One of this writer’s associates met this boy in custody and took stock of the whole incident. The story goes like this: The girl in question is one of not-so-good-conduct and had been going out with this boy for quite some time, and on this particular day, as usual they were together for long, till 11 pm. They together went to the boy’s place and they drugged themselves, and both fell asleep on the same bed.

The following day she woke up, surprised, because she was to go back to her hostel the previous day. Somehow, she managed to get back to her hostel the same morning, but the hostel authorities denied entry and asked her to bring her parents. With no other way out, she described the whole story to her parents. They, having had a lot of trouble with this girl’s lifestyle, found an opportunity in this boy. They deliberately framed a case and cornered him.

It is indeed two contradicting versions of the same story. For a simple reader, these stories could sound as ‘convenient versions’, as to defend their positions. These stories raise a couple of questions:

If we go by the girl’s story, why did she go to a bachelor’s place alone and shared a drink with him that too at an inappropriate time?

From the boy’s point of view, how come he found it acceptable to take an acquaintance to his place and share drinks with drugs?

Would she have gone back to her parents and reported it to them, if her hostel authorities had given her the permission to enter hostel the following day?

If the whole course of events had gone unnoticed, wouldn’t these two have continued this practice?

How is it alright for her parents, if she is married to the same boy who had allegedly raped her? Is it honour marriage or is such a marriage be successful in the long run?

Unless there is enough backing from her family, would she have gone to this extent?

Looking at the boy’s version of the incident, it doesn’t sound that the family is trying to regain the reputation of the family, which had long been affected by the inappropriate lifestyle of the girl?

There is something wrong with both the parties involved. Since the case has something to do with alleged sex, both the parties are bound to feel the pinch. But from a humanitarian point of view, the boy, who suffered the most humiliating experience from the police and the media, deserves a little consideration.

Primarily and circumstantially, this is not a rape case. This is a case of loose lifestyle practices and its eerie aftermaths. The boy should have had the reason to realise the consequences of drugging, and the girl should have been girl enough not to be in such company. And now if the marriage between the two parties is a solution to this problem, what precedent does it create in the call centre/BPO employment environs?

Thousands of brilliant boys and girls are working in BPOs 24x7. And the safety of their working environments should in no way be allowed to be threatened either by a pair of stray employees like ones in question or by the insensitive and irresponsible media that feed on the misfortunes of the victims.

Let’s look at future proposition.

If the real story gets unfolded in the court, and the boy is proved to be partly responsible for the crime, who is going to compensate the loss of face he had suffered?

How come the media is able to air video footages of a reputed call centre employee without ascertaining the veracity of the charges?

Is media going to be accountable to this boy, if the court finds both the parties responsible and guilty?

Will this girl be given the same video and media coverage at that time or she will go scot-free?

So is it not right to say that the media’s behaviour is outrageous and atrocious? Media houses have had their pound of flesh from this case. Who feels the pinch? Who is hunter and who gets hunted?

It is high time we had a legal regime to bring visual media accountability and rein in the media, which tarnishes the individuals and their fortunes on the grounds of media responsibility. There should be a system to keep the identity of the arrested accused confidential till he or she is proved guilty. Otherwise, cases like this, like Aarushi murder case, will surface again and media and its manipulators would have field days prying on the lives of both the accused and the acquitted.