Today, almost all news channels ran “Indrani Mukerjea” story during the prime time. Crime, sex, sleaze and nonconformity have become de rigueur in mainstream media, once famous for its narrow-mindedness. The continuous relay of the story by news channels just shows that society has developed an insatiable interest in crime, sex, murders and mysteries. What’s more interesting is TV viewers have always been fascinated by crime, despite the fact that they have always ‘criticized’ it. Every journalist is displaying his or her ability of script writing and narrative skills but none of them tried to establish the right findings in the story.
Indrani is beautiful, young looking lady. She left the native place for her new life keeping all odds of life tightly covered, yet remained as a provider to her family and children. Some news channel told that she used to carry her kids picture in her wallet. Anyway, whatever must have gone wrong in between but she killed her daughter which is something beyond imagination. If she has done that then it is very brutal and disturbing.
I am sure that there must be hundreds of Indranis in the society who had hidden their past and moved forward. They become achievers but when they encounter struggles in life they take the path of life as it comes to them. Sometimes, they take path of violence. I don’t want to comment or make judgement in Indrani’s case because investigations and law will take its own course.
I don’t know by showing such stories, news channels are exhibiting their investigative journalistic abilities or only feeding on prurient tastes common to every society. Viewers and readers are more to be blamed than the news channels because we have chosen “crime stories” as an indispensable theme for consumption. Do we get a “kick” by taking a moral grandstanding against the crimes committed or is it just our voyeuristic appetite that is increasing multifold? There are many important events of the day which deserved to be on the prime time. There are people killed in Gujarat, there is 21-year-old guy who challenged our PM in his own state. There are financial crises, economy of this country has come down, army personals on hunger strike and some got admitted to hospital due to serious conditions. However, news channels want sensation and TRP.
Lets come back to Indrani Mukerjea, a second wife of her third husband, who is charged along with her second husband of killing her daughter from first husband (Das who denied these kids are born by him and some reports stated that they are born to unmarried Indrani at the age of 15 and 17) who was having affair with her third husband’s son from first wife. Retaining identity is not bad, maybe that’s her circumstantial compulsion but over obsessed by her other priorities proved to be dangerous to the extent to eliminate someone, who is part of her own.
Now the twist here is, while congratulating the unknown caller to CP Rakesh Maria who revealed the murder mystery of Sheena Bora by Indrani Mukerjea few questions arises here, the first and foremost is why the informer kept silent for three long years? And what is his or her motive to reveal it now? Did s/he tried to blackmail Indrani and wanted to extort money from her which ‘failed’ or revenge of some kind? Settle score or frustration?
Moreover, Indrani’s son who has come vocal to media accepted that her mother is feeding them, though she addresses them as brother and sister on social platform.
The tipper might be somebody from the family who wants to teach a lesson to conspirators. If it was police informer, he would not have hidden his identity as there is a big award waiting for him or her. So, the unknown caller must have definite motive else the case was closed long back without even identifying Sheena and her mother. Media reveals that CP Rakesh Maria received a call from unknown caller and he initiated the investigation. One must appreciate and salute this duty bound CP Rakesh Maria that he took even an unknown call so seriously and ordered an inquiry, whereas in general, police are being accused of not taking complaints even when complainant himself is at police station. It is an adorable example that CP takes even unknown calls seriously.
After investigations, on August 25, 2015 Mumbai Police arrested Indrani Mukerjea in connection with the murder of her daughter, Sheena Bora, in 2012. She was charged under sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. She was produced before the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate court, which remanded her in police custody till August 31, 2015. Her daughter and victim Sheena Bora was born in February 1989 in Guwahati, Assam. She was brought up by her maternal grandparents. In 2006, she moved to Mumbai and was introduced to society as Indrani’s sister.
Sheena enrolled in St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai for B.A. in Economics. In 2009, she joined Reliance Infrastructure as a management trainee. In 2011, she became an assistant manager with Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), a joint venture company owned by Reliance Infrastructure, Veolia Transport and the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority. On April 24, 2012 she went on leave and was not seen again. Her mother, Indrani Mukerjea, claimed that Sheena had gone to the United States for higher studies. Sheena was in a romantic relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea’s son from his first marriage. Peter did not mind but Indrani did not approve of the relationship. Mumbai Police suspects that her mother, Indrani Mukerjea, in conjunction with her driver, Shyam Rai, and her ex-husband, Sanjeev Khanna, murdered Sheena Bora. Let’s see what judgement and final verdict from CP comes in this case.
