Rabbiya suspects foul play in Jiah’s death.
By Tathagata Mitra
BANGALORE: A little more than a year after Jiah Khan was found dead in her Juhu apartment, her mother Rabbiya Khan has tried to reopen investigation into her daughter’s so called suicide.
Jiah was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her Mumbai apartment on June 3 last year. The police ruled the case as a suicide, but they did bring in Jiah’s boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi, son of veteran actor Aditya Pancholi, for questioning.
The reason for Pancholi’s arrest was a letter found in Jiah’s apartment. In that letter Jiah admits to suffering from months of physical and mental abuse, even rape by the hands of an unnamed person. She even admitted to having an abortion weeks before her suicide and blames the same unknown person for her taking this step.
The police considered Sooraj to be this unknown person and lodged an FIR against him under IPC section 306 (abatement of suicide). He was later released on bail.
Rabbiya is now urging the British police to open their own investigation into the matter. She has even written to Foreign Secretary William Hague, asking him to ensure that justice is done to her daughter, according to a London Daily Telegraph report. As Jiah was British by nationality, her death in India could become a ground for international investigation.
“I am sure my daughter did not commit suicide. She had everything to live for. For her to kill herself made no sense,” Rabbiya said, according to the Telegraph report. “She had her suitcases packed and found a flat in Sloane Street. Does that sound like a suicidal person…That letter opened my eyes, it was proof of many things. Every word of that letter feels like a knife through my heart, but also gives me strength because it proves my suspicions are justified and between the lines I can hear Jiah calling me to fight for her.”
Jiah is survived by her mother and two sisters. Whether or not the British police pay heed to Rabbiya’s plea is a question that time will answer.
Meanwhile, Sooraj, who Rabbiya suspects of contributing to Jiah’s death, is all set to make his Bollywood debut as an actor in Hero, opposite Athiya Shetty, daughter of Sunil Shetty. The film is being directed by Nikhil Advani and produced by Salman Khan. Hero will release in theaters on December 12.