Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday hailed the Supreme Court order to transfer the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death to the Central Bureau of Investigation and accused the Mumbai Police of not cooperating with the inquiry, ANI reported.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court allowed the central agency to take over the case as recommended by the Bihar government. Justice Hrishikesh Roy also upheld the validity of the first information report registered by Bihar Police based on the complaint filed by Rajput’s father KK Singh. Roy asked the Maharashtra government to cooperate in the investigation.
“Supreme Court’s verdict makes it clear that probe by Bihar Police and the FIR registered here was correct,” Kumar told ANI. “Not just Sushant Singh Rajput’s family or people of Bihar, entire country is concerned over the matter. With CBI probe, people can trust there will be justice. It was the duty of Bihar Police to probe after complaint, but they didn’t get cooperation in Mumbai. It’s clear what happened wasn’t right. Any political comment in this situation is not right.”
Kumar said the behaviour meted out to Indian Police Service officer Vinay Tiwari, who was sent from Bihar to investigate Rajput’s death, is known to everyone. The Bihar government has alleged that he was “forcibly quarantined” by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, but the civic body cited the government guidelines to tackle coronavirus pandemic.
“These things are not about politics, they are about justice,” Kumar said. “We are focused on providing justice...Probe will be sped up now.”
He added that the government’s stand has been vindicated with the court’s judgement, according to NDTV. “Truth has won,” he said.
The Supreme Court’s judgement was based on a plea filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty to transfer a first information report of abetment to suicide registered against her in connection with the death of Rajput from Patna to Mumbai.
‘Chakraborty has no stature to comment on Bihar CM’: police chief
Meanwhile, Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey attacked Chakraborty for saying that the actor’s death was being blow out of proportion due to the upcoming elections in the state. Chakraborty in her affidavit before the court said an FIR was filed in Bihar as Kumar got involved.
“Rhea Chakraborty does not have the aukaat [stature] to comment on the Bihar chief minister,” Pandey told reporters after the verdict. What the Patna Police did was correct, and according to legal and constitutional provisions. Because of the support that the Bihar chief minister gave us, there is hope today for justice for Sushant Singh Rajput. The fight has come to this point because of the chief minister’s support.”
Actors and politicians have welcomed the Supreme Court order and said it would be the first step towards an unbiased inquiry. Rajput was found dead in his apartment in Bandra on June 14, in what the Mumbai Police said was a case of suicide.
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