Late in the evening, Minu goes to ring her office from the dispensary but the office is closed. Hrishikesh waits aimlessly at the tram stop. Slowly the whole house gets to know. The rooms buzz with speculations. Calcutta is full of them.
Women fall under the wheels of overcrowded buses, get raped and murdered, bought and sold everyday.
She was a good girl though. A young neighbour Shyamal wonders what he can do to help. Perhaps we too would behave the same way if it happened to us. Later still, when Topu returns, and Chinu is still not home, Topu decides to go to the police station. She is in early pregnancy, and has attempted suicide.