‘Stop Balaji from cashing in on Aarushi case’

In a swift reaction to an emotional appeal by Nupur Talwar, mother of murder victim Aarushi Talwar, the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights on Monday directed the Information and Broadcasting ministry to stop Balaji Telefilms from including the Aarushi murder case in its popular teleserial Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki.

The Noida police had arrested Nupur’s husband Rajesh Talwar on the charge of murdering his daughter Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj. The police had termed the crime as “honour killings” claiming Aarushi and Hemraj were caught by Rajesh Talwar in objectionable but not compromising position.

Balaji Telefilms had decided take inspiration from the sensational twin murders and show that the protagonist Parvati’s granddaughter is killed in circumstances similar to Aarushi’s murder.

“The serial is drawing inspiration from real life and parallels can be drawn to the case without naming Aarushi Talwar,” Nivedita Basu, creative director, Balaji Telefilms told media persons last week.

Taking a strong objection, NCPCR said Balaji Telefilms’ move would glorify the concept of “honour killings”. “They should not be allowed to make a serial on Aarushi murder case till the investigations are over. Otherwise, it will amount to influencing the investigation and the final outcome of the case,” NCPCR member Sandhya Bajaj said in a letter to I&B secretary Asha Swarup.

The commission’s letter is a result of Nupur asking the commission on Monday to stop Balaji Telefilms showing anything on the case till the investigations were complete. She also asked whether media has the right to vitiate public opinion to the extent that an innocent person (Rajesh Talwar) is made the victim of salacious machinations designed to increase TRPs of the channel.

Launching an attack on television channels, Talwar said most of the channels perpetuated the character assassination of Aarushi by graphically showing time and again, day after day, episodes in which they created events which were figment of imagination.

“The channels discussed these with so called experts and dissected the noble soul (Aarushi) sadistically and with perverted minds. They are equally if not more guilty of
violating the law and should face the same consequences as the investigating agencies,” she said, on her hard-hitting letter.

She held investigating agencies responsible for character assassination of Aarushi accusing them of creating a concocted story to justify their illegal action of blaming her husband for the murders without a shred of evidence.

Talwar has also asked the government to take stern action against television channels involved in character assassination of Aarushi, who cannot defend herself and has sought public apology from them.

The I&B ministry is considering action against some channels following protests from child rights organisations. But the NCPCR’s letter has given the ministry necessary arsenal to initiate action against the channels.