The Zimbabwe Independent

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakrabort­y moved to prison

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Bolly woo d actress Rhea Chakrabort­y has been sent to jail by India’s narcotics control authority for allegedly buying drugs for her actor-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his flat in Mumbai on June 14. Police said he had killed himself.

His family, however, registered a police complaint against Chakrabort­y, accusing her of abetment to suicide.

She is yet to comment, but denied any wrongdoing in earlier statements.

Chakrabort­y spent the night at the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) office in Mumbai after she was arrested by the agency on Tuesday. She was moved to a women’s jail on Wednesday morning.

Chakrabort­y’s brother, Showik, and Rajput’s former house manager, Samuel Miranda, were also arrested last week in the same drugs case. But the charges against them have not been revealed.

All three are reportedly accused of organising and financing Rajput’s alleged consumptio­n of cannabis. The case is connected to the investigat­ion into Rajput’s death.

The NCB asked the court to detain Chakrabort­y for further questionin­g, while describing her as part of an “active drug syndicate”. A magistrate rejected her bail plea and remanded her to judicial custody until September 22.

While being arrested, Chakrabort­y was seen wearing a T-shirt with the words, “roses are red, violets are blue, let’s smash the patriarchy, me and you”. Soon, the words were being shared on social media by Bollywood stars, influencer­s and ordinary citizens in a show of support.

Chakrabort­y’s is the most high-profile arrest in connection with a case that has captivated and polarised India in recent months. Prime time television news covered every developmen­t, turning Rajput and Chakrabort­y’s personal lives into subjects of public debate.

Many of the news channels have been accused of misogyny in their coverage of the case.

Chakrabort­y and Rajput began dating in the summer of 2019, according to reports, and moved in together in December.

On June 8, a week before Rajput’s death, Chakrabort­y went to stay with her parents and wasn’t home when the actor died.

After his death, reports in the press suggested that he had been dealing with mental health issues.

But within days, the focus shifted to Chakrabort­y and the 28-year-old upcoming actress soon found herself at the centre of a storm of allegation­s, conspiracy theories, rumours and unconfirme­d reports.

The media attention intensifie­d after Rajput’s father registered a complaint against her. He denied that his son had any mental health issues and accused Chakrabort­y of stealing his son’s money, among other allegation­s.

For months, Chakrabort­y has been trolled on social media. She has been called names like “fortune huntress” and “mafia moll”, and has been accused of getting Rajput addicted to drugs and driving him to suicide. The actress has approached the Supreme Court over what she says is an “unfair media trial” and has issued her own statement and given TV interviews, denying all the charges against her.

She has also issued a plea to Home Minister Amit Shah for a fair investigat­ion into Rajput’s death. – BBC Online.

 ??  ?? Actress Rhea Chakrabort­y and her late-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.
Actress Rhea Chakrabort­y and her late-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.

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