The family recalls that in 2011, Rahul, along with Sheena (daughter of Indrani Mukerjea), had come to seek his mother Shabnam’s blessings for their wedding.
Shabnam’s family – which includes her younger brother <g data-gr-id="58">Shaleen</g>, father Anand Singh and mother Seema – was highly impressed by Sheena’s behaviour, especially her jovial nature and affection towards the elderly. The family gave a “unanimous approval” for the wedding, recalls Shaleen. The family expected the wedding to take place in a few months.
On Friday, Millennium Post had reported that Sheena had told her friends that she would be getting married to Rahul by November 2012. Shabnam’s family is shocked by the recent development in the case, which entails that Sheena was murdered.
<g data-gr-id="52">Shaleen</g> said Sheena was a person who left a lasting impact on people. “My interaction with her was barely for five to seven minutes. She was good looking and sweet. None of us objected to the wedding,” he said.
Like Peter Mukerjea and Rahul, <g data-gr-id="63">Shaleen</g> came to know about Sheena’s murder through news channels. “It would have been great to have her in the family. I don’t know what was the reason behind her murder, but all those behind the innocent girl’s killing should be brought to book,” he added.
Shallen (49), a TV actor, owns the Sanskar International School in Jogiwala in the city. He said he last met Shabnam and Rahul in April this year. “My father Anand had passed away in April, and they had come to pay their tributes, but we did not interact much.”
Though Shabnam’s farm ‘Gul-e-Shabnam’ and <g data-gr-id="65">Shaleen’s</g> residence ‘Shankar Sadan’ are barely at a distance of 200 metres in Badripur, <g data-gr-id="54">interaction</g> between them is rare. While <g data-gr-id="66">Shaleen</g> and his mother stay on different floors of Shankar Sadan, Shabnam stays alone and Rahul frequently visits her.
“There are matters in each family which we do not want to disclose. We are not against each <g data-gr-id="55">other,</g> but do not interact much. She comes to meet our mother occasionally,” said <g data-gr-id="56">Shaleen</g>, adding that Shabnam loves painting and has a studio in her residence.
<g data-gr-id="62">Shaleen</g> said he had not interacted with Rahul for years. “Even when we came face-to-face, we did not talk much. All I know about him is that he had gone to England to study and spends most of his time in London, Mumbai and Dehradun. Shabnam’s younger son Robin is perhaps working in England,” he added.
However, <g data-gr-id="51">Shaleen</g> said he did not know if Mumbai Police sleuths had visited Dehradun to investigate the case. He said: “Neither the Doon police nor their Mumbai counterparts have contacted me.”
Meanwhile, the staff at Shabnam’s residence said she was out-of-station. However, they were unable to disclose her whereabouts. According to sources, Rahul had been living in Dehradun for the past 3-4 years. He and his mother Shabnam left for Mumbai a day after the Sheena Bora murder <g data-gr-id="64">cas</g> surfaced.
Rahul’s granny upset over him being dragged in murky controversy
Rahul Mukerjea’s maternal grandmother Seema Singh (80), who lives with her son Shaleen in the hill city, is upset over unending media coverage on the Sheena Bora murder case and his name being “dragged” in the controversy. The case has garnered eyeballs across the nation.
“Why is Rahul’s name being dragged (into the controversy)? He is a reserved boy,” Seema said. She, however, did not comment on her grandson’s relationship with Sheena.
Initially, Seema Singh, mother of Shabnam (Rahul’s mother), was reluctant to speak to media. However, she later opened up about Shabnam’s marriage with former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea’ and their relationship. Seema said Shabnam had an arranged marriage with Peter on September 9, 1975. “Initially, things were well between them but after Rahul’s birth, their relations became strained,” she said, adding that after Rahul’s marriage Shabnam spent most of her time in London. “She later built her home on our ancestral land in Badripur and started living here,” she said.
Seema said they tried to improve Shabnam’s marriage but in vain. “They (Shabnam and Rahul) seldom came to meet me, but I made it a point to visit them,” Seema said. “We gave them a piece of land where she (Shabnam) has built her home.”