"From Breaking News to Prison Reform: My 30-Year Journey Since the Naina Sahni Case": Vartika Nanda: NDTV

6 May, 2025

On 2 July, 1995, Naina Sahni, a 29 years old woman was shot three bullets by her husband Sushil Sharma, a youth leader of Indian National Congress. This case is also known as the #tandoorcase.

After killing Naina Sahni, Sushil Sharma carried the dead body in his car to Bagia Bar-be-Que restaurant where he chopped the corpse into pieces and dumped it in the Tandoor.

He was arrested on 10 July ( after 8 days). He was sentenced to death by the Trial and Delhi High Court which was later turned into life imprisonment by the Supreme court of India. 

I was in Zee TV (now ZEE News) at that time and could see the public reaction to this story. 

Over the past 30 years, I’ve carved my own path in crime reporting. From leading the crime beat at NDTV to founding the Tinka Tinka Prison Reforms initiative, and most recently, shaping stories with the Delhi Police through their unique podcast series #KissaKhakiKa, these experiences have profoundly influenced my outlook.

At the core of my journey lies a belief: journalism must never be rushed. We must reflect deeply before we speak. Our words should carry intention—not just information. Above all, we must strive to inspire positive change in the world we inhabit. Everything else can follow.

So here it goes. 30 years later, I had a detailed conversation on Naina- Sushil Sharma case with Anwiti at NDTV. This conversation will be released soon. 

Also to add, this case was also a part of my two books on crime reporting- one published by #IIMC and other by Rajkamal Prakashan