The Aarushi Talwar Murder Case: A Case Study of Prejudice and Class Bias in Indian Society

The 2008 Aarushi Talwar murder case is still regarded as one of India's most notorious criminal investigations because it revealed pervasive class prejudices and to date remains unresolved. Aarushi Talwar, 13, and Hemraj Banjade, 45, the family's domestic servant, were the two victims at the centre of the case. However, the huge differences in how the police, media, and general public saw, looked into, and talked about these two people expose long-standing biases against the working class, especially domestic workers.

Aarushi was discovered dead in her Noida, India, bedroom on May 16, 2008. Hemraj, the family's live-in domestic servant, was initially suspected. But his own body was found on the terrace of the Talwar house the very next day. A disorganised and intensely contentious inquiry ensued, tainted by media sensationalism, police ineptitude, and shifting narratives that mirrored society's biases.

The case took several turns: Dr. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, the parents, were charged, detained, found guilty, and then found not guilty. Police leaks, moral assessments of Aarushi's personality, and overt class discrimination—particularly in treating Hemraj—were the investigation's defining features. Hemraj's murder was mainly an afterthought, with his identity reduced to that of a "servant" rather than a victim who likewise deserved justice. Still, Aarushi's death was met with shock and sympathy.

The police’s casual treatment of Hemraj’s disappearance and the subsequent discovery of his body highlights a hierarchy of human worth. Had he been of a higher social class, the police might have treated his absence with more urgency. Instead, they treated him as a mere employee, whose murder was secondary to the crime against Aarushi.

The Role of the Media: Cultivating Class Divisions

The case was sensationalised by the media, which frequently exacerbated preexisting class biases. Aarushi's life, friendships, and rumours about her relationships were the main topics of news coverage. Even while it was problematic in and of itself, Aarushi's moral policing helped to keep her in the public eye. However, Hemraj was frequently an anonymous or hardly recognised victim.

Hemraj's name was hardly featured in the headlines that cried out for Aarushi's murder. The fact that he was referred to as a “Nepali servant” further alienated him. There were overt racial and class stereotypes in the conversations around his supposed "affair" with Aarushi or her mother. It wasn't evaluated impartially; rather, the whole notion that a domestic worker could have relationships with an employer's family was presented as scandalous.

India's ingrained caste and class prejudices are reflected in the glaring disparity between Aarushi and Hemraj's media treatment. Hemraj was mainly perceived as a “servant,” a designation that seemed to obscure his humanity, but Aarushi was perceived as a victim, a daughter, and a student.

Systemic classism was further exposed by the deficient police inquiry. Simply put, carelessness tainted the crime scene. Important evidence was lost, and Hemraj's body was handled in a very heartless manner. He had a delayed and subpar forensic analysis and post-mortem. The fact that it took so long to find his body at all indicates that the police did not take his disappearance seriously.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the police were unable to produce solid evidence when the case later shifted against Aarushi's parents. Rather, the case was based on conjecture and circumstantial evidence, including antiquated ideas of "honour killing." The Talwars appeared to be the target of the trial because they deviated from accepted social norms rather than because of compelling forensic evidence.

Class prejudice was still visible, though, since the police treated Hemraj's murder with more contempt than they did the Talwars, who were accused of killing their daughter. His family's struggle for justice in Nepal received little media attention, and they were mostly left out of the story.

Overcoming Class Prejudice: An Appeal for Systemic Reform

It should have been possible to challenge the long-standing injustices in Indian society, especially about the treatment of domestic workers, through the Aarushi Talwar case. But even though the case generated a lot of public discussion, the class inequalities it revealed were never really addressed. The greater societal indifference to the working class is reflected in the selective compassion for Aarushi while ignoring Hemraj's story. Class-based discrimination is pervasive in media narratives, institutional practices, and daily social interactions; it is not merely found in the legal system.

India's ingrained class prejudices are reflected in the Aarushi Talwar case, which is more than just a legal enigma. Inequalities that still exist in Indian society are best illustrated by the glaring disparity in the treatment of Aarushi and Hemraj in the media and the legal system. Justice will remain a privilege of the wealthy while the working class is left open to prejudice and disregard as long as our society does not acknowledge and confront these biases.

Hurmat Farooq is pursuing Bachelor’s in Sociology from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Edited by: Sana Faiz

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members