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A review by yaki78
Aarushi by Avirook Sen
5.0
I had closely followed the Aarushi Talwar murder case and the media frenzy that followed. Despite that, I wasn’t prepared for how hard this book would be for me to read. Not for the writing, but the content. There were parts, especially in the first part, that left me speechless. How could such a thing happen? For the uninitiated, the book is about a double murder that occurred in Noida. A 13-year-old girl, Aarushi Talwar, and Talwars’ domestic help, Hemraj, were found murdered on 16-May 2008. It immediately started occupying all the prime-time news slots debates and discussions. There were all sorts of conspiracy theories floating around, with the parents being the killers. Television news channels were competing for the sleaziest coverage. For those of you who followed the media coverage after actor Sridevi’s death and Sushant Singh Rajput’s more recently, this was a trailer of what was to come in the following years. The author Avirook Sen presents a detailed view of what happened in this book.
The book is divided into three parts – the first one covers the investigation, followed by the trial, and an epilogue of sorts. Three different teams investigated the case, including two CBI teams. There were multiple problems right from the start. The UP police who started the investigation based their investigation right from the start on the assumption that Hemraj, Talwars’ domestic help, murdered Aarushi. The reason being Hemraj, who stayed with the Talwars in their home, was missing. Thus, the whole theory fell apart when Hemraj’s body was discovered the next day from the house’s terrace. Police had failed to secure the crime scene, and all sorts of people from friends, relatives, neighbors, media walked around the house, contaminating the crime scene. Thus, the investigation was doomed right from the start. The case was passed to two CBI teams who couldn’t reach a logical conclusion. But the second team floated outlandish theories of honour killing, wife-swapping, etc., and the court refused to accept the closure report filed. Instead, it converted it to a chargesheet and initiated proceedings against the Talwars for murdering their daughter and domestic help.
The author states that the trial was biased right from the start against the parents. It felt from every angle that it was to frame the parents. Media coverage cherry-picked the juicy bits and put it out in a race for TRP’s. The news channels weren’t just competing against themselves; they were also competing against daily soaps. The book paints a sorry picture of our judicial systems and bureaucracy. The Talwars were well-off and, with the support of family and some friends, could gather resources and money for good legal help. Despite that, they struggled. So, I can’t even imagine what justice would an average Indian get from our courts.
One minor grouse I have regarding the book, as pointed in other reviews, is that it did seem biased towards the Talwars (perhaps there was no other way). There isn’t a good explanation on why the CBI was keen on framing the Talwars. It was not as if they were politically connected or had enemies within the system. So, why were they treated like this remains a gap that isn’t touched upon in this book? Otherwise, the writing keeps you engaged and doesn’t sensationalize one bit on any aspects of the crime.
The book is divided into three parts – the first one covers the investigation, followed by the trial, and an epilogue of sorts. Three different teams investigated the case, including two CBI teams. There were multiple problems right from the start. The UP police who started the investigation based their investigation right from the start on the assumption that Hemraj, Talwars’ domestic help, murdered Aarushi. The reason being Hemraj, who stayed with the Talwars in their home, was missing. Thus, the whole theory fell apart when Hemraj’s body was discovered the next day from the house’s terrace. Police had failed to secure the crime scene, and all sorts of people from friends, relatives, neighbors, media walked around the house, contaminating the crime scene. Thus, the investigation was doomed right from the start. The case was passed to two CBI teams who couldn’t reach a logical conclusion. But the second team floated outlandish theories of honour killing, wife-swapping, etc., and the court refused to accept the closure report filed. Instead, it converted it to a chargesheet and initiated proceedings against the Talwars for murdering their daughter and domestic help.
The author states that the trial was biased right from the start against the parents. It felt from every angle that it was to frame the parents. Media coverage cherry-picked the juicy bits and put it out in a race for TRP’s. The news channels weren’t just competing against themselves; they were also competing against daily soaps. The book paints a sorry picture of our judicial systems and bureaucracy. The Talwars were well-off and, with the support of family and some friends, could gather resources and money for good legal help. Despite that, they struggled. So, I can’t even imagine what justice would an average Indian get from our courts.
One minor grouse I have regarding the book, as pointed in other reviews, is that it did seem biased towards the Talwars (perhaps there was no other way). There isn’t a good explanation on why the CBI was keen on framing the Talwars. It was not as if they were politically connected or had enemies within the system. So, why were they treated like this remains a gap that isn’t touched upon in this book? Otherwise, the writing keeps you engaged and doesn’t sensationalize one bit on any aspects of the crime.