The curious case of Sushant Singh Rajput

Suddenly, Sushant Singh Rajput’s “apparent” suicide is all over the news again. Partly because of his last film being released, but also because of the uncertainty surrounding his death. During an exclusive interview to NewsX, Dr Subramanian Swamy very interestingly highlighted several loopholes in the Sushant Singh suicide theory. To paraphrase him, he first highlighted […]

by Priya Sahgal - July 25, 2020, 6:42 am

Suddenly, Sushant Singh Rajput’s “apparent” suicide is all over the news again. Partly because of his last film being released, but also because of the uncertainty surrounding his death. During an exclusive interview to NewsX, Dr Subramanian Swamy very interestingly highlighted several loopholes in the Sushant Singh suicide theory. To paraphrase him, he first highlighted the fact that Rajput’s body had been taken to the Cooper hospital for post-mortem. This, says Dr Swamy, surprised him as it is usually runof-the-mill road accidents that are taken there and not high-profile celebrity suicides. Second, he claimed that while the post-mortem report stating that this was a suicide was only a “provisional” one, the body was handed over for cremation. Dr Swamy also wondered why Sushant’s flat had not been sealed and found a couple of other loopholes in the suicide theory such as the fact that the cloth used as a rope was not strong enough to hang a body and that the distance between the bed and the ceiling was not enough to allow a body to hang. All in all, he has asked for a CBI probe.

Why CBI? Doesn’t he trust the state authorities to do a comprehensive investigation? Dr Swamy’s reply was nuanced and equally intriguing. He commented that while he had no doubt that the Maharashtra CM would agree to a CBI inquiry, he was intrigued as to why the state Home Minister (from the NCP) was opposing it.

 Dr Swamy also talks about the BollywoodDubai nexus. And adds significantly that this also includes politicians. Dr Swamy’s legal team — Ishkaran Bhandari — has also offered legal support to Kangana Ranaut. However Kangana’s case is slightly different from Dr Swamy’s, for she seems to not so much question the suicide itself as the fact as to what drove him to suicide. Her allegations of nepotism in the film industry seem to hit a chord, for suddenly this has become the debate of the day with other voices joining in. Chetan Bhagat has also tweeted about his case, as have others. Suddenly, Bollywood is divided against those who agree with Ranaut and those who don’t. Shocking tales have come out of careers being manipulated, films being delayed just to promote a rival, roles being denied… and a lot more.

Cartels and cliques do exist in almost every field, from politics, media to business. In any field the “Outsider” is looked upon with suspicion. Of course, with Bollywood being more glamorous than most other professions, this does get more headlines. Interestingly within Bollywood and with the Dubai angle being brought up, there is speculation about a larger game at play. Dr Swamy certainly seems to think so. And once he brings in the role of the politician, the headlines get all the more interesting.