* * *Bright student slashes at Talwar* *New Delhi, Jan. 25*: A gold medallist whose mother is a psychologist today slashed at the father of Aarushi Talwar with a cleaver on court premises, repeating an attack he had carried out on a molestation accused and raising questions on “the absolute laxity” of monitoring processes at home and outside.
Utsav Sharma, a 29-year-old alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID), lunged at Rajesh in the Ghaziabad court complex and struck near the dentist’s right eye and on his hand that suffered deep cuts. Rajesh, 54, fell and bled profusely before he was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery. His condition is said to be stable. Police said Utsav told them he was upset at the slow progress in the Aarushi murder case. The unresolved murder of the teenager had polarised public opinion with aspersions being cast on the parents. Rajesh had gone to the court to oppose a CBI plea to close the case. In February last year, Utsav had posed as a journalist to attack S.P.S. Rathore, the former police officer accused of molesting Ruchika Girhotra, with a penknife outside a court near Chandigarh for the light punishment he got. Utsav, who was then a PG diploma student of animation at NID, spent three days in jail and was out on a bail bond of Rs 50,000. The Varanasi resident, who won a gold medal when he graduated in fine arts from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), passed out of NID last month. Police said Utsav had reached Delhi to see the Art Summit but bought the cleaver yesterday from Chandni Chowk in central Delhi for Rs 250. Utsav was beaten up by lawyers today and lodged in a lock-up after being charged with attempt to murder. What has surprised many is the fact that Utsav was allowed to travel far from home unmonitored despite the earlier instance of attacking a suspect because of perceived injustice. Utsav is the only son of Indira Sharma, a psychiatrist and a professor at the Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, and Sushil Sharma, who teaches mechanical engineering at the same university. Indira, who is on her way to Delhi, said in Varanasi: “We all know of the persisting problems that are there in our society. There are so many people who feel bad about these problems, but we should not take the law into our hands, as it is wrong. And we all agree on this. And it is also a fact that he is ill and is undergoing treatment.” Psychiatrists said the Chandigarh police as well as the family should take responsibility for allowing the disturbed young man to remain unmonitored and even travel after his attack on Rathore nearly a year ago. “It should have been obvious to the police that this is a man who is unable to live within the law,” said Neelam Bohra, a consultant psychiatrist in New Delhi and president of the Indian Association of Biological Psychiatry. “This shows absolute laxity -- the authorities should have recognised his need for therapy after the Chandigarh incident. Those who let him go should be taken to task,” Bohra said. Utsav’s actions suggest that he is suffering from a delusional disorder that prompts him to take actions that he views as acts of justice, a senior psychiatrist in Delhi said. “He can’t be held responsible -- such actions are born out of a conviction of a different reality,” said Sunil Mittal at the Delhi Psychiatry Society. “It is evident he needs therapy and this is a treatable condition,” Mittal said. Some psychiatrists also felt that the laxity in Chandigarh stemmed from the neglect of criminal minds by law enforcement authorities. “Forensic psychiatry has not progressed in India,” said Manickam Thirunavukarasu, a consultant psychiatrist in Chennai. “The police typically take only a legal view of crimes, and tend do pay little attention to questions like what prompted a person to do the crime," said Thirunavukarasu, who is also president of the Indian Psychiatric Society. A police officer said: “Utsav said his intention was not to kill Talwar but to send a message across He told us that he was upset as nothing happens to killers in such high profile murder cases,” a police officer said. The officer added: “We heard that he was suffering from mental illness. But during interrogation he spoke like a normal human being. He has been sent for medical check-up.” At NID in Ahmedabad, teachers expressed shock. Sharma’s guide at NID, Shekhar Mukherjee, said: “I was shocked then (last year) and I’m speechless now.” Mukherjee was his guide for a film project on street children -- the theme was “social message”. “Since he is no more a student, there is nothing NID can do, except condemning his behaviour. Definitely there is something terribly wrong, I believe he has some psychological problem.” institute’s registrar Vijaya Deshmukh said Last year, when Utsav attacked Rathore, the institute was about expel him. But he promised that he would behave “His parents too came from Varanasi and told us that their son was mentally ill and under medication. So, naturally, we were sympathetic and allowed him to continue,” the registrar added. She said Utsav had “a very clean record” when he was studying there. Utsav’s guide also confirmed that he was a “gentle and decent”. “Of course, he was a loner and an introvert who hardly socialised. He had virtually no friends as he preferred to stay alone,” a student said. Last month, when he came for the convocation, he reportedly told some students that he was mentally disturbed but felt good after his treatment. Earlier this month, he had written a letter to the NID community, requesting the not to watch the movie, No one Killed Jessica , saying that “this is an issue of extreme shame and sadness that the brutal murder of Jessica Lal is being exploited and published to make money.” http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110126/jsp/frontpage/story_13494769.jsp *'He seems to have stopped medicines'* *Dayananda Yumlembam* * * *Jan 26, 2011* *AHMEDABAD*: Utsav Sharma's colleagues and teachers at National Institute of Design were shocked to hear that he had attacked Dr Rajesh Talwar in Ghaziabad. His father, Sushil Sharma, said he might have been off medication. Speaking to TOI on phone, Sharma, who is professor of mechanical engineering at Banaras Hindu University, said, "He has been under medication since 2007. It seems that he has not been taking his medicine in the past few days. He had gone to Delhi to see an exhibition.'' Utsav suffers from bipolar disorder. "There are thousands of young people out there and no one is like him,'' said the father. "It clearly shows that he is abnormal and needs medical help. If I get him back I will not let him go anywhere but keep him at home this time." Utsav's guide in animation film design, Shekhar Mukherjee, seemed perplexed: "This was not expected from Utsav. I had never come across any instance of aggressive behaviour during his academic course in the institute. He was an average student but very sincere and regular." He remembered him as an introvert. "Unlike many students who usually come forward and discuss their ideas, Utsav would not easily share or discuss his ideas," says Mukherjee. A friend of Utsav at NID who does not want to be identified said, "Utsav is a very cool person and believes in transparency. Someone could win him easily through his heart. We were surprised when he attacked SPS Rathore. But we are even more surprised this time. We never expected this from him." Institute registrar Vijaya Deshmukh said the institute had no connection with him after he graduated. "During his tenure as a student at NID, there was no display of violent behaviour and he was an average performer", she said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/He-seems-to-have-stopped-medicines/articleshow/7363720.cms *Suspicion and paranoia plague bipolar patients* *Jan 26, 2011* *NEW DELHI*: The family members of Utsav Sharma, who attacked Rajesh Talwar, father of Aarushi Talwar, said on Tuesday that he suffers from bipolar affective disorder, a mental illness in which there are mood swings. Sharma, a gold medalist in Fine Arts from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and post-graduate from National Institute of Designing, Ahmedabad, is being treated by his mother who is a psychiatrist. His actions, said experts, could be the result of a disturbed childhood and antipathy towards a certain group of individuals. Sharma was earlier caught by the police for attacking SPS Rathore, accused in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case. "A person suffering from bipolar affective disorder can do anything. He has no control over his thoughts or actions. Sharma's case appears to be the same. Such patients need to be kept under close watch and require medications such as mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics. It appears that Sharma was not taking his medicines and the family members did not monitor his moves. How could he reach court with a knife without being noticed," said a psychologist. Dr Jitender Nagpal, senior consultant psychiatrist at VIMHANS, said people with bipolar disorder suffer from suspicion and paranoia. "In at least 10-15% of cases, bipolar affective disorder is caused due to genetic reasons. A person with family history of the disease is more likely to suffer," he said. He said in recent times, there has been a three-fold increase in such cases. Lack of communication in families has aggravated the problem further. "People suffering from mood swings should be monitored. Many people suffer from mood disorders and family members should never ignore this. They need to be counseled. Family members should try and understand their problems," said Nagpal. Dr Sameer Parikh, head of the mental health department at Max Hospital, Saket said the attack cannot be explained. It could be a result of error in thought and judgment. "Until, we evaluate the individual, it cannot be said what led him to act like this," he said. He said depression is one of the most common mental illnesses seen these days. Stress and dysfunctional social life were the main culprits. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Suspicion-and-paranoia-plague-bipolar-patients/articleshow/7363399.cms *'My son should not be treated as criminal': Utsav's father* * * *Jan 25, 2011* *Varanasi*: S.K. Sharma, father of the youth who on Tuesday attacked murdered teenager Aarushi Talwar's father Rajesh Talwar outside a court in Ghaziabad, has said his son "should not be treated as a criminal, considering his mental condition". "My son is suffering from depression since December 2007... Taking this into account, he should not be treated as a criminal for attacking the man (Talwar)," Sharma, a professor with the Banaras Hindu University's (BHU) mechanical engineering department, told IANS on phone. "I am shocked to know about my son's behaviour... We will now have to verify whether my son had stopped taking medicines for depression," Sharma added. Utsav, who attacked Talwar outside the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ghaziabad, had earlier attacked and assaulted Haryana's tainted former police chief S.P.S. Rathore in February 2010. Asked to comment on the statement given by the police that Utsav doesn't appear to be mentally ill, Sharma retorted: "Ghaziabad police chief is not a medical expert... We have everything to prove that Utsav is not mentally stable." http://www.deccanherald.com/content/131959/my-son-should-not-treated.html *Attempt to murder charge harsh, says Utsav family* *Dwaipayan Ghosh* * * *Jan 26, 2011* *GHAZIABAD*: Ghaziabad police have registered a case of attempt to murder against NID diploma holder Utsav Sharma after he attacked Rajesh Talwar in the court premises. But Sharma's family claimed the charges were inappropriate and "a bit harsh'' given the fact that he suffers from bipolar disorder since 2006. Several lawyers too felt that a case under IPC section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) would have been a more "appropriate". "We booked Sharma under Section 307 only after proper investigation. Rajesh Talwar was seriously injured in the attack. He had to be shifted to Apollo Hospital," said SSP (Ghaziabad) Raghuvir Lal. Lal added that during the entire questioning session, the accused did not sound incoherent. "He told us that after his attack on Talwar, justice has been done and now even if the court closes the case, it will not matter much. Not once we got an impression that he was suffering from any mental disorder," claimed the SSP. The police explained they "wanted to set an example." Said SSP Lal, "He was a repeat offender. If you see the manner in which he attacked Talwar, it's clear he wanted to kill him. We want people to understand that you cannot challenge the law, and that too twice." Police added that they don't want Utsav to get bail. "If we had charged him under IPC section 324, he could have easily got the bail. We wanted to keep him in confinement so that the law and order situation in the area can be kept under control," added a top Ghaziabad officer. But lawyer Satish Mishra disagreed. "In this case, doctors are saying that injuries are superficial. In various parts of India, there have been blade attacks before. In all such cases, FIR has been filed under section 324. Even road rage cases when someone had attacked the other with blunt objects, it is difficult to prove that accused wanted to kill. Sharma's mental condition too might go in his favour," he said. Lawyer Kamesh Gupta pointed out that an accused's mental condition is not linked with a charge. "It is up to the SDM to see if the accused is suffering from any mental disorder," said Gupta. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Attempt-to-murder-charge-harsh-says-Utsav-family/articleshow/7363000.cms *Chandigarh cops did not tell court of Utsav's mental health* *Ajay Sura & Saurabh Prashar* *Jan 26, 2011* *CHANDIGARH*: Did Chandigarh police allow a mentally unstable man to walk free? While the police had described Utsav Sharma, who had attacked former Haryana DGP S P S Rathore with a knife in February last year, as suffering from bipolar disorder, this fact never got mentioned in the chargesheet filed against him. Close to a year later, Utsav attacked Arushi's father Rajesh Talwar in Delhi on Tuesday. Utsav Sharma, the National Institute of Design-Ahmedabad graduate, is out on bail after he attacked Rathore, who is convicted of molesting a 14-year-old girl Ruchika in 1990. Utsav had been booked by Chandigarh police for causing grievous hurt (Section 324 of IPC) and criminal intimidation (Section 506 of IPC). On February 8 last year, he had stabbed Rathore thrice in the face when he came out of a hearing in the Chandigarh district and sessions court. Utsav, who had got close to Rathore in the court premises posing as a journalist, was then a student of NID-Ahmedabad. While then senior superintendent of police of Chandigarh S S Srivastava had told mediapersons that examination of Utsav's medical records had revealed that he had bipolar disorder, the 68-page chargesheet filed in the court of chief judicial magistrate, J S Sandhu, on October 13, 2010, did not have any mention of this. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Chandigarh-cops-did-not-tell-court-of-Utsavs-mental-health/articleshow/7363448.cms -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
