A Durga Puja committee in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur hanged effigies of Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, the convicts in the infamous blue drum murder case, as part of its pandal decorations following the death sentence handed to the duo by a Meerut court. The life-sized dolls were suspended from nooses above the middle of a road in full public view. Nitesh, the chairman of the organising committee, stated that the swift verdict in the case would further strengthen people's faith in the law. The trial in the case involved 126 hearings across a 13-month period.
According to Nitesh, the idea behind the public display is to deter such crimes by prompting individuals to reflect on the possible consequences of their actions. The case stems from an incident in March 2025, when 35-year-old merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput was murdered and his dismembered body was concealed inside a blue drum filled with cement by his wife, Muskan, and her lover, Sahil. The crime came to light after the remains were discovered inside the drum.
Earlier this month, a court in Meerut sentenced both Muskan and Sahil to death. While pronouncing the punishment, the presiding judge invoked the Mahabharata and spoke on the fundamental duty to punish offenders. District Government Counsel KK Chaubey informed news agency PTI that the judge observed how punishing those guilty of grave crimes serves as a matter of dharma. The advocate described the crime as extremely cruel and grave, noting that the judiciary considered stringent punishment necessary to prevent similar offences in the future.