Murder Most Foul

Unless you stay on Mars, you might be aware of the mysterious double murder of Arushi Talwar and Hemraj in Noida.There has not been a case with more twists and turns in recent memory. The police believes Dr. Rajesh Talwar, her father,killed them both as Arushi probably came to know of his alleged extra marital relationship with Dr. Anita Durani. However, I somehow am not convinced by this theory. I don't think that Dr. Talwar killed them. Yes, I agree that times have changed and events like fratricide ( Pramod Pravin Mahajan murder case) evoke no surprise. But a father killing his fourteen year old only daughter and that too in the most gruesome way is a tad hard to be credible. This horrific story opens up so many issues that have to be answered. The most disturbing fact is the role of the Noida Police. The blunders committed by the police seem to go and on. About last year or so it was the Anant Gupta kidnapping case,son of Adobe CEO, then it was the spine chilling Nithari killings of innocent children and now this. I mean most of us avoid travelling to Noida at night because so many stories of the robberies, killings and murder that keep cropping up every third day. The lackadiasical attitude of the police is totally not acceptable. The way they have botched up this case it is very unlikely that culrprits would ever be found. sample 1- On the day of finding about the death, they immediately sent a team to Nepal to get Hemraj without checking the terrace where he was found stabbed to death. Sample 2- allowing the media at the crime scene.I mean any novice would know that you have to immediately cordon off the area to get fingerprints and other crucial evidenceBy allowing the media, all this was lost.Sample 3- Concocting apocryphal theories like wife swapping, Arushi and Hemraj in a relationship and what not. The most shocking was the IG calling Arushi as 'characterless' as her father. How could anyone assassinate the character of a dead girl who cannot even reply back in her defence like this? Does the police have enough proof that she was in an objectionable position and not compromising position? To escape their incapabilties and to stop media from hounding them, they have made up these ridiculous stories.

The role of the media in this case has not been appreciable. Media is our biggest strength and we have seen its power in the Nitish Katara, Jesicca Lall and Priyadarshini Matoo murder cases. But the way media has conducted itself in this case is not laudable. The media seem to be doing its own trial of the victims. When Arushi's family did not speak to them, they alleged that they have something to hide.What do they expect that a family in mourning would come and give leeds to them? Some of the headlines were indeed shocking.The sensationalisation and commodification of this case for the TRP battle by the media is pathetic.Worst channels were India TV and IBN7. I was travelling in a bus and a salesman came and started selling his incense by advertising that ' Lelo nahi to aapka dimaag bhi Arushi ke pitaji jaisa bhrasht ho jayega'. Let us not do this please, it is insulting.Also, we all are forgetting that Hemraj was murdered too.He also has a family that is equally grieved by their loss. Hemraj was as loved by the family as Arushi was. The case is far from over and many developments will take place in the coming days. Hope the culprits are caught and justice takes place. Let Arushi and Hemraj rest in peace.