Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has weighed in on the public anger surrounding the brutal murder cases of Raja Raghuvanshi and Saurabh Rajput, allegedly orchestrated by their wives Sonam Raghuvanshi and Muskan Rastogi, respectively. In a recent interview, Akhtar admitted he felt “mixed emotions” about the national response to these cases.‘Why no outrage when women are burnt alive?’Commenting on the selective sensitivity of society, Akhtar pointed out a stark double standard. “These two women got their husbands killed and the society is shaken. Then there are women who are burnt alive every other day… They are beaten every day. Then the society is not outraged?” he asked.He argued that while violence by women stirs shock and condemnation, the persistent abuse faced by countless women across the country is often met with silence.‘Society is shameless when it comes to men’s crimes’Akhtar didn’t hold back as he slammed the hypocrisy. According to him, when men have committed brutalities against women for generations, the outrage has been limited or entirely missing. “Bada besharam hai samaaj. Do auroton ne murder kiye toh chauk para… aur jo mard uspe zaarti kar rahe hain uspe uski joo nahi rengti,” he told NDTV, calling out the social bias.He also urged investigators to look into whether the women involved were coerced into their marriages. He questioned whether young women in small towns even have the autonomy to say no to matrimonial arrangements, hinting at deeper societal pressures at play.
Background on the twin murder casesOn June 2, Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was discovered in a gorge near Cherrapunji, Meghalaya. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, later surrendered to the police. Investigations revealed that she allegedly conspired with her lover Raj Kushwaha and hired three men to kill her husband just two weeks into their honeymoon.In another chilling case, Muskan Rastogi is accused of murdering her husband Saurabh Rajput with the help of her lover, Sahil Shukla, in March. The duo allegedly dismembered his body and concealed the remains inside a cement-filled drum.
