Shraddha Walker Case: How Sensational Details Can Trigger Deadly Domino Effect, Experts Discuss

The grisly murder of the 26-year-old, Shraddha Walker, who was mutilated by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala has sent shock waves across India. Walker's 28-year-old, food blogger live-in partner, Aftab Poonawala was produced before court virtually recently where he confessed to the crime.

Indian media is anything but sensitive when it comes to the portrayal of crimes against women and this case is no different. The Shraddha Walker murder case has been prime time news ever since it first broke. Murder reporting continues to be sensationalist in India and we see no silver lining. Graphic imagery with each new development is being used to keep the audiences hooked to their televisions and phones doesn't seem to stop.

The Disturbing Elements

Aftab Poonawala and Shraddha Walker were dating since 2019 apparently, while some friends have said they met on a dating app in 2018, and had decided to enter a live-in situation this year in May. However, soon they started getting into frequent arguments.

The 28-year-old Aftab Poonawala, as per a report by ANI, had made up his mind to kill his live-in partner (live-in relationship rights) one day. He brutally killed Shraddha Walker in May, 2022, and it was all kept under wraps until recently. The details are chilling - from the mutilation of Walker's body, to the disposal of the remains across the national capital. Shraddha Walker Killing: Every Detail In The Delhi Murder Case We Know So Far

Aftab Poonawala was reportedly consuming a lot of disturbing content online. One of them being the American crime web series Dexter, which is believed to have given him ideas on how to dispose of a body.

"I am fond of watching web series and serials on crime and it was while watching these shows that I came up with ideas on preserving the body parts and keeping Shraddha alive in the eyes of her family and friends. It was to preempt any doubts or suspicions about her whereabouts that I kept posting on Shradhha’s Instagram profile after the murder. I did it all by myself," Aftab Poonawala told Delhi Police as per a report by The Print.

Amid the social media outrage for the victim, Shraddha Walker, there is also a lot of debate around the repercussions of the brutal murder. The gruesome news is hinting at broader concerns like the possible threat of a domino effect among others.

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What Is A Domino Effect?

A Domino effect is a situation or event (positive or negative) that ends up triggering a chain of identical events.

What Do The Experts Say?

Sensationalising brutal crimes with disturbing details can have negative after effects that can give rise to the number of such cases and their severity.

We spoke to our experts to figure out if reportage like that of the Shraddha Walker's murder case has the power to trigger the domino effect in coming times. Read on to know what they said.

Dr Jyoti Kurian, Psychiatrist, DCBH said, "Yes, it could trigger the domino effect. At the same time, it would also instill fear in youngsters in getting into such an online app and dating people they have hardly met."

She added, "Such incidents again remind us of the need for mental health awareness and to remove the stigma of mental health illness from our society. One should seek help and share their problems with a therapist if not comfortable with friends and family if they feel low or trapped. Isolation can be harmful."

Sneha Dev, Clinical and Counseling Psychologist, highlighted another worrisome issue, "Showing and highlighting such news can trigger negative effects within people. It would definitely trigger the domino effect. People are also bringing in the love-jihad angle which makes it all worse. Just a while back, we witnessed something similar. Few months ago with the release of the film Kashmir Files, there was a form of hatred created toward the Muslim religion and it had major effects. This propaganda of the case is something very unusual and making it sensational for religious issue will totally create negativity among others."

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