Delhi : The Jessica Lal murder case is not just a story of a single killing, but a tale of systemic failure at every level. On that night in 1999, in a pub, a man named Manu Sharma (Siddharth), the son of politician Vinod Sharma, opened fire in public because he was denied alcohol. An innocent girl was killed, witnesses were present, and the accused was identified—yet, the law bowed down to power, money, and fear. Witnesses turned hostile, evidence weakened, and in 2006, Manu Sharma, alias Siddharth, was acquitted.
This verdict sent a message: if you have influence, even murder can be forgiven. Later, due to media pressure, a conviction was secured, but his subsequent release years later raised the same questions again—was justice truly served?
After his release, Manu Sharma launched “Indri,” which, with earnings of 800 crore rupees, currently holds the title of the number one single malt Indian brand. The design of the red bindi on the brand’s logo has raised suspicions. The question arises: why does this bindi resemble the bindi in the only photograph of Jessica Lal that was widely circulated in the media at the time? Is it merely a coincidence, or an insensitive manipulation of the memory of a victim of a heinous crime?
There is no concrete evidence that this design was intentional, but in India, where symbols are deeply intertwined with emotions, these questions are inevitable. When the system fails to provide answers, suspicion and anger take root.