For most,it seems bizarre that people would go to a 'pay-per-entry' party at a restaraunt called 'Once Upon a Time' where 'women celebrities' tend the bar to begin with. 'No wonder that politician's spoilt brats would show up there and, fire a couple of rounds when denied another scotch. Too bad someone got shot'. A fairytale from another world most of us don't travel to.
But pretty soon, as facts were revealed, and the layers of pre-conceived notions peeled, there was an outburst of outrage.
Delhi's citizens had only just recovered from shock a few months before. Three young men, one a rich businessman, the other (the alleged driver) the son of an extremely wealthy arms dealer, and grandson of a retired Naval admiral were accused of ploughing through a police checkpost in their BMW- killing 5 people on the road, their bodies flung hundreds of metres away on impact. The men, who had been drinking at a party that night, apparently then stopped, checked the damage on the car, and drove on home (not to the hospital, not to the police station).
Amidst rising public anger, the Police arrested the men- there was just so much circumstantial evidence they could do little else. Police had found blood and flesh still attached to the BMW, when it was being hastily washed. But a few years later- this so called water-tight case fell apart. Witnesses turned hostile, even one of the victims crippled in the accident wouldn't testify against those accused.
Jessica Lall's murder case was the police's chance to do things differently. Sadly the only difference seems to have been that they didn't even gather enough circumstantial evidence to begin with. And predictably, witness after witness (six star witnesses, a hundred in all) changed their statements in court.
By Restaurant owner Bina Ramani's own account, there were 250 people at her 'pay for party' the night Jessica Lall was hit by a bullet. Among them, the rich, the famous, and even some senior cops. Yet no credible evidence could be found by the police, no testimonies in court that would find who pulled the trigger.
Cowardice, it seems, cuts across all social and economic barriers.
I suppose there are enough similiarities in these two cases that have now ended without conclusion. And if this counts for anything- the main accused in Lall's case now runs the very hip Blue Ice disco in Chandigarh. The main accused in the BMW case has in the meanwhile acquired popular hotels in Delhi and Mumbai (The Claridges and Hotel Sea Rock).
For me,and for others on the city beat who went to Patiala house courts in Delhi for some months after- the connection was more apparent, because hearings in both cases were being held at the same time. Often, we would go to file on developments in one case, and end up filing another story on the other. What made it easier- the team of defence lawyers for the accused in both cases seemed to be the same.
Today, both are closed chapters.
When did our outrage die? Maybe it didn't. But perhaps it keeps dying. A little everyday.
About the AuthorSuhasini Haidar Suhasini Haidar is Diplomatic Editor, The Hindu. Earlier, she was a senior editor and prime time anchor for India's leading 24-hour English news chann...Read Morefirst published:February 22, 2006, 12:53 ISTlast updated:February 22, 2006, 12:53 IST
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The facts at first seemed confusing- many newspapers didn't even get the story that first morning after Jessica Lall was killed. It seemed easy at first to write it all off as a brawl within Delhi's party set that had led to the tragedy.
For most,it seems bizarre that people would go to a 'pay-per-entry' party at a restaraunt called 'Once Upon a Time' where 'women celebrities' tend the bar to begin with. 'No wonder that politician's spoilt brats would show up there and, fire a couple of rounds when denied another scotch. Too bad someone got shot'. A fairytale from another world most of us don't travel to.
But pretty soon, as facts were revealed, and the layers of pre-conceived notions peeled, there was an outburst of outrage.
Delhi's citizens had only just recovered from shock a few months before. Three young men, one a rich businessman, the other (the alleged driver) the son of an extremely wealthy arms dealer, and grandson of a retired Naval admiral were accused of ploughing through a police checkpost in their BMW- killing 5 people on the road, their bodies flung hundreds of metres away on impact. The men, who had been drinking at a party that night, apparently then stopped, checked the damage on the car, and drove on home (not to the hospital, not to the police station).
Amidst rising public anger, the Police arrested the men- there was just so much circumstantial evidence they could do little else. Police had found blood and flesh still attached to the BMW, when it was being hastily washed. But a few years later- this so called water-tight case fell apart. Witnesses turned hostile, even one of the victims crippled in the accident wouldn't testify against those accused.
Jessica Lall's murder case was the police's chance to do things differently. Sadly the only difference seems to have been that they didn't even gather enough circumstantial evidence to begin with. And predictably, witness after witness (six star witnesses, a hundred in all) changed their statements in court.
By Restaurant owner Bina Ramani's own account, there were 250 people at her 'pay for party' the night Jessica Lall was hit by a bullet. Among them, the rich, the famous, and even some senior cops. Yet no credible evidence could be found by the police, no testimonies in court that would find who pulled the trigger.
Cowardice, it seems, cuts across all social and economic barriers.
I suppose there are enough similiarities in these two cases that have now ended without conclusion. And if this counts for anything- the main accused in Lall's case now runs the very hip Blue Ice disco in Chandigarh. The main accused in the BMW case has in the meanwhile acquired popular hotels in Delhi and Mumbai (The Claridges and Hotel Sea Rock).
For me,and for others on the city beat who went to Patiala house courts in Delhi for some months after- the connection was more apparent, because hearings in both cases were being held at the same time. Often, we would go to file on developments in one case, and end up filing another story on the other. What made it easier- the team of defence lawyers for the accused in both cases seemed to be the same.
Today, both are closed chapters.
When did our outrage die? Maybe it didn't. But perhaps it keeps dying. A little everyday.
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