Niraj Kashyap 1 The road to Kohima was narrower than Dev Malhotra expected, its serpentine curves stitched into hills that breathed mist with every mile. His cab driver, a lean man named Lipok, didn’t speak much beyond gestures and short English bursts. The air grew thinner as they climbed, and pine forests swayed like silent sentinels watching their passage. Dev kept his DSLR beside him, ready to catch any atmospheric shot that could set the tone for his article. A seasoned investigative journalist, he’d covered riots, cults, and graveyard confessions in Bundelkhand—but this was different. Stories of a phantom priest…