Thursday, January 30, 2014

Esther Anuhya: She may be dead, but she still speaks!

Duke Jeyaraj


 She would perhaps check her WhapsApp updates early in the morning. Like you and me perhaps do. She died unexpectedly, unfortunately. Like you and I, unfortunately, perhaps can. We are talking about Esther Anuhya. Only 23. A Techie. From Machipatnam. Worked in TCS-Mumbai. Reached Mumbai's LTT Railway Station after spending Christmas holidays in her hometown in Andhra Pradesh at 4:50 AM on 5th Jan. after a long train journey which started from Vijayawada, in all likelihood, going by her cell-phone records. Co-passengers confirmed that she had alighted from the train at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Station in Mumbai. She checked her WhatsApp at 4:54 AM on 5th Jan., 2014, according to reports. Someone who sent her a WhatsApp message saw the double green tick and understood this. But what they did not perhaps realize was this: someone perhaps put a tick next to Esther's pic and said to himself, "I will harm this girl." Her college Professor Dad Mr. Jonathan Surendra Prasad, was waiting her call which he hoped will go this way: "Daddy, I reached my room in YWCA Hostel Andheri, Mumbai, safely. I am missing you already!" But that call never came. Early that morning, it looks like she could have hailed an auto to her hostel. Her last published tweet to the world was this: "I rather have an honest enemy than a fake friend." Whoever took her from that Railway Station tragically turned out to be a "fake friend" (see https://twitter.com/Esther_Anuhya). "Don't put too much of belief in anyone. Even your shadow leaves you when you are in the dark," she once tweeted. On that stomach-churning morning, it looks like she put her trust in someone - an auto-driver, cabdriver or whoever - much to her grave disappointment. She loved the self-defense stalwart hero-filled Japanese and Korean movies. But her efforts at self-defense on that tear-filled day came to a naught, it looks like. On 16th Jan 2014, her half-decomposed, waist-down burnt, rodents-bitten, dead body was identified in the Vikhroli Creek just meters off the Eastern Express Highway in Mumbai.Esther's uncle, Arun Kumar told a newspaper that while Esther was 5 feet 3 inches tall what remained of her body only made up two feet. The rest were burnt. Thus the nine-day long search her family launched for her in a city they knew little about came to a spine-tingling, sorry, end. The girl who wished Tennis Star, Roger Federer, a happy long life on his birthday via Twitter, did not live long, unfortunately. Her end came in the most saddest of circumstances. Was she raped and burnt to destroy evidence? "According to a preliminary post-mortem report, the victim was sexually abused before being killed," a police source said. Police suspect that she might have been gang-raped. "She might have been taken to a secluded place off the Eastern Express Highway in Bhandup, Mumbai, where she was gangraped," police sources revealed. ("Police looking at techie-gang rape theory," page 5, January 18, 2014, Hyderabad edition; The Indian Express online edition, January 23, 2014; Hyderabad Chronicle, 26 January 2014; http://www.ndtv.com/article/blog/blog-i-was-her-best-friend-writes-esther-anuhya-s-father-475404 (accessed 28 January 2014).

Hmmm. After discovering that women aren't shying away from reporting rape these days, it looks like certain shameful, stubborn, men still want to rape and go on to destroy the possibly-damning evidence by burning their rape victims. By doing that, they perhaps think they are safe. Safe from being found out. Safe from a jail punishment. But God knows, the Bible declares (Josh 22:22). These people - whoever they may be - may escape jail here on the earth, but if they do not repent and come to Christ in faith, they will not escape hell on the other side of the earth. These people who played with the very life of the girl who recently straightened her hair and showed it to her dad via skype (Esther), will be straightened on the day of the Lord without any hype. Surely. On the other side of eternity. This is true not only true about them. It's true about everyone. We all need to repent. We all need to uncover our sins. We all need to come to Christ who died on the cross for our sakes. For our sins. If we do not uncover our sins before Jesus in prayer, here and now, they will be uncovered before the whole world on that terrible judgement that is certainly coming. This is the teaching of the Bible (Read Matthew 10 and 25 in the Bible and you will get this). The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast - so warns the Bible in Proverbs 5:22. Burning evidence of transgression cannot ensure escape from punishment, whoever we may be. Your sin will eventually find you out, the Bible teaches (Num. 32:23). On this side of eternity in certain cases like it happened in the case of Achan, Prophet Jonah, Ananias-Saphira, etc., in the Bible. Or on the other side of eternity like it will surely happen for those who reject Jesus stubbornly finally and go to hell. The fire that the perpetrators of the horrific crime against Esther Anuhya started died down. But the fire of torment in hell will never die down, Jesus warned (Mark 9:47-48). So, why do you run and hide? Come to only-God-in-flesh Jesus in true repentance and hide in His grace that was expressed on the Cross where he shed his blood for you. Do it now. Before it's too late. There is no condemnation for those who go on being in Christ Jesus, the Bible teaches (Rom. 8:1).

Listen to this talk as well by Duke on the same topic: https://soundcloud.com/shoutaloud/esther-anuhya-heart-warming

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