The untimely death of Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) under mysterious circumstances sent the world into a tizzy. The tragic news cast a gloom of sadness amongst his fans, not only in India but around the world. Initially reported in media as a suicide slowly turned into a suspected case of murder. The case brought back haunting memories of actress Divya Bharti’s death in 1993.

Sushant Singh Rajput – Short but fulfilling life!

Sushant was born on January 21, 1986, in Patna, Bihar in India to Mr. Krishna Kumar Singh and Mrs. Usha Singh. His nickname was Gulshan. Sushant was the youngest of five siblings – he had four elder sisters.

The actor did his schooling at St. Karen’s High School in Patna and Kulachi Hansraj Model School in Delhi. He secured admission to the Delhi College of Engineering but dropped out during his fourth year to begin a career in acting.

He landed his first role in a Hindi soap opera, Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil, but gained popularity in his second soap, Pavitra Rishta. He also participated in two dance reality shows.

Sushant Singh Rajput debuted in Bollywood with Kai Po Che! In 2013. His other movies were – PK, Shuddh Desi Romance, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! and hugely successful – M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, which earned him critical acclaim and made him a household name.

At the time of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, his net worth was estimated to be about Rs. 59 crores. Sushant also owned several luxury vehicles, notably BMW K 1300 R motorcycle, Maserati Quattroporte, and Land Rover Range Rover SUV.

On June 14, 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his apartment in Bandra, Mumbai. No suicide note was recovered from the actor’s apartment.

His tragic demise shocked the world and devastated his fans. The world lost a talented actor and a wonderful person, so tragically and too soon. 

The actor is survived by his father and four sisters. His mother had died in 2002 when he was just 16. One of his final posts on social media on June 3 was a tribute to his mother.

Initial media reports suggest he was reportedly suffering from depression and committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling fan in his apartment. 

His body was found around 1:30 p.m. after his domestic help found the bedroom door locked and called a locksmith to open the door. The actor’s stylist and manager were present in the flat when the room was opened. They then called Rajput’s sister and the police.

Mumbai Police started inquest proceedings under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ascertain the cause of unnatural death. His post-mortem was conducted at Cooper hospital on the night of his death.

The final post-mortem report stated – “No struggle marks or external injuries” were found in the actor’s body. The report mentions the cause of death as asphyxia due to hanging. His nails were also found clean. The report cites the actor’s death as a “clear case of suicide with no other foul play”

However, unsubstantiated claims on social media and some media channels turned the needle of suspicion on his girlfriend, Riya Chakraborty. She was questioned by various investigative agencies and had to even face brutal abuse from the actor’s fans on social media.  

Some media channels also alleged Sushant was side-lined by Bollywood dynasties and this nepotism pushed him to take the extreme step. 

Sushant’s fans took to social media to express their anger and they vowed to boycott films made and enacted by ‘star kids’.  

Amid nepotism backlash, films like Gunjan Saxena and Sadak 2 suffered badly as the movies involved Bollywood kids. Sadak 2 trailer went on to become one of the most disliked videos ever on YouTube in India, receiving 9.04 million dislikes. 

Sushant’s father, Mr. K K Singh, lodged a complaint in Patna against six people, including actress Rhea Chakraborty. In the FIR, he accused Rhea Chakraborty of transferring Rs 15 crore from the actor’s bank account and abetment to suicide. Mr. K K Singh also accused Rhea and her family members of stealing Sushant’s laptop, cash, jewelry, credit cards with PINs, etc., and threatened the late actor of making his medical reports public.

Rajput’s father also claimed to have filed a written complaint, nearly four months before his death on February 25, 2020, at the Bandra Police station, stating that the actor’s life was in danger. He blamed the Mumbai Police for not acting on his complaint. However, the Mumbai Police denied receiving any such complaint.

Mumbai Police clarified Mr. O P Singh, an IPS officer and brother-in-law of Rajput had sent some WhatsApp messages to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone 9 regarding a threat to the actor’s life. The DCP had responded to O P Singh saying a written complaint was mandatory to initiate an inquiry into the complaint. According to the Police, O P Singh wanted the matter to be resolved informally, but DCP said this was not possible.  

Mr. K K Singh also accused the Mumbai police of not extending help to the Bihar Police team which is probing the “abetment to suicide” case filed by him in Patna.

These allegations by Rajput’s family Mumbai Police came under heavy criticism for not acting on Rajput’s brother-in-law’s complaint. This also led to a turf war between Mumbai and Bihar police. 

Advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha lodged a case against eight people, including Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Salman Khan & Ekta Kapoor, in a court in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. In the complaint, the lawyer alleged that Rajput was removed from many films by these people creating a situation that forced him to take the drastic step.

Political parties got involved in the case as a general election in Bihar (Rajput’s home state) was around the corner. Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s Chief Minister recommended the case be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the federal investigative agency. The recommendation was accepted by the central government and CBI is probing the case.

The case got murkier with the involvement of a drug angle. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) started its investigations and questioned Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, Rajput’s manager, and domestic staff. The agency also summoned several Bollywood actors whose names figured during the questioning.  

Book on Sushant Singh Rajput

The book, The Legend, Sushant Singh Rajput: The Heist of National Treasure by Willking pays tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput’s life, celebrating his success as an actor, his inclination towards science, and his lust for intelligence.

Paranormal expert Steve Huff claims to have spoken to Sushant Singh Rajput’s spirit.

A video of paranormal expert Steve Huff speaking to, what is believed to be, the spirit of Sushant Singh Rajput emerged on the Internet. Though many claimed the session to be a hoax. 

The video has Steve questioning ‘Are you in the light?’. Someone is heard saying, “Steve, I am getting the light”. However, people who watched the video claimed that Sushant is saying, “Steve, I am getting murdered”. 

Why Sushant Singh Rajput’s family and supporters smell a conspiracy in his death –  

• Disha Salian, Rajput’s ex-manager died under mysterious circumstances on June 8, following which Sushant Singh Rajput was also found dead, within a week, on June 14. Many people believe that the two deaths may be inter-connected and that they did not commit suicide but were murdered.
• On the day of the incident, at 9 a.m., Rajput spoke to his sister on the phone and did not seem to be in any kind of depression.
• A locksmith was called to open the actor’s door as it was locked from the inside. The locksmith was stopped by the actor’s support staff from entering the room after he had opened the door lock, which raises suspicion. 
• When Sushant’s manager, Siddharth Pithani, saw Sushant hanging in the room, why did he not immediately call the police?
• There was not enough height between Rajput’s bed and his ceiling fan, so his feet would have touched the bed and not have swung in the air to cause the tightening of the noose.
• Rajput’s leg was fractured and twisted which is unlikely in the event of a suicide.
• Why was Rajput’s post-mortem hurriedly done late in the night?
• No suicide note was recovered from the scene of death. How then was it believed that Rajput had committed suicide?
• There is not even a single picture of Rajput’s body hanging on the noose?

The case was investigated by the three biggest investigation agencies in India – The criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

Sushant’s family and fans hope the truth will eventually come out one day, and the mystery surrounding his death will soon be revealed.