No theory proving conclusive yet in Sushant’s death case

Follow-up

 By Venkatesh Raghavan

The latest developments in the Sushant Rajput death case has taken a sea deviation from the theories that were building up after the probe was transferred from the jurisdiction of the Mumbai police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). At that point of time, there was a parallel investigation being carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that was probing the much hyped-about money laundering allegation.

After several rounds of interrogation, the facts emerged that there was nothing conclusive enough to substantiate the money laundering theory as the expenses incurred and transactions carried out by Sushant’s ex-girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty amply fell under the gamut of regular travel requirements and the actor’s personal needs.

Also read: Sushant’s death has many layers of mystery

However, Sushant’ family members found an unexpected ally in actress Kangana Ranaut who came out in the open making allegations against the industry fraternity and how they targeted the successful actor by indulging in groupism that caused social isolation. Her statements subsequently took a different turn with a continuing war of words between her and the Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut resulting in an acrimonious civic demolition of her premises.

Taking a look at when all of it began gives a perspective on how things keep getting murkier, with each passing day throwing up a new allegation or conspiracy theory. To begin with, the untimely death of the young Bollywood celebrity Sushant Rajput that was unearthed on the evening of June 14 with strong reactions about his suicide death being prompted by abetment has succeeded in triggering a spate of conspiracy theories and even alleged murder charges.

As the evening report on the same day poured out that the actor committed suicide, hanging from the ceiling of his flat, press also harped on the police awaiting the post mortem report and the forensic findings after an autopsy. For a substantial period of time, the press stories raged around the actor’s suicide and what might have caused it, strongly suggesting that professional jealousy in the Bollywood circles was to be blamed.

Sushant’s father KK Singh lodged a complaint with the Patna police alleging that his ex-girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty was instrumental in causing abetment to suicide. The family took to the monetary angle, stating she was handling Sushant’s finance over a period of time and money to the tune of Rs. 15 crores got siphoned off and laundered.

Close on heels to this allegation, with the Mumbai police still handling the investigations, the Enforcement Directorate jumped into the fray. Parallelly, there was public and political pressure to hand over the investigations on the actor’s death to the CBI. Subsequently, as the story unfolded with newer theories, there was a theory that talked about professional jealousy in the Bollywood camps leading to Rhea sourcing narcotic drugs to Sushant at the behest of the actor’s rivals. There was also a new twist to the story, talking about his ex-manager who had committed suicide a week before his death letting him know the truth about Rhea feeding him with narcotic drugs. It was alleged that this infuriated Sushant and it led to a confrontation between Sushant and Rhea. It further said, “Sushant’s death was a consequence of his learning about the truth.”

As things got hot for Rhea with sustained interrogations at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) premises in Mumbai, another nodal agency, the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) began its probe on the drug theory that had been floated. At the same time, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had taken over the investigations from the Mumbai police which faced a lot of flak for being unable to crack the case.

While it was disaster spelt out for actress Rhea, her brother and other associates, another Bollywood Diva, Kangana Ranaut jumped into the fray, making allegations about how professional jealousy in the film industry had caused this state of affairs. The issue also took a communal turn with an us versus them attitude about the Khans of Bollywood. As the narrative on the actor’s death took a new twist with each passing day, the actress got embroiled in a war of words with the Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut. It got further accentuated when the civic authorities partially demolished Kangana’s residence after a 24-hour prior notice period which had lapsed when she was out of town. Right now, the battle of words has gone still worse and the Centre has provided the actress with personal security cover after she expressed concern about her safety.

Meanwhile, the Rajput death case took another twist with the actor’s kin alleging that it was murder and not suicide after citing the findings of the autopsy report which was informally revealed to him. However, when the nodal agency came out with its investigation, that included the findings of the autopsy report, it clearly stated that it was a suicide and the abetment angle is also being probed.

To sum up, every day throws up a new mystery. Every day is a fresh ground for a new allegation. Right now, three nodal agencies are working on it. There is no clue as to where it’s all leading to.