Ketan Agrawal Murder: The Changing Dynamics of Love and Passion

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam

25 June 2026

Now the whole India is aware of Ketan Agarwal murder case. Ketan Agarwal was murdered by his fiancée and her lover during a Pune trek. It's really sad but it's all the more surprising when people say that today's women have become manipulative, sinister and ruthless as if women were a paragon of virtue in the past and didn't commit any crime. It's not casting aspersions on any woman. Human spirit is, everywhere and in every age, the same. What's happening now, also happened centuries ago and involved both men as well as women. That women have suddenly become dubious characters is a myth.

But one socio-cultural development is discernible. We all have become emotionless, cold-blooded, impulsive and violent. If a man can kill his fellow passenger just on the issue of closing the local train's door or not during the monsoon rain in Bombay, you can imagine, taking a person's life doesn't prick the conscience of many of us. One must say that we all have become violent and also voyeuristic.

Why's this happening? According to the WHO report, worldwide an estimated 193, 000 homicides occur among young people between 15–29 years of age each year, making it one of the leading causes of death for people in this age group. Youth homicide rates vary dramatically between and within countries. Between 2000 and 2019, rates of youth homicide decreased in most countries, although the decrease has been greater in high-income countries than in low- and middle-income countries. Most youth homicide victims are males, and most perpetrators are males.

For every young person killed by violence, more sustain injuries that require hospital treatment.

Sexual violence also affects a significant proportion of youth. For example, 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys report sexual abuse (1).

Globally 25% of all children and adolescents are exposed to bullying.

Youth homicide and non-fatal violence not only contribute greatly to the global burden of premature death, injury and disability, but also have a serious, often lifelong, impact on a person's psychological and social functioning. They can lead to emotional distress, loneliness, anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviours, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts. This can affect victims' families, friends and communities. Youth violence increases the costs of health, welfare and criminal justice services; reduces productivity; and decreases the value of property.

Preventing youth violence requires a comprehensive approach that recognizes the strong correlation between rates of youth violence and economic inequalities. The most impoverished sectors of societies, marked by significant wealth gaps between the rich and the poor, consistently exhibit the highest rates of youth violence. Economic disparities exacerbate frustration and despair among disadvantaged youth, leading to an environment where violence becomes a common outlet. To achieve sustainable prevention gains, it is important to address income inequality, increase economic mobility, and enhance access to education, social protection and employment opportunities.

Preventing youth violence requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the social determinants of violence, such as income inequality, rapid demographic and social change, and low levels of social protection.

Critical to reducing the immediate consequences of youth violence are improvements in pre-hospital and emergency care, including access to care.

Yet the question remains: Why on earth do youngsters from affluent families indulge in crimes of love and passion? Wealth and new found freedom can lead youngsters astray. 'Obsessive possessiveness' in love affairs, whether it was in the case of Sonam Raghuvanshi or Siya Goyal, plays a vital role. Both the females killed their husband and would-be husband for their lovers. This 'obsessive possessiveness' makes a person desperate and also panicky. 'I mustn't lose my object of love and passion.' This feeling of apprehension drives youngsters crazy. The dynamics of love and passion haven't changed. They've remained the same throughout the evolution process of human civilization. What has changed is the manifestation. Now the manifestation has become extreme. Youngsters from affluent families feel that there mustn't remain a 'roadblock' in their love affairs. To get rid of that 'block', they can go to any length or stoop to any level. Moreover, all these young people have a reassuring feeling that even if they commit a heinous crime, they'll be out on bail soon, thanks to their wealth, connections and reach. 

Criminologists are of the view that criminality attracts a huge section of people, esp. youngsters. There's an embedded thrill of criminality in the psyche of today's youngsters due to a host of factors, viz, social media, possessiveness and a feeling that they're above law and all sorts of social restrictions. All these factors work in a confluence to impact the mind of perpetrators of such crimes and often dilute the fear and feeling while killing a person. Otherwise, how can one explain as to why did Sia choose to kill her would-be husband when she could jolly well have put her foot down and said no to her marriage to Ketan because she was already seeing someone (Chetan in her case)? Instead, she chose to kill an innocent young man and didn't elope with her lover for a Gretna Green Marriage. When the general spirit of killing someone becomes commonplace and an everyday affair, one doesn't care much for the consequences arising out of murdering someone. You dance, sing and canoodle and then eliminate the person with a sense of utter nonchalance as if the victim is a used ' rubber.' This is so sad and alarming. But we've to live with this degeneration and also the generation.

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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.

URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/ketan-agrawal-murder-dyanmics-love-passion/d/140530

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