‘Rahul Raj Singh should get capital punishment or life sentence’.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Pratyusha Banerjee’s alleged suicide has taken a U-turn after her parents came forward with shocking revelations about the troubled relationship their daughter had with the actor-producer Rahul Raj Singh, who is currently under observation in a hospital for suicidal tendency.
According to her parents, Rahul used to abuse Pratyusha. She was denied access to friends and family at times. But Rahul and his father has slammed their claim and bounced back saying that Pratyusha’s parents prompted her to take the extreme step.
Rahul, who was seen visibly grief-stricken after coming to know about the death of his girlfriend, was later admitted to hospital after he complained of chest pain. Doctors treating Rahul told The Hindu that Rahul is still under observation as he has shown various symptoms of suicide.
Police have confirmed that once Rahul is discharged from the hospital, he will be taken into custody taking suo motu cognizance of the complaint filed by Pratyusha’s parents.
It was during a recent press conference that Pratyusha’s parents make the shocking revelations about the dark relationship their daughter had with Rahul, whose mother is an MLA.
Pratyusha’ parents told that before she met Rahul, their daughter was enjoying a successful career and was happy. But things soon changed as she came to know that Rahul had a 9-year-old son from a previous marriage, which was kept a secret.
Pratyusha was hopeful that she could patch up with Rahul. Her parents also said to media that Rahul kept threatening her of breakup if she visited parents and friends. This is the reason why she stayed with Rahul despite objections from her parents.
They said Rahul made false claims that he owned four flats and numerous cars in Mumbai. He also said that he possessed 150 acres of land in his hometown. He took control of her life and kept her almost captive, denying contact with her parents and friends, allege Pratyusha’s parents.
They also added that Rahul used to physically abuse Pratyusha and used to taunt her mentally talking about her past relationship.
The Times of India reported that neighbors at their Kandivli house had once heard a loud sound when she got hurt. Pratyusha’s parents also said that debts had started piling up and paying house rent had become difficult.
Shankar Banerjee, Pratyusha’s father was quoted by Times of India saying “We have told the police everything. We want the strongest possible punishment for Rahul,” said
He further added, “When we heard the news, we went numb. We didn’t know what to do, how to react. Pratyusha’s friends organized everything for us and we landed in Mumbai. After that, taking our daughter’s body to the crematorium, laying her on the funeral pyre, putting her ashes into the river… Amar matha kaj korchhilo na (I couldn’t think). We performed all her last rites on Monday, following the customs for untimely death or under inauspicious circumstances. That is why we were silent till now. It was important for us to ensure that her soul rests in peace before we could bring ourselves to think and take the right action. It was her mother who registered the FIR.
“We knew that Rahul was troubling her, but not to this extent. She would call us sometimes and tell us about a few things. We realized that she was being stopped from calling us too often. But we heard all about it from her close friends after getting here. Now we know what was going on. I’ve lost my daughter and I have nothing more to lose, but I cannot rest until he is punished. Rahul should either get a life sentence or capital punishment. No other girl should have to die like my daughter did.”
On Wednesday, Neeraj Gupta, the first lawyer hired to defend the actor, backed out from the case citing that his client was unreliable as he hides many crucial facts that might weaken the defense.
“I withdrew from the case on humanitarian grounds. I felt that I shouldn’t be fighting the case, and hence left it be so that injustice is not done to anyone,” Gupta told PTI.
When asked if his decision to quit the case came in the wake of an FIR filed against Rahul, Gupta said, “The FIR has nothing to do with the decision. A lawyer is always prepared for such things.”
“A client should pass on all the information, right or wrong, good or bad, to the lawyer, but I was kept in the dark and got all the details (pertaining to the case) from outside (media),” he claimed.