Regressive,crude

As a rule, says Sherlock Holmes,the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be. What to make of the Central Bureau of Investigations chargesheet in the Sister Abhaya murder case? In 1992,Sister Abhaya was found dead in her convent in Kottayam,and the CBI was entrusted with solving the case. It alleges that two priests were having an affair with Sister Sephy,a nun from the same convent,and the three were caught by Sister Abhaya. She was,they say,murdered to ensure her silence. But this is what the CBI argues,in its July 2009 chargesheet,is rock-solid proof of Sister Sephys involvement: her anatomy descriptions of her breasts,to be exact. Crude,ignorant,bizarre? That is Indias premier investigation agency for you. The sexist,out-of-the-line slurs against a woman still innocent under the law and even if guilty,entitled to her dignity are despicable and must be quickly retracted. It is shocking that Indias supposedly best sleuths are captive to a regressive notion of modesty that so casually lists such indications of sexual behaviour,and then automatically offers them as proof of unlawful acts.

But as Holmes points out,such bizarre sexism,bad science and perversions might have a less mysterious explanation: sheer incompetence. And its not just the ineptitude of the CBI officer who prepared the chargesheet who besides being reprimanded,must also be pulled up for slander. Its also systemic bungling. Which superior officer cleared this lang-uage? And if there was no oversight,then why not? The CBI has long been accused of political machinations. This newspaper has detailed the double-speak of the CBI,while listening carefully to its masters voice. But the CBIs work so far in the Sister Abhaya case shows that,even thinking for itself,these are the ideas it comes up with!

Tempting as it is to dismiss the language of the chargesheet as the one-off delusions of a perverse mind,the problem seems to be more systemic. It is hoped that the CBI occasionally listens to what it ends up saying,and asks why.