Why Twisha Sharma death case has grabbed national headlines

On May 12, 33-year-old Twisha Sharma, a former Miss Pune, was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills locality. She had been wedded to lawyer Samarth Singh since last December. By various accounts emerging so far, the marriage was on the rocks. Twisha lived with her husband and mother-in-law Giribala Singh, a retired judge. Her death has been mired in intense controversy over allegations of dowry harassment and torture, with her own family demanding that the circumstances be probed thoroughly. Read Full Story The Commission for Women (NCW) has taken cognisance of the case and the Madhya Pradesh government has recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). As the case continues to make national headlines, what makes it stand out? Leaked CCTV footage in circulation suggests Twisha had climbed stairs towards the terrace on the night of May 12 and sometime later, her husband and others were seen carrying her down. Taken to AIIMS Bhopal, she was declared dead. Twisha’s family arrived from Noida the next day and began demanding that a case be registered against her husband and in-laws. Accusations were made that she was driven to take her life. A recent issue in the marriage seems to have been the termination of Twisha’s pregnancy, one version being that her husband’s family was apparently not keen on her decision to abort and another that she was forced to undergo the termination. Purported social media chat details of Twisha doing the rounds suggest she was disturbed in the post-abortion period. There is also reference to visits to psychiatrists and therapists to address the situation, without success. On May 14, the police registered a case of dowry harassment and death against Giribala and Samarth. From here on, accusations of influencing the case by the retired judge’s family began flying thick and fast. Here’s why. A sessions court in Bhopal granted anticipatory bail to Giribala while rejecting it for Samarth, the prime accused. Samarth has not been seen since then, and the police have formed a special investigation team and announced a reward of Rs 30,000 for help to locate him. Experts say anticipatory bail in such matters is usually not granted to regular people. Whether innocent or guilty, people have to go through the processes of the criminal justice system, which includes police and judicial remand, even though they may eventually not be found guilty. The granting of anticipatory bail to Twisha’s mother-in-law has only reinforced the claims of Twisha’s family that undue influence was being exercised in the case. On May 20, chief minister Mohan Yadav met Twisha’s family and offered help to transport her body to Delhi for a second post-mortem, which the family has been demanding be held outside Bhopal. He, however, clarified that a second post-mortem would require judicial permission. The same day, however, a court rejected the plea and directed the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary to follow all protocols for preserving Twisha’s body. The other critical aspect of the case is how it is being played out in national media. In a vast majority of cases, the media does not offer the accused or their relatives a chance to give their version. Police heads in districts parade accused in front of the media and provide a brief about the case and the allegations. But the accused seldom get a chance to speak. Giribala proved to be an exception. The retired district judge held a press conference along with her lawyer Enosh George Carlo, where arguments erupted between members of the media and the legal team. Giribala was asked if her other son, an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, was also divorced, suggesting perhaps a pattern of harassment in the household. She replied in the affirmative but clarified that the divorce was by mutual consent. Twisha’s brother is a serving major in the Indian Army. His cause has been taken up by e servicemen, including some from the Congress’s e servicemen cell. On the other side is Giribala whose other son is a serving IAF officer. Her husband was a CRPF officer who was killed in Manipur. Giribala says she will seek quashing of the case against Samarth. Twisha’s family, meanwhile, wants her anticipatory bail cancelled. Sensationalism has taken over the media coverage, at least in parts, with purported audio conversations between Giribala and Twisha’s brother, about her sexual history and efforts to resolve matters related to the marriage, doing the rounds. Both families have accused one another’s children of taking drugs. While Twisha’s family claims she was mentally tortured and denied food, Giribala’s lawyer says Twisha’s in-laws had transferred over Rs 7 lakh to her bank account in the few months of the marriage. It’s a no-holds-barred legal and perception battle—a deceased daughter’s family calling for justice on the one hand and a retired judge being accused of going out of the way to protect her son, who is at large. Keeping this case wide open is also