Sonali Phogat death: Family suspects foul play, demands CBI probe
What's the story
After Haryana BJP leader and actor Sonali Phogat's death in Goa, her family dismissed the possibility of her having a heart attack, and demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter. Her sisters claimed they had received a call from her the evening before her death, and she spoke of uneasiness. Phogat's nephew accused her secretary of plotting to kill her.
Context
Why does this story matter?
A former Bigg Boss contestant and content creator with close to nine lakh followers on Instagram, Phogat was visiting Goa with her staff. On Tuesday, she suffered a heart attack based on a prima facie report by the doctor. Police had, however, said the cause of death would be confirmed after the postmortem.
Allegations
Secretary Sudhir Gangwan plotted her death, claims Phogat's nephew
Phogat's nephew Vikas, an advocate, accused her secretary Sudhir Gangwan of plotting her murder, according to a report by AajTak. Amid this, Phogat's brother went on Facebook live from in front of the Goa police station and claimed that the officials weren't cooperating after he tried lodging a murder case in the matter. Another of Phogat's nephews, Mohinder claimed that her face was swollen.
Twitter Post
Phogat's sister talked about her last call with her
Haryana | I received a call from her the evening before her death. She said she wanted to talk over WhatsApp said that something fishy is going on... later, she cut the call then didn't pick up: Rupesh, sister of Haryana BJP leader and content creator Sonali Phogat (23.08) https://t.co/BfMUrypZsj pic.twitter.com/m7pf5vrDw7
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2022
Politics
Bishnoi met Phogat last week
Phogat had unsuccessfully contested on a BJP ticket against Kuldeep Bishnoi — then in Congress — from the Adampur constituency in Hisar in the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections. Recently Bishnoi rolled over to the BJP and now both were in the race for the ticket for the next election. Last week Bishnoi met with Phogat in Hisar.
Details
She had no illness, says sister
Her sister Raman said she had no illness and used to stay very fit. Police have ruled out the suspicion of foul play. Although, they have registered a case of unnatural death. Police had written to the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) asking for a team of doctors for the postmortem, which would be conducted today.
Timeline of events
She went back to her hotel after feeling uneasy
Phogat and her associates stayed at a hotel in Anjuna. On Monday, she attended an event at a shack named Curlies. Later, she reported feeling uneasy and then went back to her hotel. The next morning on Tuesday she was taken to St Anthony Hospital where she was declared brought dead, Mapusa DSP Jivba Dalvi said.