Column

In the capital, we get excited only over grisly murders with a sex angle. So on a day when police firing killed more than a dozen protesting Gujjars, farm loans were waived further and oil prices soared, our media focused firmly on the arrest of Dr Rajesh Talwar for murdering his daughter Arushi, 14, and domestic help Hemraj, 45. ‘It was the Father!’ (or similar) screamed leading dailies in banner headlines, ‘Murderer’ and ‘Murder Most Foul’ dominated the front pages, as the press went to town ripping the father apart. The police offered many contradictory theories, and the media enjoyed every one.

But when it comes to salacious thrill, television channels win hands down. Especially the Hindi channels, clearly run by wannabe Ramsay Brothers, who splashed their screens with blood, undulating knives, the child’s smile and the grim father. One channel even ran a ‘Dhongi Papa’ segment, where they kept repeating a clip where the police were taking away Arushi’s shrouded body, and Talwar tottered behind, mumbling, looking every bit the shattered father. “Look how he walks, the murderer, the hypocrite, pretending to be shocked!” said the presenter. “Look how he hangs his hands as if he has no control over his body! (For graphic effect, Talwar’s hands are swiftly circled in red.) What a fraud!” You hear the father mumbling in sorrow. The presenter gets quite frenetic: “Look how he chants: ‘Arushi bete, Arushi bete!’ (A speech bubble pops up, saying, ‘Arushi bete, Arushi bete!’) What a fake!” When the police tries to put the body down on the ground, the father says, “Don’t put my daughter on the floor.” The presenter is now ready to reach into the screen, drag Talwar out and lynch him: “Look how he pretends to be so caring, this murderous father, look how he says ‘Mere beti ko neechey mat rakho!’ (Speech bubble saying ‘Mere beti ko neechey mat rakho!’) What a terrible fraud, what acting!” The drama continues with the wannabe Ramsay intern as the news channel runs this same clip over and over again with dancing speech bubbles.
When Arushi’s mother broke her silence and spoke to the media, saying her husband was innocent, the media pounced on her. India TV got an ‘expert’ to answer philosophical queries: “Do you believe this woman? Could she be lying?” The expert announced: “Of course she could be lying. She must be thinking, my daughter is gone, now if I lose my husband too, who will I live with?” And the shock and horror over how the father could have killed his daughter continued over various channels.

I find this trial by media distressing. Talwar may have killed Arushi. Fathers regularly kill their daughters in our country. The week Arushi died in Noida, in Vadodara, Vandana, 19, was axed to death by her father for marrying against his wishes. The point is not whether Talwar could have killed his daughter, but whether he did. And the media’s assumed role of investigator, jury and executioner is deplorable.

Everything about this case is arbitrary. The police have given several silly reasons for the murder. Talwar had to kill her and Hemraj because she objected to his extramarital affair, Hemraj discussed it with friends, Talwar found Arushi in “an objectionable but not compromising position” with Hemraj, etc. And there are many discrepancies in the cops’ story. The media’s job is to point those out — like some are — and help in getting justice, not to incite the public against the accused. Especially when there are so many loopholes, and when the accused is the father. Right now, in the interest of justice, the media has to give the parents the benefit of the doubt.

The writer is Editor, The Little Magzine.

Email: sen@littlemag.com