DEFINITELY...........Arushi: Victim of slander

THE EPISODE CLEARLY SHOWS HOW POLICE AND MEDIA CAN ACT IRRESPONSIBLE

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/arushi-talwar-a-victim-of-murder-slander/65976-3.html

Noida (Uttar Pradesh): After a week of conspiracy theories, Uttar Pradesh Police finally declared they had managed to crack the sensational Noida twin murders last Friday.
Fourteen-year-old Arushi Talwar's father, Dr Rajesh Talwar, was arrested for the murders of his daughter and manservant Hemraj.
However, the motive ascribed to the killing shocked all many. The police say that Arushi was found in an "objectionable position" with the 46-year-old domestic help, Hemraj, which prompted her father to murder the two.
Women's groups have taken exception to this insinuation. An activist, Urvashi Butalia says, "The police even before the press conference let out a whole range of information, which allowed people to conjecture."
And this is not the first time that this has happened. Nine years ago, Jessica Lall was shot dead in a posh Delhi restaurant. In her subsequent dealing with the law and the media, Jessica's sister, Sabrina Lall realised that casting aspersions on the character of women is almost a given in cases like these.
"Thank god the incident happened in a public place otherwise we don't know what kind of scrutiny we would have gone through. And then Jessica have been linked with various people," Sabrina says.
Investigating officers even named Aarushi's fellow student, without having any concrete evidence of the nature of his involvement in the case.
While many may argue that a stricter defamation law is required to put a check on such unbridled accusations, others like Urvashi say that the responsibility lies with the individual.
"It's think it's much more an issue of the kind of responsibility that belongs to you as a person — whether one belongs to the police or the media, or whether one is simply an ordinary, interested person. It all boils down to what your responsibility as a human being is towards other human beings," says Urvashi Butalia.
But this, going by what is seen presently, seems quite a tough ask.