Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered, claims Mumbai's Cooper Hospital employee
What's the story
In a new twist to the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, an employee of Mumbai's Cooper Hospital, Roopkumar Shah—who was allegedly present during the postmortem—claimed the actor was murdered. Shah alleged there were several injury marks on Rajput's body and neck. He told TV9 they received five bodies for postmortem on the day the actor died, including a VIP body, which was of Rajput.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Kai Po Che! actor's death in June 2020 shook the whole nation; while fans demanded justice on social media, many questioned Bollywood and its internal politics. His alleged death by suicide also triggered an open debate on mental health. Over the next several months, this incident was exploited by political parties, especially for the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, since Rajput hailed from Bihar.
Details
Rajput's postmortem not captured on video, only pictures taken: Shah
Shah told TV9, "The postmortem needed to be recorded but higher authorities were asked to only click [pictures] of [Rajput's] body." He added that while conducting the postmortem, he had told authorities that the actor was murdered and that they should work "as per the rules." However, his seniors said they only needed to take pictures and hand over the body to the police.
Information
SSR death case in nutshell
Rajput was found hanging in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020. His family alleged foul play, while the investigation team termed it a "suicide." The case was initially probed by the Mumbai Police and later transferred to the Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, accused of procuring drugs for him, was also arrested.
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AIIMS Delhi panel dismissed murder angle back in 2020
Shah's claims assume significance, considering that in October 2020, an AIIMS Delhi forensic expert team—after re-examining Rajput's autopsy report—concluded it was a suicide, dismissing the murder angle and theories of poisoning and strangling. The panel closed the file after giving a conclusive medico-legal opinion to the CBI. The CBI then took the case forward by continuing its probe into the abetment of suicide angle.
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SIT probe on Rajput's former manager's death
Separately, the Maharashtra government recently announced a special investigation team (SIT) would be probing Rajput's ex-manager Disha Salian's death. She died on June 8, 2020, about a week before Rajput's death. Various theories were making rounds but the CBI said Salian's death was an accident due to a "loss of balance" while intoxicated. It added there were no links between Salian and Rajput's deaths.