Tunisha Sharma's mother Vanita speaking in a video released Monday.
Mumbai: TV actress Tunisha Sharma's suicide case is taking newer turns each passing day with statements from the accused Sheezan, Tunisha's mother, and her friends shedding more light on the intricacies of the case. As the investigation into the 21-year-old's death continues, here are the top developments in the case so far:
- Tunisha's former boyfriend Sheezan Khan, who is currently in police custody for interrogation, on Monday told police that he decided to end the relationship as 'he was disturbed by the atmosphere in the country that emerged after the gruesome murder of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in partner'. He also said he had told her former paramour that belonging to different communities would stand in their way as would their age gap.
- During interrogation, Sheezan further revealed that Tunisha had attempted suicide once earlier after they broke up. "But I saved her at the time and told Tunisha's mother to take special care of her," police sources quoted Sheezan as saying. Tunisha and Sheezan broke up a fortnight before she was found dead inside the washroom on a TV shoot set on December 24.
- Meanwhile, Tunisha Sharma's mother Vanita alleged that Sheezan had cheated on Tunisha, giving her false hopes for marriage. "Sheezan was involved with another girl, while he was in a relationship with Tunisha. He used her for three to four months and then broke up with her," she alleged in a video addressed to the media released Monday.
- Vanita further demanded strict action against Sheezan. "He should be punished. He should not be spared. I have lost my child," the distraught mother said in the video. She had lodged a complaint with the Waliv police after Tunshia's death claiming abetment of suicide by her co-actor and ex-boyfriend Sheezan Khan. A case was registered against Khan under Section 306 of the IPC following his arrest by Waliv police, while the Vasai court sent him to police custody for four days on Sunday.
- Several details of the incident came to the fore during interrogation. Police said that Sheezan and Tunisha had met in the make-up room before leaving for lunch together on the set as usual. But Tunisha did not eat that day. Post lunch, Sheezan got busy with work while Tunisha went into the washroom and did not come back for a long time raising suspicion. She was found dead shortly after.
- The police meanwhile ruled out the speculations of Tunisha's pregnancy or any angle of 'Love Jihad' to the incident. The post-mortem report confirmed 'hanging' as the reason for death. Police also said that Tunisha Sharma was reportedly under stress, and it is suspected that she took the extreme step because of her breakup with Khan.
- Tunisha's relatives claimed that Sheezan was in touch with several girls while he was in a relationship with Tunisha. Pawan Sharma, the maternal uncle of Tunisha Sharma, said the family members are in deep shock after the incident, demanding strict action against the culprit.
- The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) on Sunday demanded an SIT probe into the case. "I went to the set where Tunisha Sharma committed suicide and found that people were very scared. Something wrong must have happened. The Maharashtra government should set up a Special Investigation Team to resolve the case," AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta said.
- The police have sent the mobile phones of both Tunisha and Sheezan to the forensic lab to retrieve their calls and chats. Tunisha had left her house happily on Saturday morning to go to the serial set, the police informed.
- Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan on Sunday claimed that Tunisha's is a matter of "love jihad" and the state police are investigating the case. The minister also stressed that the Eknath Shinde government in the state is mulling bringing a strict law against 'love jihad'.
