I don’t know why the Abhishek Kasliwal story has disturbed me so much but it has. Every time I hear his name or I read another article in the papers I am filled with a deep sense of horror & grief. It just seems to be to be nothing but Evil in it’s purest form.
Abhishek was first picked up for the the rape of a 52 year old woman, who said he raped her four times in his car in the compound of Shriram Mills, which the Kasliwal family owns, in Worli. This was just five days ago, March 12th.
Then came Stephanie Jordan who testified that Kasliwal often picked up prostitutes but failed to pay them.
With her was Dilip Shetty, who also knew Kasliwal, and had accused him of previous instances of drug and sexual abuse. He says Kasliwal & friends often had sex with him (a homosexual) and many instances were against his will.
Then, two days ago, another woman, a young call centre employee came forth with the accusation that she too had been sexually assaulted by Kasliwal and his friends three weeks ago at the Mumbai Pune Expressway where she had been dumped naked.
Obviously this is a pattern that Abhiskek Kasliwal and his friends are used to. To commit such acts in such a short span of time makes me wonder how many others he has raped or not paid for prostitution are still out there. It makes me wonder at what age he started these things.
And it makes me wonder what could possibly make a 26 year old boy commit such horrific acts… Is it because as the heir to the Shriram Mills he has always had more money than he could possibly need? That he needed new highs - that all the drugs & group sex couldn’t give him?
Is it because he knows that daddy has so much power that nothing he can do can ever affect him negatively (indeed daddy Kasliwal has come foward “my son is innocent”, surprise, surprise). Did his friends too have the same security - that the Kasliwal name & money would save them from any trouble - while they gang raped women?
What is really disturbing to me is however that this is not an isolated incident. There are so many Kasliwals out here. I (unfortunately) know some guys with probably 10 times less wealth, who also booze, dope & sleep around, all on their daddy’s money. Mercifully they haven’t assaulted any women. Not that I know of anyway.
One friend once told me that I was living in a bubble. That I didn’t know what really went around in the world around me. I am now inclined to believe him. I am also inclined to get back into my bubble. To be as good as I can be, lead as good a life as I can lead and not get affected by the pure evil all around.
Am I a coward for wanting this? In this corrupt country we live in, I know no other way. I know that I, an ordinary citizen, can never ask for justice against the big-wigs. I know that to do so, would only be trouble for me.
I am absolutely certain that justice will not be served in the Abhishek Kasliwal case. What indeed is justice in his case? Certain Asian countries say that justice for drug users/suppliers & sexual molestors is the death penalty. But we are not from those countries. We are from a country that lets Manu Sharmas walk scott free after shooting someone in the head in a room full of witnesses.
Jai Bharat? Only if your dad’s an MP or a wealthy industrialist.
Update, 20th March: Read this. Excerpt:
Dr. S Malini, a forensic psychologist, said the men told her: “Please manipulate the results and certify Abhishek as innocent. His family’s reputation and pride has taken a beating. The scientific tests have a lot of credibility and people will trust the report.”
Despite all the paper headlines we read in March stating “No Bail for Kasliwal” here’s an Update, 19th April:
Abhishek Kasliwal, the son of a leading city industrialist, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court Tuesday in the case of allegedly raping a 52-year-old woman at a textile mill here last month. The court granted Kasliwal bail for Rs.50,000 and asked him not to leave Mumbai without its permission.
Kasliwal is accused of raping the woman March 11 in his car at the Shriram Mills compound. He had offered the victim a lift to Mumbai Central railway station, but instead drove her to the mill and allegedly assaulted her there. A lie detector and brain-mapping test were conducted on Kasliwal March 19 at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Bangalore
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March 17th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Sick b*****d. You’re right Mel. In this country money talks. You got enough? You’re above the law. Sorry, you are the law.
March 17th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
@Mel
They should be shot dead or electrocuted. Some may argue that is against Humanity, but this kind of capital punishment will bring down the crime rate by large amount. And they deserve it for dis-respecting the women.
There was this incident in Bangalore recently where a cab driver had raped a lady who was a call centre employee of HP(he was supposed to take her safely to office). He raped her and slit her throat. Whom do you trust?
Its not just you that live in a bubble. We all do.
But please do not dis-respect our country(ur last line). (Just my opinion)
I am still proud to be Indian (despite all this). Jai Bharat!
March 18th, 2006 at 11:06 am
Well, the good part is that most of the time, people pay for their deeds right here on Earth, at a very high cost for others. But ultimately, good usually prevails over evil. So have faith in the power of good.
March 18th, 2006 at 11:52 am
‘Innocent until proven guilty’ or is it ‘Guilty until proven innocent’? If he is guilty punish him to the maximum extent. But what if he is being framed for his money or business rivalry? I’m not defending anyone, but isn’t that possible?
Look, if I sleep with a woman, with her mutual consent and tomorrow she files a case of rape against me. What do you think will happen? I will get arrested regardless of what I did or didn’t do. And if I’m famous I will be forever branded as a ‘rapist’.
Again, if someone does commit something as horrific as rape, they should be punished, by all means!
Lot of people smoke, booze, etc. but that does not mean they are evil or morally lesser than the ones who don’t. Even God does not choose to judge a man until the end of his days, why should you and I?
Mera Bharat Mahan, bhooka nanga Hindustan, 100 mein se 99 baiman, phir bhi Mera Bharat Mahan!
March 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Well we are all proud to be indians, but are we really proud of our fellow Indians? If Mr K is guilty, he should be punished. But your observation on the psyche behind such henious acts in interesting. Is it the power of money that gives the rich freedom to commit such acts? Just because money will collude with politicians, who’ll collude with cops and let the culprit run free on ground of some technicality…sad story.
I will not delve into the discussion on whether Mr. K will finally be released, its too early for that.
And all of us are scared..it may be one thing to think but acting is impossible, that s why most of us prefer our bubbles. We know that we wont be allowed to survive if we raise our voice against what’s going on.
But then, how? How does a nation of nincompoops stand up to such acts? Silent protests, candlelight vigils, press, media…
does this make a difference? Honestly, my dear, i don’t think these people give a damn….
mera bharat mahan..lekin mere bharatwasi? no comments!
March 18th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Money rules everywhere. It isn’t too long since Jessica Lal case happened. How can we ever be sure to fight against these bigshots? Where is justice in this country which is said to be for the people, by the people? A shame on our country!
March 18th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
I see enough of us around to make a difference so why cant we do something about this. I know I’m going to be criticised for this but this is what I have noticed of most Indians including myself is that we take a lot of bullshit lying down without ever standing up for ourselves. And to make matters worse we are selfish, so selfish that the best we ever do is complain. I love my country and hate to hear these kind of incidents being common place so now its time to think about how I can change it.
March 19th, 2006 at 12:50 am
I want to start replying to all your comments with the same line I started with - I don’t know why the Abhishek Kasliwal story has disturbed me so much but it has.
I am a writer & that’s what I do, I write. When I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m just plain mellow (excuse the bad pun here). Writing this piece was my way of letting go of some of the anger & the pain (& the fear?) I had built up on the inside of me as I was following this case which is less than a week old now. I honestly felt better when I wrote it. Maybe it was my way of getting out of that bubble & doing something - something small perhaps, I just posted it here on my blog & on Desicritics (a South Asian blog I write for) - but standing up for what you feel & voicing your opinion against injustice is never small, right?
When I wrote the last line (the one with the ‘Jai Bharat?’ in it) I actually thought for a second that I should mention somewhere how much I love India lest someone mistakenly thinks I’m dissing the country I live in. But the truth is I was and I am disappointed in India. It’s always hurts more when someone or something you trust in & love hurts you or lets you down. And that’s how I feel. I feel let down by the justice system. I can understand where dev & Jo are coming from - I was there when I wrote this piece.
One thing I’ve always loved about India is that it is a land of religion. It is a land where people value morals. Where they respect their parents. Where they respect their tools & their trade. Where they are devout in their spirituality regardless of their religion. Perhaps this case hit home the fact that not everyone in this country is like that ideal Indian citizen I’d like to believe we are. Perhaps Ashish is right, perhaps I’m not so disappointed in the country as much as I am in my countrymen.
I am edified by your comments though. By the patriotism (thanks Harsha), by the positivism (thanks Slogan & Rohit) and even by the reminder not to judge anyone (thanks Van; a supposed Christian like me shouldn’t ever forget that one).
The Bible teaches us to respect our law and the people who rule over us (kings in those days, governments in ours). I’ve not been a very good Christian here. Thanks again Slo for reminding me to have faith.
I read once, “don’t look at the problem, look at the problem solver”. Let our system take it course. I have (now renewed!) faith, that regardless of human verdict, that justice will prevail (on earth or maybe beyond it) since good has & will always conquer evil.
Be blessed,
Melody
March 19th, 2006 at 9:11 am
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men/women to do nothing”(don’t remember who quoted it). I wish the girl that got assaulted at the railway station pressed charges on the same day. This way another sexual assault could have been prevented and the bodily evidence present on her could have been used in the court of law. Right now it’s her word against his and the accused could get off with a judicial technicality. however because of the trauma the girl has been through I would’nt blame her for not coming forward and I am not in a position to judge her.
Remember if this kind of behavior prevails among the oligarchy class, the masses would eventually be fed up and say this is enough ,and a revolution would take place, eg: French revolution, Iranian revolution. In recent years these kind of revolutions are taking place in most countries of South America. Let’s hope things don’t go that far.
March 19th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
The Bible teaches us to respect our law and the people who rule over us (kings in those days, governments in ours). I’ve not been a very good Christian here.
The true Christian always question and act against the evils in the society, system, government, religion etc. Because that’s what Christ did. Remember his debates with the priests, Mary Magdalene incident, revolting against the then government (for a cause, ofcourse) etc?
Just obeying the system and Government blindly is not Christian nature, I guess. So what you have mentioned in this post is Christian. There is nothing wrong with that and no need to turn otherwise.
Good just do not prevail over evil if there is no necessary action.
Just my thoughts.
March 19th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
Don’t think this will be the birth of any revolution… perhaps wrt the slum situation that may take place..?? Anyway, that’s a whole different problem.
@ Jo: Yes Jo, Christ did speak out against the evil in the system prevailent then, yet He too respected the law & obeyed it. I guess if we can do something to change what we perceive an evil in something, we should. Otherwise instead of just complaining we should go to higher authorities (i.e. through prayer).
That’s why I said I was not a good Christian - I just complained, lost faith a little, I hadn’t prayed about all of this, I just let it worry me unnecessarily. Not doing any of that anymore.
March 19th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
You are right .Even I feel frustrated at the events .KAsliwal will walk away free .Whats a few crorec exchanged with Pliticians and the court will say “the woman was a whore , who did it for money. The political scene in this country has gone down to gutters . Be it Jessica Lals or for that matter any case where the sons of ministers / industrialists or people with reach to “DELHI” exist , you can forget justice or punishment for such people. Yes there are many Kasliwal’s stlaiking the streets of Mu,abi, who will continue to RAPE coz they know daddy will tallke care of the whole thing,
Shameless Sr. Kasliwal saying “Ahishek is Innocent” , should fear th ehigher power.
But my friend Kasliwals will continue to rape prostitutes and innocent girls , they will continue to RAPE the law with the help and blessings of their POWERFULL bigwigs and get away with all this . You and me cannnot do any thoing about it.
We will, continue with our frustrations.
Sau mai say 90% beimaan phir bhi mera Bharat Mahaan.
They have raped Bharat mata.
and she cant do nyhting about it.
Don’t despair . Try to live with the reality.
Even if you try to be a hero , you will be be in deep trouble ,
gOOD luck
Bhushan
March 20th, 2006 at 10:21 am
I agree with Van. U never know if the guy has been framed. The movie ‘Aitraaz’ hits the nail on the head when it delinates the story of an innocent employee charged with attempt at rape by his boss’s wife. The wwhole world believes the ‘victim’ and throws flak at the employee. His wife who is his lawyer proves to the world that he was framed. If she hadn’t, he’d either be rotting in prison on wud be hanged. Of course, that’s just a movie but it can happen in real life. Like Van said, the girl might sleep with the man out of her own will and if she files a case agaisnt him, medical reports will prove he slept with her. She just has to make some cuts on her body and shout out loud that she was raped by him.
March 20th, 2006 at 11:19 am
hey…
I think your line of thought needs some direction. hey its not india or Pakistan or USA criminals are there everywhere, power and
influence as well work in all countries so dont feel very bad about being in India, if you do then better have guts to act on it and try and improve it. Regarding this Kasliwal case I am a believer of law and have faith in Indian court judgements. Honestly the 52 year old woman soudns like a dubious character and Kasliwal seems to be trapped in it, Well who the hell do i think i am,,, that s the same question you need to ask yourself because media only is interested in selling they dont care a damn about truth or false…
cheers
March 20th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
Melody I think these kind of problems exist all over the world and not just in India. These kind of problems exist even in a model nation such as U.S. However unlike India everything here is hushed up and not publicized, that is the accused( who is rich) buys out the victim(they settle out of court by paying the victim huge sums of money), There are rogue cops out here too,check out the LAPD rampant scandal, and yes politicians do take bribes and is pretty much legalized matter out here( soft money).
As far as “good winning over the bad” or “bad winning over the good” that is just a cliché and no one as ever done a satistical analysis on who wins over whom. However, although evil exists, I know there is good out there and pretty sure you and I have seen it, but remember good deeds never make it to the evening news.
Also Jesus said obey the law of the government ,but not the evil law. Example: During his time stoning an adulterer was the law, then why did he stop Mary Magdalene from being stoned. Most of the saints, christian martyrs got persucted for their beliefs, their beliefs were against the law of the day, yet they opposed the law and got themselves killed. The last time people blindly followed the law 3 million Jews got massacred and 1 million Armenians got killed. If Indians such as Gandhi blindly followed the law would India still be independent?.
As far as justice in the Kasliwal case, if Junior Kasliwal is innocent( isn’t that what his father claims) his papas money will definitely get him out of jail. If junior Kasliwal is guilty of the crimes he committed don’t worry papa Kasliwal will still get him out of jail, but remember Papa Kaliwal still knows Junior Kasliwal is guilty. If Papa Kasliwal knows his son is guilty,do you think Papa Kasliwal would still be proud of his son knowing that his son is an alcoholic, drug addict, solicits sex from postitutes, is a rapist, gets involved in group sex orgies and is also a bisexual. Do you think papa Kasliwal would feel confident to see his son run his business. The way his son is behaving it seems like he is going to bankrupt his father soon. Papa Kasliwal money can get his son out of Jail but can his money redeem his son from all the vices. Can his money get him a model son that he could be proud of ?.Isn’t that enough Justice !!
March 20th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
This crime on women is just increasing in Mumbai, the other fresh incident is the one at Mira-Rd. where the rape accused Amit Das has a history of sexual abuse.
Will this crime aganist women ever stop???
Is it only the one’s who actually committ the rape are the culprits then what about the incedent during holi when the cops caught 125 perverts who used the balloons to harass women at Versova, some of these perverts taunted a girl with lewd comments, before pelting her private parts with well-aimed water balloons.
Why cant we respect women? She may be someones mother or sister.
But what is the solution to this problem?
I know we can over come this crime with just to teaching of Jesus Christ.
a) You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit
adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a
woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart”.
b)”The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are
good, your whole body will be full of light.But if your
eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
If only men treated women like a sister/mother this place will be a better place to live in.
God Bless,
Derek
March 20th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
As I said before, money rules…
Kudos to the doc for not bowing to their demands… but this is only the beginning. The frickin’ guy is just gonna walk free. This one incident has come to light, wonder how many are going on behind the scenes? Not everyone is like Dr. Malini. They’ll only be eager to please… I wouldn’t be surprised if some crucial evidence goes missing before the trial, if there is any. Then we’ll have a public hue and cry for a few days, media coverage, public rallies, the works. And then it’ll all die down in a few days. As usual.
March 21st, 2006 at 12:12 am
@ Aparna: “the girl might sleep with the man out of her own will and if she files a case agaisnt him, medical reports will prove he slept with her”
Yes, you’re right. But they can also prove by certain methods of checking penetration etc if violence was involved. This is only helpful if the victim is present for a medical examination soon after the rape & a whole rape testing is done.
@ Rahul:
(01) I agree with you there’s evil everywhere - unfortunately that provides little relief.
(02)“… the 52 year old woman soudns like a dubious character and Kasliwal seems to be trapped in it..” Agree with the first part - not so sure of that the 52 yr old babe is telling the whole truth - My take is she probably wanted to sleep with him for the money & he raped her & didn’t pay - I’m not a psychic so I can VERY WELL BE WRONG but just my op at this point. Waiting and seeing how things turn out.
(03) “Also Jesus said obey the law of the government ,but not the evil law” Agree with you. Pls. read my reply to Jo on the 19th
Lastly (04) “Papa Kasliwal… Can his money get him a model son that he could be proud of ?.Isn’t that enough Justice !!”
Sorry, in my op, a father not being proud of his son is sad but it’s not justice for a son who’s a rapist - a gang rapist at that - and someone who’s used to sexually abusing men and women. If all these things are true about Kasliwal, his father’s not being proud of him is not going to cut it for me.
@ Derek: Yes have been reading the news & all the headlines. Thx for the Word of God.
@ dev: Completely agree with you. The way they left her alone so peacefully, you have to wonder what other avenues they’re trying? Anyway, as you said, kudos to Doc Malini. May your prediction (& mine) about the outcome of this case not come true.
March 21st, 2006 at 2:06 am
what justice ?. What happend to if someone slaps you on the left cheek, show him your right cheek. Forget justice what Abishek Kaislwal and his victims need are prayers. Prayers for Abishek so he can mend his way and get the lost sheep back to its shephard and for his victims for the trauma they have been through. God Bless India.
March 28th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
He should be hanged alright.
But the only thing I can’t figure out it why did somebody who was supposedly so rich and maybe famous too, make a run for a 52-year old.
It is disturbing to hear news like this, but these days it has become so common place. Every other day, literally, there is a big headline like that.
What makes men so mean, I will never know.
April 3rd, 2006 at 5:49 pm
From what has been mentioned, it is obvious that people are trying
to cash in and get as much money as possible from kasliwal. Prostitutes
who do not go through pimps face the problem of not getting paid by
the customers after the act or customers paying less than what was
expected or promised. This is a risk of the trade just like in any
other trade like restaurants where people sometimes do not pay
the full amount of the bill. This definitely cannot be equated to
rape if the right sense prevails. Maybe the assault of the person
can be a charge under some commercial dispute(if prostitution is legal ).
Otherwise, both the prostitute and the patron have to be charged
for indulging in an illegal act.
April 4th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
A.S. Kasliwal passes away
Our Bureau
NEW DELHI, April 8
THE former President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Mr A.S. Kasliwal, passed away today.
In a statement issued here, the Chamber mourned the passing away of its former President.
In his long career as an industrialist, Mr Kasliwal turned the family business he headed into one of the household names in the country, the chamber said. S. Kumar’s Group became an industrial conglomerate with interests in textiles, energy, information technology, e-commerce and leisure under his guidance. Taking advantage of the liberalisation, introduced post 1991-92, S. Kumar’s Group was the first private sector company to set up a hydel power plant in Madhya Pradesh.
————————————-
http://www.thehindubusinesslin.....510500.htm
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Well What was not enisaged at that time was that a Rapist was growing up from within the family and I guess that is also one of the achievements of the Family. Incidently Mr. abhishek kasliwal is the Grandson of mr AS Kasliwal who is mentioned above in the obituary.
Also worth Mentioning is that One Of Mr abishek kasliwals Aunts is married to mr Birla the ChairmanOf the aditya Birla group. What a shame the stinking semen has smeared all the big and mighty.
April 7th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Absolutely correct observations. In a corrupt society, money can buy everything.
Let me give you an example where money won over everything. Last year or so, a famous movie Telugu actor Balakrishna, shot (with an unlicensed pistor) his producer and a astrlogist in an inebriated condition in his own house. If I remember correctly, the doctors had to remove the liver from the astrologist’s body. Do you know what happened to the case? Balakrishna was let off. Now he is a rage in a movie crazy Telugu-nadu.
Now what do you call it? subversion of justice? Money power? every one knows Balakrishna used his pisto and shot his victims. If this were any other developed nation (remember what happened to Michael Jackson?), this culprit would have been behind bars for life! But in India, it is different. Now this guy Balakrishna is scot free and running around trees with heriones (half his age) in movies. This India! God Bless Us!!!
April 15th, 2006 at 2:49 am
THIS IS FOR ALL THOSE WHO THINK ABHISHEK KASLIWAL IS GUILTY.
To begin with i would like you to know that i do in no way know abhishek kasliwal
my conclusions have been drawn purely on the basis of the same papers you all have probably read.
a) abhiskek kasliwal is accused of rape.
b) a couple of days later this boy comes along and says that he too was raped by kasliwal.
Point you all seemed to miss
the boy was a close friend of the lady who has accused kasliwal.
now what are the chances that in a city like bombay anybody let alone kasliwal manages to rape a
2 people WELL known to each other by sheer coincidence???
check bombays population and you’ll see what im talking about..
also the woman herself stated that she used to frequent bars and was low on money.
she also said that she sat in his car and also accepted drinks from him in the car.
Now i dont know any woman who will want to sit with any unknown man in a car at 4am and then accept ALCOHOL from him. Nobody seems to remember thar he used a condom while having sex with her.
What i cant seem to figure is how being in the back seat of a small sedan one can possibly put on a condom while trying to restrain somebody….NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.
So what if he brought women to his mills. Where else does he take them?? Home??
The boy was still living with his parents and they wouldn’t be pleased if he brought home different
woman home evry few nights…nobody’s parents would let alone those with massive public reputation at stake.
And about that girl who is a BPO executive.
She also claims to have sat in his car so that they could go get drugs together.
She claims she was raped on the bombay pune expressway.
Its dangerous to drive there at night and most of the day if you dont have full control because of
the heavy cargo trucks plying on that route.
I dare anybody reading this to try and have voluntary intercourse on that route….and then go figure
how plausible involuntary sex is.
Consider this now… this 53 year old goes with him to his mills…realises he’s a rich guy..
she being low on money realises that this could be an opportunity and halfway through asks for money
so he loses it…she may have threatened him…he lost it and they had a fight.
ALL this considering she isn’t a hooker.
And SPECIALLY for you MELODY…
your friend is probably right to claim that u live in a bubble.
a few months ago a friend of mine offered a lift to this girl WHO seemed decently well off and once safely on the way she unbuttoned her shirt button and her pants and told him that if he didn’t pay up Rs 2000 she would
scream molestaion and attempted rape..
WOMEN AREN’T ALWAYS THE VICTIMS.
PS if anybody has found a an incorrectly stated fact or wrongly arrived conclusion please please let me know.
July 15th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
angad, you are a sick man and typical Indian. Kasliwal is guilty as charged. He raped the woman
4 times and not only once and he broke her hand. Have you red what the first reader told as, about
about raping women together with his friends, taking drugs and drinking. Do you think for one
minute that this guy is normal? P l e a s e !!