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Journalism of Courage
Pawan Kumar
Who is he? Constable Pawan Kumar was the first policeman to reach the crime scene on the morning of May 16,2008. He was at the Sector 25 police chowki when a Jalvayu Vihar guard came there and said a murder has taken place at L-32.
What did he say in court? Kumar said he reached the Talwar house at 6:45 am. The front door was locked from inside. Rajesh came to the door when I rang the bell… I saw that the victims throat was slit. There was a white sheet over her body,but her face was uncovered. The behaviour of the family seemed normal but worried. It is wrong to say that members of the family were crying when I was at the house.
Where is he now? Kumar is posted at Malpura,Agra.
Gurdarshan Singh
Who is he? At the time of the murder,he was IGP,Meerut range. At a press conference,Singh accused Rajesh of the murder. Dr Rajesh Talwar walked into Aarushis room and saw them in an objectionable though not compromising position. He killed her in a fit of rage.
What did he say in court? He never deposed in court since the CBI did not produce him as a prosecution witness.
Where is he now? Singh is now a member of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission.
Vijay Kumar
Who is he? Vijay Kumar was the first CBI investigation officer who took charge of the case on June 1,2008. His team first arrested Krishna (Rajeshs compounder),Rajkumar and Vijay Mandal (domestic helps in other homes) for the murders.
What did he say in court? Kumar was not among the 39 CBI witnesses. He was a defence witness. He testified that Krishna had admitted to the murders during interrogation but gave different statements,which is why his account could not establish that he committed the murders.
Where is he now? Kumar retired from CBI in 2012.
AGL Kaul
Who is he? CBI officer who took over investigations in September 2009. Treated Rajesh and Nupur as prime accused. But in December 2010,he filed a closure report saying Rajesh was the prime suspect but there was not enough evidence to chargesheet him.
What did he say in court? On April 16,2013,Kaul told the court that the murders could not have been committed by an outsider,and that Rajesh and Nupur were guilty. He claimed that while he wanted to chargesheet the Talwars,his seniors in the CBI advised against it,which is why he filed a closure report.
Where is he now? Kaul is Additional SP (Special Crime),CBI,New Delhi.
Bharti Mandal
Who is she? Bharti worked as a maid at the Talwar home. Key to the prosecution case,she said only four people (Rajesh,Nupur,Aarushi and Hemraj) were in the house on night of the murder.
What did she say in court? Bharti said when she went to the house on May 16 morning,she found the outer grill door shut. She said Nupur told her her she would throw down the keys from the balcony. Bharti later found the grill door open. When I asked aunty why she was crying,she said come inside and see what has happened. She took me to Aarushis room… she removed the bedsheet covering Aarushi,and showed me that her throat had been slit. I got scared. Aunty again said look what Hemraj has done.
Where is she now? She still works in Noida.
Dattaram Nauneria
Who is he? Nauneria was the first IO in the case and the SHO of Noida Sector 20 police station.
What did he say in court? He said there was no grief on the faces of the Talwars. He said Rajesh hesitated in identifying the body of Hemraj.
Where is he now? He is posted as Sub-Inspector,Gangoh,Saharanpur.
B K Mahapatra
Who is he? Senior biologist with the CFSL.
What did he say in court? Mahapatra said there was evidence of male DNA on Aarushis pillow and pillow cover. He said bloodstains on the Scotch bottle had both male and female DNA.
Where is he now? He continues to be with the CFSL.
Dr Naresh Raj
Who is he? He conducted Hemrajs autopsy.
What did he say in court? He said the injuries on Hemrajs neck were made by a surgically-trained person. This was corroborated by Dr Sunil Dohre,who assisted him in the autopsy and had conducted Aarushis autopsy. Both doctors told court that the injuries on the head were identical.
Where is he now? He remains at the District Hospital,Sector 30,Noida.
The initial suspects
The trio
Krishna was a compounder at the clinic of Rajesh Talwar. Vijay Mandal and Rajkumar were domestic helps who worked and lived in Noida. All were known to Hemraj.
The charge,the all-clear
The three were arrested by CBI in 2008 for the double murders but were let off for want of evidence. A khukri was found in Krishnas room,which appeared to have bloodstains,but the CFSL said there seemed to be no human DNA on it. Hemrajs blood was also said to have been found on a pillow and pillow cover found in Krishnas room,but CDFD later said it was a typographical error. The CBI said they gave varying statements,so nothing could be established conclusively.
Far from Noida
Krishna and Rajkumar returned home to Nepal. Vijay Mandal is in Jharkhand.
From blind case to no outsider could have done it
2008
May 16: Aarushi found dead in bedroom of Talwar flat in Noida. In complaint to police,Rajesh alleges domestic help Hemraj killed her and fled. FIR registered
May 17: Hemrajs body found on terrace of Talwar house
May 22: Family under suspicion,honour-killing angle probed
May 23: Rajesh arrested. Meerut zone IG Gurdarshan Singh claims Rajesh flew into rage after Aarushi and Hemraj were found in objectionable but not compromising position
June 1: CBI takes over probe
June 13: Rajeshs compounder Krishna is arrested by CBI
June 26: CBI declares it a blind case
June 27: Raj Kumar,domestic help of a Talwar friend,arrested
July 11: Rajesh is set free after CBI fails to present evidence against him. Vijay Mandal,domestic help of Talwar neighbour,arrested
2009
September: Hyderabad CFSL reports that much of physical evidence lifted from crime scene and Aarushi vaginal sample were damaged
2010
January 5: CBI moves court to conduct narco test on Talwars
December 29: CBI files case closure report. Says Rajesh is prime suspect but not enough evidence to file chargesheet
2011
January 25: Rajesh is attacked in court premises
February 9: Court rejects CBI closure report. Says Talwars must be tried for murder
2012
March 14: CBI asks court to cancel Rajesh bail
April 30: Nupur surrenders in CBI court,sent to judicial custody
May 24: Talwars charged with murder and destruction of evidence
May 25: Talwars plead not guilty to charges,trial to begin on June 4
July 25: Talwars produce report stating that weapon used for blows on head and slits on necks could have been made by a khukri.
August 30: Retired DSP K K Gautam claims he was asked by Dr Sushil Choudhary,a friend of Dr Dinesh Talwar,to ensure there was no mention of rape in Aarushi post-mortem report
September 25: Nupur released on bail
2013
January 2: Two prosecution witnesses a painter and a security guard claim Rajesh wanted to remove iron grills outside main entrance and balcony,paint wooden panel that separated Aarushi room from that of parents
April 9: Dr Mohinder Singh Dahiya,Director of Institute of Forensic Science,claims victims were attacked in Aarushis bedroom,no outsider could have committed the crime
April 22: AGL Kaul tells court he wanted to chargesheet Rajesh and Nupur but seniors in CBI told him to file closure report
June 18: Seven of 13 defence witnesses allowed to record statements
Sept 16: London-based forensic expert Andre Semikhodski points out irregularities in DNA evidence
October 10: Final arguments begin
November 12: Arguments conclude
November 25: Rajesh and Nupur held guilty
The slips in the investigation
On May 16-17,2008,the Noida police did not cordon off the crime scene. Journalists,neighbours and bystanders were allowed to walk into the bedroom where Aarushis body was found and the terrace where Hemrajs body was discovered.
No dog squad was called when the bodies of Aarushi and Hemraj were discovered on May 16 and May 17.
On May 16,policemen noticed that the lock on the terrace door had bloodstains on it. For want of a key,the door wasnt forced open. Had the police done so,Hemrajs body would have been discovered the same day.
On the terrace,police said a water cooler panel was used to try and hide Hemrajs body. Though this was one reason for adding the destruction of evidence charge,the panel was never seized for forensic examination.
After Aarushis body was taken for cremation,the flat was washed and cleaned in the presence of police personnel.
The site plan that Noida police made was a rough one. No draftsman was called for a map drawn to scale. Maps of the house with the Noida police and CBI were different.
The surgical scalpel of the Talwars,central to the CBI case,was never recovered nor asked for.
Three glasses found in Hemrajs room,right next to two liquor bottles,were not seized by Noida police. When CDFD,Hyderabad examined the vaginal swabs sent to them by the Noida district hospital,the swabs did not match Aarushis DNA.
Only four photographs of the crime scene on May 16 were produced in court.
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