Shivani Bhatnagar
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Shivani Bhatnagar | |
|---|---|
| Born | India |
| Died | January 23, 1999 East Delhi, India |
| Occupation | Writer at Indian Express |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Rakesh Bhatnagar |
| Children | Tanmay Bhatnagar |
Shivani Bhatnagar[1] (assassinated 23 January 1999) was an Indian journalist who worked for the Indian Express newspaper. She was murdered on 23 January 1999 by an IPS officer, Ravi Kant Sharma, and her death was the subject of widespread sensationalist media coverage.
Bhatnagar's murder on 23 January 1999 became a scandal that reached the top levels of Indian politics. Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ravi Kant Sharma was charged with the murder by the Delhi Police, who investigated the case. Sharma surrendered to the police on 27 September 2002, after remaining in hiding for weeks after the arrest warrant was issued on 3 August. Sharma allegedly killed Bhatnagar because he feared she would expose their "intimate" relations.
IPS officer Ravi Kant Sharma along with Sri Bhagwan Sharma, Satya Prakash and Pradeep Sharma were accused in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case[1] and they were convicted by a Delhi Trial Court on 18 March 2008. Two other accused—Dev Prakash Sharma and Ved Prakash alias Kalu—were acquitted for want of evidence. Those convicted were sentenced to life imprisonment on 24 March 2008. On 12 October 2011 Delhi High Court acquitted Ravi Kant Sharma, Sri Bhagwan Sharma and Satya Prakash on appeal, citing lack of evidence. The conviction of Pradeep Sharma was upheld.
Bhatnagar was a writer for The Indian Express. She was married to Rakesh Bhatnagar and mother to Tanmay Bhatnagar. Shivani Bhatnagar was said to be friends with Ravi Kant Sharma and it was an acknowledged relationship known by Rakesh Bhatnagar and Ravi Kant Sharma's wife, Madhu. Madhu had accused BJP leader Pramod Mahajan of having intimate relations with Shivani and he was involved in the murder as a refute against her husband's accusations. Mahajan was found not guilty by the Delhi Police and he denied having any type of relationship with Shivani other than a professional one.
Ravi Kant Sharma was charged by prosecutors for murdering Shivani Bhatnagar for reasons that she had legal documents that he had leaked to her and she was not willing to return those to him. It was said that she had some politically sensitive documents, relating to the St Kitts case, that she was not going to give back to Sharma and was threatening to expose him for it, so he executed her murder. Ravi Kant Sharma denied these allegations and was accused of having intimate relations with Shivani. It was theorized that Shivani wanted to reveal their relationship but he did not agree so she threatened to expose it, and before doing so, Sharma had gotten her killed so she would not ruin his social status.