Tamas

Nathu finishes his work in his shop when the thekedar walks in with a demand to slaughter a pig for the Veterinary doctor. He declines, saying he has never killed a pig and lacks the necessary skill. He offers to tan the pig's hide if needed, implying the piggery workers could handle the carcass. The thekedar leaves, noting that the jamadar will collect the carcass by morning.

Bakshiji and several members of the political party go to a Muslim mohalla to clean drains as propaganda, singing patriotic songs. They are warmly received and joined by residents who help with the work. The scene shows a temporary display of peace, but an old Muslim man later confronts them and asks them to leave for their own good. Soon stones fly from neighboring houses and the party members flee, and they learn a pig carcass has been dumped at the steps of a mosque.

The party members flee after the confrontation, and someone throws a pig carcass at the steps of a mosque. The incident marks the escalation of communal tension in the town. The air grows tense as residents react to the symbol of the carcass at a religious site.

Bakshiji and Hayat Baksh visit the Deputy Commissioner Richard at his house to urge deployment of police and a curfew to prevent unrest. Richard declines the requests, urging leaders to keep the peace and promising to call a meeting for peace. He advises them to mobilize peacefully rather than impose measures.

Nathu, having seen the pig carcass and sensing the unrest, wonders if it was the same pig he killed. He tries to approach the hurried thekedar, who escapes. Overcome with guilt, he confesses everything to his pregnant wife Kammo. Outside, houses burn and cries fill the air as violence erupts around them.

Fearing danger, Nathu decides to leave the city with his wife and his crippled mother. They begin traveling on foot, with Nathu carrying his mother on his back. The family moves away from the escalating violence together.

During the journey, Nathu's mother dies and is burned in the forest because there is no proper funeral rite. This event devastates his conscience and strengthens his sense of responsibility for the suffering around him. The forest becomes a somber backdrop to the tragedy.

Harnam Singh and his wife Banto, a Sikh family, travel to a village seeking shelter. They stay at the home of their friend Ehsan Ali, a Muslim. They hide during the day but are discovered by Ehsan’s son at night and told to leave immediately.

The group joins Nathu and Kammo at a gurudwara where Jasbir and other Sikhs have taken shelter. Teja Singh, the leader of the Sikh council, warns that Muslims are arming themselves and Sikhs should do the same. A junior granthi later reports that Muslims know Sikhs are outnumbered and are demanding 2 lakh rupees for a truce. The council deems the demand excessive and sends the granthi and Nathu to negotiate.

Nathu and the granthi negotiate with Muslims and are surrounded and attacked. The Sikhs retaliate by taking up arms to fight. Back at the gurudwara, Jasbir leads the Sikh women to a collective suicide by jumping into a well, some with their children.

Richard addresses prominent city figures about relief measures and proposes the formation of an Aman Committee to send a message of peace. Bakshiji and Hayat Baksh are named vice presidents of the committee. The scene ends with the thekedar shouting communal harmony slogans.

Harnam Singh, Banto, and Kammo are at a refugee camp, anxious to learn of Nathu's fate. A government employee urges them to check the hospital tent for his status. Kammo discovers Nathu's dead body among the corpses and collapses, then goes into labor. Outside, the newborn's cries mix with slogans of Allahu Akbar and Har Har Mahadev echoing in the distance.