As the chaos settles from the 2020 pandemic and the various political unrests since, 2022 has become mostly an year of retrospect for many until this month, where a variety of major events happen across the Earth which begin to dominate the news cycles, and Indian media isn't excluded from this.
While the convicts in Nirbhaya's case were largely ignored, Aaftab is elaborated upon in almost every article. Shraddha's live-in partner, who after being detained for questioning on the whereabouts of the woman missing for 5 months, confessed to having strangled her to death on May 18th of the same year, and then concealing the murder through detestable means.[4] He already had a history of physically abusing her in the past, as reported by her acquaintances, and is a noted drug addict, even admitting to be under the influence of marijuana during the murder.[5][6] All these factors of course, make him the perfect villain for the public, with stories covering even the most minute details about him, what his faith is, what his political leanings may be, what his hobbies are, and so on and so forth. This interest can also manifest as anti-communal and anti-liberal rants on Twitter.[7]
One has to wonder however, where is Shraddha in all this coverage? She remains mostly in the title as an article may go in length about the gorey treatment of her corpse at the hands of her killer, or it may touch upon her strenuous relationship with her father caused by her cross-religion relationship, the grim irony of which is proudly noted within.[8] There may even be stories about the constant physical and verbal abuse she received, with little to no preface about the difficulties present in a domestic violence situation to those unfamiliar.[5] Fringe groups on Twitter and Instagram have naturally painted Shraddha in a negative light, characterizing her as naïve, with some internet trolls spamming her Instagram account with negative comments attacking her views, personal history and even something as petty as her looks.[9]
All of this is a far cry from Nirbhaya, the nation's daughter as she was named in poems by Sunil Kumar Verma[10], and while context and specifics of the story may initially separate the two cases, both victims are kindred spirits with ambitions and aspirations beyond others' perceptions, and a bright future snatched away from them, be it in one night, or over the course of a year long pandemic while ostracized by her family. Should Shraddha remain a footnote in her death? A prop for the journalist to set the scene? Tabloid media seems to think so, and more than enough people seem satisfied with this answer. In writing this piece, I had to consult multiple sources for an hour just to get a mention of her age, but in every article since day one of this news breaking, I was told the exact number of pieces her body was cut up in.
In 2013, Jyoti Singh was posthumously awarded the International Women of Courage Award, her citation's entry boldly proclaims "for millions of Indian. women, her personal ordeal, perseverance to fight for justice, and her family's continued bravery is helping to lift the stigma and vulnerability that drive violence against women."[11], and on the 17th November of this year, the Union Minister Kaushal Kishore Kumar condemns Shraddha's lifestyle with this statement: "Most of the educated girls are going into these sorts ofp live-in relationships. Lessons should be taken from these incidents and uneducated girls. Those who have been brought up by their parents should stay with someone as per their wishes."[12] What happened in those 9 years may be anyone's guess, but what happened to Shraddha Walkar is known by everyone, even if they don't know her beyond a dead body.
