Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey said that Indian Police Service officer Vinay Tiwari, who was sent to Mumbai to investigate into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has been “forcibly quarantined” by the city’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials. Rajput was found dead in his apartment in Mumbai on June 14, in what the police said was a case of suicide.
“He [Tiwari] was not provided accommodation in the IPS Mess despite request and was staying in a guest house in Goregaon,” he added, on Twitter.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the state district general of police will speak to the authorities in Maharashtra about the alleged mistreatment of Tiwari, ANI reported. “Whatever happened with him [Tiwari] is not right,” he said. “This is not [a] political [issue]. Bihar Police is carrying out its duty.”
However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation rejected the allegation and claimed Tiwari was quarantined as per the present guidelines for domestic arrivals at the Mumbai Airport.
Bihar’s director general of police also said that the Mumbai Police has not shared postmortem, forensic reports, photographs and videos of the scene of the incident to them yet, according to The Indian Express. “The IPS officer will coordinate with senior officers of Mumbai Police,” he added. “We are looking to gather maximum evidence and meet people connected with the actor.”
Pandey said the four-member police team, now supervised by Tiwari, will stay in Mumbai till further instructions.
The Bihar Police launched an investigation after Rajput’s father Krishna Kumar Singh lodged an first information report against actor Rhea Chakraborty and her relatives on July 25. Singh alleged that there were financial irregularities and accused them of cheating and abetment of suicide.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh criticised calls for a Central Bureau of Investigation into the case. “Mumbai Police already began investigating allegations about Sushant Singh Rajput’s unfortunate alleged suicide,” he tweeted. “Even if Bihar Police registered an offence in Patna, under Chapter 12 and 13 of the CrPC it has to be investigated, inquired, tried by police and courts within whose jurisdiction the offence is committed. I condemn the demand for the case to be handed to CBI.”
Deshmukh added that the case is being politicised for political gains. “Maharashtra Police is inquiring into the case professionally and are competent in digging out the truth, leaving no stone unturned,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, along with leaders from the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party have insisted on a CBI probe.
Chakraborty has filed a plea in the Supreme Court to transfer the case against her from Patna to Mumbai, which will be heard on August 5. In her plea, Chakraborty said she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput and that it was erroneous for the investigation to have commenced in Patna, since the cause of action did not arise there, but in Mumbai. She also claimed that Rajput’s father has used his “influence” in getting a first information report filed against her in Patna.
Both the Maharashtra and Bihar governments have filed caveats in the top court seeking to be heard before any order is passed on Chakraborty’s plea. Rajput’s father has also filed a caveat in the matter.
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