Bihar top cop sees 'politics' in Sushant Singh death probe

The Bihar police chief has admitted that actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case has taken a “political turn”.

“When the incident happened, we didn’t anticipate the ugly turns… the matter has now turned political,” Bihar police chief Gupteshwar Pandey told NDTV.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday heard the appeal of Sushant’s friend Rhea Chakraborty, who wanted the case against her filed in Patna transferred to Mumbai. Bihar police claimed in the court that its case was the only one about Sushant Rajput’s death while Maharashtra has failed to file even a single case in the last two months.

After the hearing in the apex court, Pandey told NDTV: “I am of the view that Bihar holds a jurisdiction (in the case)… there is a money trail involved. Sushant was not married, his father is now his heir (to take the case forward). While the matter is being discussed in the top court, I don’t want to comment further on this.”

The Mumbai Police argue that since Sushant’s death happened in Mumbai and the people named in the complaint are residents of Mumbai, only they have the jurisdiction in the case.

The tussle between the two states stems from the fact that both Bihar police and Sushant’s family suspect Sushant’s friend Rhea Chakraborty of financially cheating the 34-year-old actor and abetting his suicide. While the Mumbai Police is investigating the matter, Sushant’s family clearly seems unhappy with the way the probe has progressed so far.

Even as the Mumbai and Bihar police tussle to sort out the jurisdiction issue, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate too have had a look into the allegations of money-laundering.

About the involvement of CBI and ED in the case, Pandey said: “Whatever be the consequences, it takes time to investigate some cases… It’s not just about the CBI. Any investigating agency in the world can’t predict the time of the investigation.”

When asked what progress has the Bihar police made in the case, Pandey said, “We took statements from 10 people. We don’t have medico-legal evidence, FSL (forensic science laboratory) report or CCTV footage. Whatever evidence we have collected, we can reveal details only on the right platform.”

Some critics believe the upcoming Bihar state elections could be the reason why Sushant Singh’s death case has taken a political turn.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government is miffed by the involvement of Bihar police in this matter. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has termed Bihar police’s parallel probe as “a conspiracy against the Maharashtra Government”. Raut wrote in Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana: “Sushant was a Mumbaikar for last few years. Mumbai gave him name and fame and Bihar didn’t stand by him during his struggle. Why should Bihar government interfere in this matter?”

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his home in Mumbai’s Bandra on June 14. Mumbai Police has so far maintained that it was a suicide case.