No link to Rajput death, stop dirty politics: Aaditya ‘Mumbai Police unable to investigate case well, transfer it to CBI or SIT’
ISSUES CLARIFICATION State govt still firm against transferring the probe into the suicide to CBI
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader and state minister of tourism and environment Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday described the rumours linking him to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput as “dirty politics” by the Opposition. The 30-year-old minister said in a statement released on social media that he is not connected to Rajput’s death, which was declared a suicide in the post mortem report and is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Mumbai Police.
Meanwhile, the state government has reiterated that it is opposed to transferring the probe into the circumstances surrounding Rajput’s death to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Tuesday, Thackeray issued a strongly-worded statement in Marathi, in which he said the rumours linking him to Rajput, who died by suicide on June 14, are “mudslinging” by the Opposition.
“Those who are pricked by the success and popularity of the Maharashtra government have started dirty politics over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Unnecessary mudslinging is going on at me and the Thackeray family. This is nothing but dirty politics arisen out of frustration,” said Thackeray in his statement. Referring to recent speculations about his close friendships with people in the commercial film industry, he said, “The film industry is an integral part of Mumbai. Several thousand livelihoods depend on this industry. I have personal relationships with some from the industry and it is not a crime.”
In his statement, Thackeray described the rumours and speculations surrounding Rajput as “politics over the dead” and an assault on humanity. Denying any involvement in Rajput’s death, Thackeray said he would never do anything that would hurt the prestige of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and the Thackeray family.
“I am not even remotely connected to the case. I wish to say as the grandson of Hinduhruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray that I will never do anything that would hurt the prestige of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and Thackeray family. The people who are levelling baseless allegations should understand this,” Thackeray said in the statement which he tweeted on Tuesday evening.
This is the first time Thackeray has responded to the rumours implicating him in Rajput’s death.
Over the past month, speculations have circulated on social media and some news media, which link Thackeray to actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is believed to have been in a relationship with Rajput. There are also allegations of misappropriation of funds levelled against Chakraborty by Rajput’s family. Among the allegations to go viral was one that claimed the Maharashtra government did not want to transfer Rajput’s case to CBI because it wants to protect a “young politician” who is implicated in the case.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like Atul Bhatkhalkar and Narayan Rane have openly alleged Mumbai Police are under pressure to protect vested political interests. On Tuesday, Rane said Mumbai Police was trying to shield someone by terming Rajput’s death a suicide and not calling it a “murder”.
Sena minister Anil Parab on Tuesday challenged the Opposition
to show proof of Thackeray’s involvement in the case. “Whoever has evidence that Aaditya Thackeray is connected to the case or he went to some party, should come forward. This is nothing but an attempt to malign the image of the young leader. The Opposition is playing politics keeping the upcoming Bihar elections in mind,” Parab said while speaking to the media in Mumbai.
He also responded to former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta, who had tweeted that she felt Mumbai was no longer a “safe” place. “When the government changes, the police force does not. The same police provided them security for five years, and they are protected by the same police even today. If they do not have faith in the police any longer, then she should gladly leave the state,” Parab said.
Meanwhile, after chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar said on Tuesday that his government has recommended Rajput’s case be transferred to CBI, the Maharashtra government reiterated its support of Mumbai Police’s investigation.
Chief secretary Sanjay Kumar said, “Our stand is clear that we do not want to hand over the case to CBI as Mumbai Police is competent to handle the case. We have filed a caveat in the
Supreme Court [SC] where it will be argued. It is now up to the Apex Court to decide upon the jurisdiction of the court.”
Officials from the home department said that since Rajput’s death took place in Mumbai, there is neither reason nor legal provision for transferring the case to CBI without the Maharashtra government’s permission.
“The main allegation against actor Rhea Chakraborty is illegal transfer of the money and for it, the Enforcement Directorate has already started investigation. Mumbai Police’s investigation is on the right track and has not found any substantial to book anybody by filing a first information report [FIR]. In such a case, the consent of the government that has jurisdiction over the place where the case occurred, is necessary,” said a state government official.
A home department official said the state government would oppose the FIR that has been filed in Patna regarding Rajput’s death, on the basis of jurisdiction.
“Rhea Chakraborty has made the petition in the Supreme Court for the transfer of the case to Mumbai. We will bring to the notice of the Supreme Court that it should be investigated where the case has taken place,” said the official.
PIL ALLEGES THAT POLICE IS TRYING TO SHIELD INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE FROM THE FILM INDUSTRY
MUMBAI: A petition by a Nagpur resident has been moved in Bombay high court, asking for a special investigation team (SIT) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by suicide on June 14.
According to the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Sameet Thakkar, Mumbai Police is not able to probe the case effectively due to the interference of film industry professionals as well as police personnel being occupied with Covid duty.
The PIL will be heard before the bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta on Wednesday.
The PIL alleges that one of the reasons that the ongoing investigation by Mumbai Police has been slow is that the police is trying to shield influential people from the film industry.
It also points out alleged failures on part of Mumbai Police to follow up on certain anomalies and alleges that persons with vital information regarding the case have not been given a hearing by the police. The PIL cites about the failure of the police to mention that Rajput had changed his SIM card atleast 50 times in a month prior to his demise or the fact that the actor had tweeted thrice on the fateful day before deleting them, in its initial investigations.
The PIL also questioned as to why the viscera report had no mention of pomegranate juice being found in the post-mortem report, though the domestic help had deposed that Rajput had consumed the same a couple of hours before his body was found.
For these reasons, the PIL asks that the investigation be handed over to an SIT or the CBI.
Last week, the Supreme Court had dismissed a similar PIL, which sought to transfer the probe to CBI.