How a man's fatal fall at a fort in India sparked a trial by media
When a young man fell to his death from a fort in the western Indian city of Pune on 18 June, it was initially believed
When a young man fell to his death from a fort in the western Indian city of Pune on 18 June, it was initially believed to be an unfortunate accident. Ketan Agarwal, 26, was visiting the Lohagad Fort, a scenic spot popular with tourists and trekkers, with his fiancee Siya Goyal when he fell into a ditch. But days later, police arrested Siya, 20, and her friend Chetan Chaudhary, 22, alleging that they murdered Agarwal by pushing him off from a height.
They alleged that the two were in a relationship. Siya and Chetan are in custody and have not made any statements - but both their lawyers have strongly denied the accusations. Like with a number of other high-profile crimes in India in recent years, the case has whipped up a massive media frenzy. With police drip-feeding their theories and unverified details of the investigation to journalists, the case has dominated headlines in the past week.
On social media, Ketan and Siya's personal photos and videos have been circulated extensively. Siya in particular has received relentless hate - she has been called a murderer even though investigations are ongoing and been mocked over a
video she posted before her arrest mourning her fiance's death. Many online posts have come up in recent days advising young women to "learn to say no, opt out of marriage if being forced - but not kill".
The BriefWire