Fear Rules

OUTLOOK/CNN-IBN POLL ON THE AARUSHICASE

Hardly any trust for police, media. Child safety major worry.

F

ourteen-year-old Aarushi Talwar andHemraj, the domestic help of the Talwars, were found murdered on the morning ofMay 16 at their Noida residence. The case still remains unsolved, and Aarushi’sfather Rajesh Talwar is in CBI custody. Research organisation GfK conducted apoll for Outlook/CNN-IBN to gauge the awareness and interest in the case amongurban Indians and assess the social impact of the double murder. In all, 1,274respondents from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta and Hyderabad werepolled. Those surveyed included parents (equal samples of fathers and mothers)and teenagers.

The poll revealed that there was high awareness about the incident. A majority of respondents felt that the media had over-sensationalised the case and that this could interfere with the investigations. Seventy per cent of those polled also felt that the image of the local police had taken a beating. And a huge majority (78 per cent) were of the view that the Aarushi case had raised concerns about the safety of their children.

Should parents be made accountable for the behaviour of their children and should they be punished in case the child commits a crime?
		Yes		No			No Response
All		46		54			0
Delhi		44		56			0
Calcutta		21		78			1
Mumbai		7		93			0
Bangalore		66		33			1
Chennai		54		46			0
Hyderabad		87		13			0
* This question was put only to parents
Do you think that teenagers should have unchecked access to the internet and mobile phones?*
All		60		40			0
Delhi		8		92			0
Calcutta		97		2			1
Mumbai		77		23			0
Bangalore		56		44			0
Chennai		51		49			0
Hyderabad		66		34			0
* This question was put only to parents
Do you feel you are very different from your children in terms of their values and lifestyle?*
All		56		43			1
Delhi		30		70			0
Calcutta		56		42			2
Mumbai		64		36			0
Bangalore		60		40			0
Chennai		61		39			0
Hyderabad		67		33			0
* This question was put only to parents
Who over-sensationalised the story? English media, non-English or both?*
		English		Non-English			Both
All		15		31			54
Delhi		2		40			58
Calcutta		2		38			60
Mumbai		9		20			71
Bangalore		26		21			53
Chennai		26		24			50
Hyderabad		31		36			33
* This question was put only to those who said the media over-sensationalised the case
Do you think unchecked access to the Internet and mobile phones among children leads to crimes such as Aarushi’s murder?*
		Yes					No
All		61					39
Delhi		36					64
Calcutta		83					17
Mumbai		27					73
Bangalore		57					43
Chennai		85					15
Hyderabad		76					24
* This question was put only to parents
Do you feel media reports about Aarushi’s murder have been fair to the young generation?*
All		65					35
Delhi		43					57
Calcutta		63					37
Mumbai		69					31
Bangalore		27					73
Chennai		89					11
Hyderabad		88					12
* This question was put only to teenagers
Do you feel the older generation understands what the youth today feels or wants?*
All		52					48
Delhi		74					26
Calcutta		63					37
Mumbai		48					52
Bangalore		37					63
Chennai		26					74
Hyderabad		74					26
* This question was put only to teenagers
Percentage who said they knew of the Aarushi/ Hemraj murder case*
		Parents					Teenagers
All		32					34
Delhi		96					96
Calcutta		63					52
Mumbai		81					92
Bangalore		83					88
Chennai		10					12
Hyderabad		27					38
* All figures in percentage. The questions following were put only to those who knew of the case.
In your opinion, will the role of the media interfere directly or indirectly with the investigation and delivery of justice?
All		69					71
Delhi		81					91
Calcutta		54					73
Mumbai		81					64
Bangalore		66					46
Chennai		57					76
Hyderabad		77					75
In your opinion, has the media over-sensationalised the story?
All		77					67
Delhi		96					77
Calcutta		77					55
Mumbai		63					69
Bangalore		84					67
Chennai		74					69
Hyderabad		68					67
Some believe that stories like this one are exploited by the media for their selfish gain in readership or viewership. Do you agree?
All		58					60
Delhi		52					64
Calcutta		45					61
Mumbai		70					71
Bangalore		53					48
Chennai		46					37
Hyderabad		81					86
Does the handling of the case reduce your confidence in the local police and investigating agencies like CBI?*
		Police					CBI
All		70					47
Delhi		75					41
Calcutta		72					51
Mumbai		79					29
Bangalore		59					43
Chennai		56					48
Hyderabad		78					68
* This question was put only to parents
Have you/your parents taken any special steps for the safety of yourself/your children after Aarushi’s murder?
		Parents					Teenagers
All		47					21
Delhi		75					9
Calcutta		23					10
Mumbai		38					19
Bangalore		49					29
Chennai		63					33
Hyderabad		39					21
Aarushi’s murder has also raised concerns about keeping a full-time domestic help in the house. Do you feel it is unsafe or is it not necessarily a security risk?
		Unsafe to keep domestic help					Not a  security risk
All		69					31
Delhi		63					37
Calcutta		74					26
Mumbai		65					35
Bangalore		45					55
Chennai		78					22
Hyderabad		88					12
Has the Aarushi murder case raised your concern and that of your family about the safety and security of your children?
All		78
Delhi		90
Calcutta		60
Mumbai		85
Bangalore		74
Chennai		82
Hyderabad		81
Fingers are being pointed at specific communities from which domestic helps come. Do you feel it is justified?
All		43 Advertisement
Delhi		35
Calcutta		18
Mumbai		49
Bangalore		51
Chennai		61
Hyderabad		46
Have you got your domestic help’s antecedents verified by the police?
All		11
Delhi		22
Calcutta		16
Mumbai		3
Bangalore		2
Chennai		14
Hyderabad		6
What steps have you taken for the safety of your child/children ?
Base: Parents who have taken specific steps Advertisement
		ALL	Del		Cal	Mum	Bang	Chen	Hyd
		441 Advertisement	117		39	57	74	91	63
1	Spending more time with children	53	50		49	54	58	68	30
2 Advertisement	Not leaving your child alone in the house	42	54		26	23	28	71	19
3	Monitoring mobile calls and SMSes of the child	13	17		10	11	11	16	6
4	Not hiring full-time male servant at home	11	10		18	11	26	3	2
5	Discussing issues with school teacher/ counsellor	8	8		0	11	19	7	0
6	Dropping child to school/coll	8	0		41	0	3	0	30
7	Monitoring e-mails and chats on the internet	2	0		15	2	0	0	0