Hemraj too was a victim, but he is forgotten: Family

NEW DELHI: Reduced to a mere reference point after he was killed along with Aarushi Talwar in 2008, Hemraj Banjade is never accorded the same importance as the deceased daughter of his employers. “It is disturbing to know that CBI and the entire country forget to mention his name as a victim in the closure report. How long do we wait for justice?” asked his son-in-law Jeevan Sharma, who does odd jobs in the capital.“People mostly remember Aarushi Talwar as thevictim. They should also think about Hemraj, who too was brutally murdered. Justbecause he was a domestic help, it does not lessen our loss,” Sharma said.Had ‘Aarushi baby’, as she was fondly called by Hemraj alias YamPrasad Banjade, been alive, she would have wanted him to get justice, Sharmasaid. “We are grateful for the recent rally organized by Noida schoolstudents for Hemraj. They acknowledged us as the real victims,’’said Sharma.Now, that the court has given “a very positivedirection’’ to the case, relatives of Hemraj hope that the killerswill be identified and punished. Jeevan said that Hemraj’swife Kumbh Kela Banjade does not want to come to India even in case the“Talwars are found guilty”. “Kumbh told me thatshe has lost everything in India and the only earning member of the family.Apprehensive, she will not allow her 14-year-old son, Pranjal, her son to cometo Delhi. Pranjal, who is suffering from serious ailments, was treated atVaranasi sometime ago and his treatment costs have left the familypenniless,” he said.The Noida police had initially not collected enough evidence from Hemraj’s room in the Talwar residence. The CBI’s closure report too mentions the same. “The two of them had a very cordial relationship. Hemraj himself had his own children and grandchildren. We saw Aarushi being treated in the same manner,’’ Nupur Talwar, Aarushi’s mother recently told the media. Aarushi called him Bhaiiyya.dwaipayan.ghosh@timesgroup.com