Sheena Bora trial: Indrani’s daughter Vidhie counters CBI’s claim that her parents were in Mumbai in April 2012 for murder

In the day-long proceedings, Vidhie was answering questions put to her on her mother’s behalf, by a lawyer.

“It is correct to say that since 2011 because of my naughtiness and necessity to ensure that my strong cultural bonds and close contacts with my biological father’s (Khanna) side of the family in Kolkata there were talks about moving me to Kolkata International School in Kolkata,” Vidhie said, responding to a question by Indrani’s lawyer Ranjeet Sangle. Vidhie said that initially these discussions took place in the latter half of 2011 and January-April 2012, over Skype, an audio-video communication app, as she, Indrani and Peter, were in the UK.

The CBI claims that the conspiracy to murder Sheena was planned over Skype and that Indrani had travelled to India from the UK and Khanna from Kolkata to execute the plan in April 2012, while Peter remained in the UK, but was also part of the conspiracy. The CBI claims that the main motive for the murder was Indrani and Peter’s disapproval of Sheena’s relationship with Rahul, Peter’s son from his first marriage.

Vidhie claimed on Wednesday that Peter wanted Indrani to deliberate more over the decision to move her to a Kolkata school and hence he booked Indrani’s tickets to India. Indrani, in turn, asked Khanna to come to Mumbai for the discussion, claiming that it was on Peter’s instructions. Vidhie claimed that her schooling was the sole reason for the visit.

Responding to an earlier question, Vidhie had also told the court that Khanna ‘had nothing to do with her’ and others in the Mukerjea family, and also that he had never met Sheena. “He had nothing to do with any of us. As much as it breaks my heart unfortunately even with me. He’s never met Sheena, he’s never met anyone,” Vidhie told court.

She said that “one prominent photo” of Khanna was in her room, along with that of other family members of the Mukerjeas, put by her mother. She claimed that Rahul too knew of Khanna as her biological father and had seen his photograph and spoken about him.

The CBI had claimed that Khanna, Indrani and her then driver Shyamvar Rai–who is now an approver in the case–had killed Sheena on April 24, 2012, after she was dropped in Bandra by Rahul. During his testimony, Rahul told court that while dropping Sheena that evening, he had seen Indrani and a man, who he did not name, but later identified to be Khanna.

Vidhie also claimed that she believed that Sheena was with Rahul ‘at least’ till April 26, 2012, two days after the CBI claims she was murdered. She claimed that after Indrani and Peter’s arrest for the murder, she had conversations with Rahul and during one conversation he had told her that he had later picked her up on April 24, 2012, after dropping her to meet Indrani.

“I asked him a lot of times what happened to Sheena on April 24, 2012 and what happened in the preceding months. After pressing Rahul on it multiple times, he told me that he dropped Sheena to meet my mother and then he picked her back up from where he dropped Sheena on night of April 24, 2012. He specified that he had picked her up from the same place. He said it brazenly that no one would ever know what happened to Sheena or where she went,” she claimed. She also referred to an audio transcript part of the evidence, claimed to be recorded between April 26 and 30, 2012, of a phone call between Rahul and the caretaker of Indrani’s parents’ home in Assam. Vidhie claimed that a small voice heard in the background was that of Sheena, claiming it had an ‘Assamese accent’.

On Tuesday, Vidhie had said that her statements claimed to be taken by Mumbai Police, and the CBI were forged and had denied the contents. She was not declared a hostile witness.

On Tuesday, she had also denied contents of her published book, “Devil’s Daughter”, and on Wednesday also said that the interviews she gave then too were not organised by her and were based on information ‘fed to her’. While the CBI claims that the murder took place over Indrani and Peter’s opposition to Sheena and Rahul’s relationship, Vidhie claimed that there was no dispute over the relationship but that Rahul was into hard drugs and was also putting Sheena under the influence leading to disputes between the family members. She also claimed that contents of a laptop belonging to her mother was deliberately destroyed by a Mukerjea family member, which had the potential to prove her mother’s innocence.

Vidhie also made allegations of a sensitive nature, following which the court had on Wednesday made the proceedings in-camera, for a brief time. The deposition will continue on Thursday.

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