A made-for-TV modern masala thriller of a murder is playing out daily, much to the delight of virtual voyeurs now getting a peek into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, some so depraved as to indulge in heinous crimes. Scriptwriters of popular TV soaps may have struggled to put together this kind of plot, starring a villainous lady with a past who had money and fame but couldn’t secure a bright future for her children due to the compulsions of having to keep her past well hidden with the help of her biological offspring.
A conniving ex-husband and a hired help in a driver may have been the principal conspirators in a murder most foul. While the basic greed of human beings to get out of the rat race may have been the bottomline of the saga, to blame modern society for this crime is a bit of a stretch. We’ve seen a lot of this before in sensational murder cases involving high society, such as the Nanavati case back in 1959, in what was the last trial by jury in India. The crux of the case was about whether the judge or jury could be influenced by the media.
In many ways, the Sheena Bora murder is a throwback. The culprits appear to have been identified, but the visual media’s coverage might make it appear that it knows more than the dramatis personae about the young person whose life was snuffed out. What the police needs to do is to unravel the conspiracy and ensure the culprits face punishment. History shows that sex and lies often go together very well, and crimes of passion and family honour figure prominently in murders that take place in India. While such crimes don’t detract from the work of law enforcers, besides skewing up the statistics on unnatural deaths, it is still the duty of the police to get all the facts right before presenting the case to the court.
As in the Aarushi Talwar murder case of more recent vintage, there is a genuine fear that the media frenzy may harm the investigation. Given the prominence of the people involved in the Sheena Bora murder, we can only guess what damage the pre-judging of Indrani by the visual media might do before she has a chance to present the legal defence she is entitled to.
