Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was not murdered and it was a case of suicide, Dr Sudhir Gupta, who headed a team of forensic experts from Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has stated. Earlier, the 34-year-old movie star's family and many fans had alleged that he was poisoned and strangled.
Sushant, a rising star of Hindi cinema, was found dead at his apartment on June 14. At the time, the Mumbai Police had said he died by suicide and had been suffering from depression. His family, however, contested claims of mental illness and accused his girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, of driving him to suicide. The case was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Now, the AIIMS panel has completed the examination and closed the file after providing conclusive medico-legal opinion to the CBI in the case, according to reports. The AIIMS team, that had been tasked with re-examination of the late actor's autopsy, other medical reports and the crime scene, said the circumstantial evidence also suggested suicide.
The CBI is corroborating the medical report with their investigation. CBI is likely to continue its probe into "abetment to suicide," a charge originally listed by Bihar Police after the family's allegations. "All aspects are still open in the probe, if any evidence comes to light proving otherwise, Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (i.e., murder) will be added, but nothing has come up in 45 days of probe," sources said.
Meanwhile, Sushant's family, through their lawyer, had recently questioned the delay in CBI's probe. He also claimed that an AIIMS doctor had earlier told him that the cause of death in this case was strangulation and not suicide by hanging. However, Dr Gupta subsequently termed the lawyer's claims "incorrect." "The investigation is still going on. What he is saying is not correct."
The CBI had also issued a statement after questions over delay in its probe were raised. The agency said it was carrying out a "professional investigation," where "all aspects are being looked at and no aspect has been ruled out." Apart from the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate is probing allegations of money laundering in this case, while the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is investigating a high-profile drugs case related to Sushant's death.
In fact, the NCB has held many, including Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik in connection of drug case. Both are accused of procuring banned substances such as marijuana, and are currently imprisoned.
