Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday said the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput was being “heavily politicised” and that the Mumbai police were more than competent in handling the case.
Mr. Pawar, who is the grand-nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, attributed the reason for the politics over the actor’s death to the coming Bihar Assembly elections, scheduled in October this year.
The BJP, which is in opposition in the State, had put a question mark on the Mumbai police’s investigation into the actor’s death and demanded a CBI probe into the case.
“Sushant Singh Rajput, who came from an ordinary family and rose to cinematic stardom, represented the hopes and aspirations of many youths like him. Since his unfortunate death a month back, the social media rumour mills have been working overtime. A number of big names are being questioned in connection with the actor’s death. While it is certain that the investigation into this affair must be comprehensive, there must not be any politics over the probe,” said Mr. Rohit Pawar, alluding to the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe as well as the Bihar government’s attempts to ‘wrest’ control of the case from the Mumbai police.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar, which is a coalition between Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, has sent a four-member police team to Mumbai under an IPS officer to probe the actor’s death, leading to friction with the Mumbai police and the local authorities.
Speaking on this, Mr. Pawar, a first-time legislator from Karjat-Jamkhed in Ahmednagar, said the Mumbai police’s capabilities were well known not only throughout the country but also in the world.
Parth Pawar’s stance
Incidentally, Mr. Pawar’s own cousin, Parth Pawar – the son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar – had echoed the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe into Rajput’s death.
Mr. Parth Pawar had even met State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in this regard.
Sushant Singh Rajput death case | Bihar lawmakers demand CBI probe
When questioned about this, Mr. Rohit Pawar refuted any suggestions of divergent opinions. “Parth Pawar’s request that Mr. Rajput’s death be probed by the CBI stems out of a genuine concern to see that the investigation is conducted thoroughly. I agree with his sentiments. However, I feel that the Mumbai police are competent to conduct this probe satisfactorily as well as impartially,” he said.
