Actor Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide and there was no evidence to suggest that he was murdered, the seven-member panel of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has said in its report submitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Is it time for the murder theory proponents to apologise? Was the trial by a section of the media fake? On his show News Today at 9, India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai spoke to Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh who answered these and many more questions.
Now that the AIIMS report is out, does he feel vindicated? “Right from the beginning, we maintained that ours was a professional investigation. Cooper Hospital and our forensics team examined all aspects of the case. We had submitted our progress report before the Supreme Court that didn’t find any fault with it. Yes, we feel vindicated,” Param Bir Singh said.
“There were some vested interests that wanted to discredit the Mumbai Police in the middle of a raging pandemic. We have lost 84 personnel to Covid-19; about 6,000 have contracted the virus,” the Mumbai Police Commissioner added.
Do you think the AIIMS report brings the case to a closure? “Forensics is major evidence, but it has to be corroborated. The CBI is a professional agency. I’m sure it will come to a logical conclusion,” Param Bir Singh said.
Was there any interference from the Maharashtra government when the Mumbai Police was probing the case? “The Maharashtra government doesn’t interfere or give instructions with regard to any investigation,” the Mumbai Police Commissioner said.
How do you respond to allegations from Sushant Singh Rajput’s family? “We had recorded their statement. They had also said it was a suicide, before going back and filing an FIR in Patna to allege it was a case of abetment to suicide. But even they never said Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered,” Param Bir Singh said.
Who are the vested interests you were referring to? Do you think action should be taken against them? “There were several fake accounts on social media that were spreading hatred. The conduct of certain sections of the media is in front of the court,” he said.
Actor Rhea Chakraborty has been in jail. Do you think that case should take different complexions now? “An agency of the central government is probing that case. I have nothing to say. That case is not linked to our investigation,” the Mumbai Police Commissioner said.
Do you think this trial by sections of the media should stop? “A case trial can happen only in a proper court of law where evidence is examined and both sides are heard. This trial creates, and tampers with, evidence and witnesses. What can I say? The truth has the habit of coming out,” he said.