rising and they know that their goods are being burned. By dawn they are far away. Harnam says that they will go to the village of Dhok and look for safety. When they reach the village, he repeats that he will kill them both before he lets them fall into the hands of the rioters. Then he prepares to knock on the door of a house.