Sadly, murder is a fact of life. It occurs in every city of every country. Some cases though, grab public imagination more than others and become a part of criminal and judicial history.
The double murder of 13-year-old Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj in the Talwars’ home in Noida was a case that captured the imagination of the entire country. Suspects became witnesses, and grieving parents were suspects. It was finally Aarushi’s parents who became the prime culprits in the investigating agencies’ eyes.
In his new book Aarushi, senior journalist Avirook Sen looks at how justice was perverted, first by a botched investigation and then by the gossip and innuendo that the media carried as fact.
But why target an upper-middle class couple neglecting the other suspects - three domestic help that worked for the Talwars and their neighbours?
The Talwars were not cast as ordinary people. Their lifestyle became an issue. Senior police officers held press conferences and said things like “both father and daughter [the 13-year-old victim] were equally debauched”.
– Avirook Sen, the author of Aarushi
The media carried this story because it carried “a whiff of sex and scandal”, says Sen. But what about the Uttar Pradesh Police and the CBI?
There were stories about orgies, wife-swapping parties and all of these things. Where did these come from? ... Once they [UP police and CBI] had committed to their version of events, they piled lie upon lie in court to back up their story.
– Avirook Sen, the author of Aarushi
Sen uses his own insight as a reporter on the case as well as extensive interviews with judges, former investigating officers as well as family and friends of the victim to make a damning argument against the police and the judiciary.
The same pieces of evidence that were used [by the CBI] to say there isn’t enough evidence are used in the court to say the Talwars are guilty.
– Avirook Sen, the author of Aarushi
Why for example, was the narco test analysis of Krishna, one of the Talwars’ servants and initial suspect in the case not used as a lead in the investigation? This even after the narcos gave enough fodder to the sleuths that there was more evidence to look for.
Some people in the police and CBI may well have their own version of events. Based on Sen’s revelations though, they need more evidence to back it up.
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