Tuesday, 06 October 2020 | PNS | New Delhi
Rajput’s sister cries foul over ‘suicide’ report; Mumbai Police, Sena say their stand vindicated
After a medical board of the AIIMS unanimously decided that Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide and ruled out any possibility of homicide, the section advancing the “murder” theory has cried foul. The CBI has also found nothing so far that suggested any foul play in the actor’s death.
While Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister has rejected the AIIMS report, the doctors on the panel have strongly defended their findings. The Mumbai Police and the Shiv Sena have said they stood vindicated by the AIIMS report.
The CBI reiterated its stand that all aspects of the film star’s untimely demise are being probed. However, the agency has so far found nothing either by way of forensic, documentary, or photographic evidence or by way of profiling of the suspects to differ with the AIIMS findings. The agency will continue with its probe and look into all aspects as was routinely done in similar cases until a closure report is filed.
A CBI spokesperson said, “Investigation in Sushant Singh Rajput case is going on. All aspects into the case are being looked into meticulously.”
Earlier on September 28, the CBI had in a similar statement said, “The Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation related to the death of Shri Sushant Singh Rajput in which all aspects are being looked at and no aspect has been ruled out as of date.”
The CBI’s reaction on Monday came in response to the contradictory claims by AIIMS Forensic Department head Dr Sudhir Gupta who had on Saturday claimed that “Sushant’s death is a case of suicide and the murder angle has been completely ruled out.”
The AIIMS panel was tasked to re-evaluate the late actor’s post-mortem and viscera reports based on the 20 per cent viscera samples available with them. Dr Gupta’s claims with respect to Rajput’s case forensic probe from August 22 completely contradict his views in the matter.
“Why was the autopsy done in such a hurry, was any videography done? There was contamination of evidence and is not suitable for further examination with sanctity. I had never given permission to open Sunanda Pushkar’s room for four years. There was also a case of DK Ravi in Bangalore,” he had told a news channel.
The channel also revealed the WhatsApp chats with Dr Gupta, from August 11, wherein he had raised questions on forensics. “The panel of five doctors of Cooper (Hospital) conducted an autopsy…only one is junior level forensic doctor…rest 4 are just medical officer. The panel must be of forensic specialists as per norms. Who constituted the medical board? What was justification for the medical board…by the police?” were some of the questions asked by Dr Gupta then.
Apart from the forensic issue, Dr Gupta had also subsequently openly questioned the manner in which the autopsy was conducted in Rajput case by the Mumbai hospital.
Sushant’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti called for a probe into an alleged ‘U-turn’ by Dr Sudhir Gupta, who headed the AIIMS panel re-evaluating the actor’s post-mortem report. Gupta stuck to his ground and pointed out that all members of the medical board has come to one conclusion that it was a case of suicide.
“This kind of U-Turn must be explained!! #SushantConspiracyExposed #SushantAIIMSTape.” In another tweet, she asked, “Why?” Shweta wrote.
But doctors on the AIIMS panel rejected such contention and said that Gupta had said so on August 22 when the AIIMS had not received any medical report or Sushant’s viscera and he was merely reacting to wild media reports. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police is jubilant that its probe stood vindicated with the AIIMS ruling out murder. Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh said people with “vested interests” targeted Mumbai Police without knowing anything about the probe.
“We all stand vindicated by these findings of AIIMS,” the Police Commissioner said. The Supreme Court had upheld transfer of the FIR lodged by Bihar Police in the Rajput case and not the Mumbai Police’s investigation, Singh said.
“The court didn’t find any fault with our investigation,” he said. Singh further said that the city police had submitted the investigation report to the apex court in a sealed cover and it was seen by only six persons — the investigating officer, senior police inspector, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Police, advocate general of the State and the judge.
“Without knowing anything about our investigation and without having seen our report some vested interests criticised our investigation,” he said. Rajput (34) was found hanging at his flat in Mumbai on June 14. A section of media had hinted that it could be a murder.
The CBI had taken over the probe from Bihar Police into the alleged abetment to suicide case filed by the actor’s father KK Singh in Patna against Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena on Monday sought an apology from the BJP leaders as well as the media for trying to defame Maharashtra Government and Mumbai Police. A day after the AIIMS forensic panel, set up to assist CBI in the medical investigation, ruled out murder claims in its report, the Sena said that the BJP-led Centre and its NDA partner in Bihar, JD (U), used the actor’s death as a poll plank ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. “Since the very beginning, in this case, there has been a conspiracy to malign Maharashtra Government and Mumbai Police. If now the CBI inquiry is also not being trusted, then we’re speechless,” senior Shiv leader Sanjay Raut said.
