The Guilt debate

Prologue: Bones in the Drain It began with a stench. An unbearable, lingering rot that hovered over House D5, Sector 31, Noida. On December 29, 2006, police unearthed the unimaginable — skeletal remains of children buried near the home of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher. What started as a missing child case turned into one of India’s most horrifying tales of serial killings, cannibalism, and bureaucratic apathy. Nithari wasn’t just a location anymore. It became a metaphor for horror. Act I: The Vanishing Children For over a year, children had been disappearing in the Nithari village slums. Poor families lodged FIRs, begged the police to take action — but their pleas were dismissed. "They’ve run away," the police insisted. But the parents knew better. Act II: Discovery of Dread On a cold December day in 2006, the police searched the drain behind House D5. What they found: Over 70 bones Skulls, clothes, shoes, and broken bangles DNA that matched at least...

Prologue: A Night of Glamour Turns Fatal It was May 29, 1999. At a high-end socialite party in Delhi’s Tamarind Court restaurant, model Jessica Lal was manning an unlicensed bar for a friend. The night was sparkling, alcohol flowing, music pumping, Delhi’s elite gossiping. Around 2 a.m., a young man in a white shirt demanded a drink. Jessica politely refused. The bar was closed. What followed next shook the nation: the man, angered by the refusal, pulled out a pistol and shot her point-blank in the head. The man vanished into the night. The Suspect: Manu Sharma — A Politician’s Son Soon after, the identity of the alleged killer surfaced: Manu Sharma, son of influential Congress politician Vinod Sharma. Eyewitnesses claimed they saw him fire the shot. But no gun was recovered, no forensic link. With power and money on his side, Manu’s road to justice was twisted, muddy, and almost successful — at evading punishment. The Investigation: A Murder Buried Beneath Influence The...