Nitish claims vindication in Sushant case, says it is about justice, not politics

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was accused of pandering to public sentiments and doing politics over Sushant’s death case by Maharashtra politicians .

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has cited the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput to claim vindication of his government’s stance which led to a confrontation with the Maharashtra government.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar added that the treatment meted out to Bihar Police in Maharashtra was not right. (PTI Photo)

Kumar also said that the court’s decision also shows that Mumbai Police’s handling of the case including alleged non-cooperation with Bihar Police’s parallel investigation into Sushant’s death was wrong. He also stressed that the court battle over jurisdiction was not about politics but justice for the budding actor, who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14.

“These things are not about politics, they are about justice. We are focused on providing justice. What was said was not right. Probe will speed up now. Today it was proved that we abided by law in the steps we took,” Nitish Kumar was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

Nitish government had transferred to CBI, a case registered with Bihar Police by Sushant’s family living in Patna against his former girlfriend Rhea Chakarborty, accusing her of mentally harassing the actor, diverting large funds from his account, confinement and abetting his death by suicide among other charges.

Responding after the SC verdict the Bihar chief minister said that the verdict demonstrated that the alleged attempts by Mumbai Police to block a probe by Bihar Police in the case-- before it was transferred to the CBI-- was wrong.

“It was the duty of Bihar Police to probe after a complaint, but they didn’t get cooperation in Mumbai. Behaviour meted out to our IPS officer is known to all. With the SC verdict, it’s clear what happened wasn’t right. Any political comment in this situation isn’t right,” Kumar was quoted as saying by ANI.

Suggesting that politics should be kept out of the investigations, Nitish added that the entire country was concerned about Rajput’s mysterious death and the CBI probe offered assurances of justice.

“Supreme Court verdict makes it clear that the probe by Bihar Police and the FIR registered here were correct. Not just Sushant Singh Rajput’s family or people of Bihar, the entire country is concerned over the matter. With a CBI probe, people can trust there’ll be justice,” Nitish Kumar said.

Leaders of Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA) coalition that runs the government in the state also insisted that the Supreme Court’s decision should not be viewed from the prism of politics.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who has been very vocal in his opposition to demands for a CBI probe into Sushant’s death earlier said that it is “not right” for him to make any political comment on the order. He insisted that “no one” is above the law in Maharashtra and the justice system in the state is fair to all. He was talking to the news agency.

The BJP, however, has taken a broad swipe at the Maharashtra government saying the “hidden hands” interfering in the Mumbai police’s investigation in Rajput’s death will be exposed now that the case is with the CBI.

There are several theories doing the rounds about Sushant’s death including one claiming he was murdered and another suggesting he was driven to suicide by big cliques in Bollywood that do not let outsiders flourish in an industry that is run like a “family affair” by few big production houses.

Suggestions have also been made about involvement of a young influential Mumbai politician in the case. However, Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who is also the son of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, has denied having anything to do with the case.