The demand for a CBI inquiry into the death of Patna-born actor Sushant Singh Rajput resonated in the Bihar legislature on Monday, eliciting support from lawmakers cutting across party lines.
The demand was first raised by Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu, a BJP MLA and the deceased star’s cousin, when members were allowed to speak on the subject by Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary after the passage of 12 bills by the House, which assembled for a truncated, day-long monsoon session.
Turning towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bablu requested the state government to hand over the probe to the CBI.
"It is evident that the Maharashtra government is trying to put hurdles in the way of Bihar Police, preventing it from investigating the matter properly,” he alleged.
Bablu's wife Nutan Singh, a BJP MLC, also raised the issue in the legislative council.
The BJP MLA underscored the "forcible quarantine" of an IPS officer from Patna, hours after he landed in Mumbai on Sunday, to buttress his point.
The demand for handing over the matter to the Central agency was seconded by leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who asserted his RJD was the first party to have made such a demand. “I had written a letter to the CBI shortly after Rajput’s death and also requested that the upcoming film city in Rajgir be named after the deceased actor,” Tejashwi said.
Congress legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, who is also a former speaker of the House, suggested that a resolution be passed in support of the demand for a CBI inquiry into the actor’s death.
Raju Tiwari, an MLA of Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, and Awadhesh Kumar Singh of the Congress were among others who rose to speak in favour of a CBI inquiry.
Sushant was found hanging from the ceiling of his Bandra residence on June 14 last. The Mumbai Police registered a UD (unnatural death case) and has been recording statements of people known to be close to the deceased actor.
However, the matter took a new turn when the actor’s father K.K. Singh lodged a complaint at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna, accusing actress Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant’s girlfriend, and her family members of abetment to suicide.
The complaint formed the basis of the FIR lodged by Patna Police.
Several other allegations were made by Singh against Chakraborty, including withdrawal of large sums of money from Sushant's bank account and wrongful confinement.
A special investigating team was set up by the Bihar Police to probe the matter. Patna SP City Vinay Tiwari reached Mumbai on Sunday to lead the investigation but ended up being quarantined by municipal authorities in the western metropolis, which has been reeling under a severe outbreak of the coronavirus.
The ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine has been accused by its opponents of trying to shield the alleged culprits and acting under the influence of a powerful lobby in Bollywood, who are said to have given a short shrift to Sushant, while he was struggling to make his mark in the film industry.
In Bihar, leaders of all parties, including the Congress, have disapproved of the Maharashtra government’s response in the matter and spoken in favour of handing over the case to the CBI.
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court by Chakraborty who has sought transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai, challenging the Bihar government’s jurisdiction in the matter.
The Bihar government, which has roped in former attorney general of India Mukul Rohatgi to appear on its behalf, has decided to oppose Chakraborty's petition.