The story of the deaths of Shilpi Jain and Gautam Singh is a tragic one. Two lovers who took their own lives because they could not be together. It soon turned more sinister, however, when it was discovered that they were both murdered for what seemed like political reasons. The Story of Shilpi and Gautam In July of 1999, in Patna Bihar, two bodies were discovered by the Gandhi Maidan Police. The bodies were those of Shilpi Jain and Gautam Singh. They were found in the garage of MLA Quarter, number 12, inside of a White Maruti Zen. Shilpi Jain was the daughter of Kamla Stores owner, Ujjwal Kumar Jain. She was a former Miss Patna beauty queen. Gautam Singh was a youth wing leader of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal's party. His father was a London-based doctor. It sounds like the perfect love story. However, Shilpi's family were against her relationship with Gautam Singh. Her father, who was a businessman, was resentful of Gautam's political ambitions. Both were depressed, believing there was no future for them. It is believed that they married in secret and, on the night they were last seen, had intended on consummating their marriage. They hade been with friends until late in the evening. Their friends stated they were upset and sad. It was believed, at the time, that they had a suicide pact. A medical examination showed that Shilpi had sex before allegedly killing herself. Suicide of Murder? It wasn't until a week later that Shilpi's parents broke their silence and claimed their daughter was murdered. The parents of Gautam had, so far, stayed out of the limelight. Local media pointed out some glaring loopholes in the theory given by the police as well. And many political figures had fingers pointing at them as possible culprits. The investigation was handled badly from the start. There was the question of why so many politicians have appeared on the scene before the police turned up. Who told them about the deaths? The car that the bodies were found in had been driven by a constable to the police station. This rendered it impossible to collect any fingerprints from the steering wheel. One of the inconsistencies in the police report was that the garage they were found in was locked from the inside. However, the key was missing. This draws the question of how anyone outside knew there were two dead bodies inside. It was suggested that only someone who had prior knowledge of the situation could have called the police. M.S Bhatia, the City Superintendent of Police, claimed that both Shilpi and Gautum died from a sleeping pill overdose or poisoning. However, a more thorough report would be needed to find out exactly what had happened. The CBI Steps In The political uproar over the killings forced the State Government to hand the case over to the CBI. When the CBI took over the case they collected the vaginal fluid of Shilpi and sent that off for DNA testing in Hyderabad. A high profile youth leader of RJD was asked for a blood sample. This could not be obtained because the person in questions would not cooperate. When the results of the DNA report came back, it showed that Shilpi had been raped before she died, by more than one person. The identities of these individuals were not revealed. It looked more and more like this was a murder and not a suicide. But who did it and why? In Patna, there were rumors that the murders had actually taken place elsewhere. The bodies were then moved to where they were found in the Maidan Quarter, by a number of influential people. One of the main accused was Sadhu Yadav, who was a business partner of Gautum Sign. They ran a restaurant together. It is believed that Sadhu is the person who refused DNA testing at the time. Yadav is the brother of Rabri Devi, who is married to Lalu Prasad Yadav. Both where senior RJD leaders. Many felt that the local police intentionally destroyed any evidence that may have pointed to the real culprits in this case. Sushil Modi, who was then Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, pointed a finger at the relatives of the Chief Minister as being involved. He also felt that the police were trying to hush up the case. Four years after the CBI took on the investigation, the case was closed. It was stated that it was a case of suicide and that no murder or rape had taken place. The parents of Shilpi still believe that their daughter and Gautam were murdered. They question why it took 4 years for the CBI to reach a conclusion if there was no evidence of murder and rape. References-
0 Comments
Of all the scandals in India, those revolving around the Nehru College of Engineering and Research Center are quite dark. The college was established in 2002 and is located in Kerala India, in the Thrissur District. It was a self-financed college that used the college to make money. Students were threatened, fined, and beaten on a daily basis by college management. When the suicide of a student took place, it opened up the immense scandal going on across a number of these self-financed colleges. It was stated by the Kerala Chief Minister that some organizations opened colleges for the sheer purpose of profit. This made these colleges ripe for corruption. Abuse and Illegal Fees Scandal In January of 2017, Jishnu Pranoy was found hanging in the bathroom of his hostel. Jishnu was a science student, aged 18 years. It is believed that he committed suicide as a result of constant harassment by college management. This was a result of him being found cheating on a semester exam, which was later found to be a lie. Jishnu's body had a number of torture marks. It was discovered that the college authorities had refused to bring Jishnu to the hospital for his injuries. Jishnu's suicide sparked a string of violent protests from the students. A number of students stepped forward to talk about the constant harassment that they faced in the college. Reports revealed that students were assaulted in special torture rooms on the premises of the college. The college and media attempted to cover up the issue. Media reports only referred to the college as “a popular college” rather than give the name. This fact brought further outrage. It was Kairali People TV that finally revealed which college it was to the public. Jishnu's death brought many students together who spoke about their experiences at the college. Investigation and Suspensions Investigations discovered that college had lied about Jinshu being caught cheating. It was shown that no complaints regarding cheating were sent to the KTU investigation team. University rules state that any exam incidents be reported that same day. It was further discovered that the seat in which Jishnu sat on the day of the exam made it impossible for him to see any other student's papers. All of the students taking that exam have testified that Jishnu did not cheat or copy anyone's paper. Students made allegations that it was Dr. N K Sakthivel, the Vice-principal, who physically assaulted Jishnu. Violent protesting led to the suspension of Sakthivel, Sanjith Viswanathan, the college's public relations officer, and teacher C. P. Praveen. Why Was Jishnu Targeted? Basically, they wanted to stop him from shedding light on their illegal actions. The investigation showed that those accused of Jishnu's death had it out for him because Jishnu had posted on social media about the illegal activities at the college. To punish him, Krishnadas and the others who were accused hatched a plan to accuse Jishnu of copying an exam. They even fabricated evidence to support their lie. C.P. Praveen took part as the person who “caught” Jishnu cheating. Oddly enough, he claimed the student being cheated from was also named Jishnu. Both were taken to the Principal's office, but he refused to take part in the conspiracy, asking that both students be let go. However, only one of the students was let go, the other, Jishnu Pranoy, was taken to the vice principals office where he was mentally and physically tortured for 2 hours. All evidence of the conspiracy was destroyed by Krishna and PRO Sanjith. Outcome When the five accused knew that their arrests were imminent, they went into hiding. So far, none of them have been found. This scandal has brought to light the criminal activities going on in a number of self-financed colleges and what corrupt people will do to keep things quiet. References-
2012's Karnataka video clip controversy was a scandal that hit both the BJP and MLA. It's been nicknamed “porngate” by in social media. It involved local media filming two ministers who appeared to be watching pornographic material on their mobile phones while the Karnataka legislation was in session. It eventually led to the resignation of these ministers. What Took Place First, we need to go back to the international Spring Zouk festival that took place in February of 2012. The festival takes place at St. Mary's Islands on Udupi beach and is attended by thousands of people, mainly foreign tourists. A video was taken of someone engaging in public sex, and it was this video that is part of the scandal. During a KLA session, two cabinet ministers from BJP, C.C. Patil and Laxman Savadi, where caught on camera watching what allegedly was the clip from the Spring Zouk festival on their mobile phones. In the TV visuals, you can clearly see the two ministers watching the clip on Savadi's phone while exchanging banter. The ministers tried to say that it was part of a behavioral investigation on how foreign tourists behaved at this state tourism organized celebration. The Fallout The incident saw reactions from media, political, and social sectors. As soon as the incident came out in the news, opposition parties, including JDS leader Y.S.V Datta, and Congress leader Siddaramaiah called for both ministers to resign. The ministers involved gave their resignations, which the party accepted. The Speakers was also urged by Siddaramaiah to bar Patil and Savadi from the assembly. He stated that the behavior of the ministers was an insult to the people who had elected them, calling their actions disgraceful. All of the officials involved were reprimanded by B.S. Yeddyurappa, a BJP party leader, and the Chief Minister of Karnataka. However, social activist, Anna Hazare felt they should be imprisoned for their offense. Meanwhile, the attention the incident drew from international media was focused on one thing. How these members even made it into a party that condemns this type of behavior in the first place? The hashtag #porngate became February 8th's highest trending word, and social media sites, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were swamped with searches of the incident. Even more disturbing is that C.C. Patil was a former child and women development minister. He was known for being a very vocal advocate regarding dress codes for women. People wanted answers from BJP as to why they were defending and justifying hypocritical members who acted as moral police, yet violated the codes of acceptable behavior. The behaviors of these two ministers show the blatant disregard that politicians have for the tax-payers' money and the solemnity of the House. These are the people who voters are trusting to make moral judgments about acceptable behavior. However, they don't seem to be following those judgments when it comes to their own behavior. The incident brings into question how many other corrupt ministers and political figures have been voted in. How did they win their positions? There has been a public outcry for an overhaul and changes to be made. References-
|
Archives
July 2019
|