Tunisha death: Cops quiz Sheezan Khan to know what unfolded on TV show set; her kin seek probe into ‘murder angle’
Police on Thursday said actor Sheezan Khan was being questioned to ascertain what exactly happened on the set of a television show in Maharashtra’s Palghar district where his co-star Tunisha Sharma allegedly committed suicide last week, while her relatives demanded that her death be probed from the “murder angle”.
A police official said that Khan, 27, had allegedly deleted his WhatsApp chats with an unidentified woman following Sharma’s suicide and attempts to retrieve these records were on.
He also said that a note purportedly written by Sharma, 21, has been recovered from the TV show set, which read, “He is blessed to have me as a co-actor, Woohoo.”
Sharma, who acted in the show ‘Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul’, was found hanging in the washroom on the set of the serial on Saturday near Vasai in Palghar.
The official from Valiv police station in Palghar said, “Though Khan had ended his relationship with Sharma, they were on good terms with each other and used to speak regularly.”
Khan was arrested on Sunday on the charge of abetting her suicide. He is currently in police custody.
Sharma’s mother has alleged that Khan cheated and “used” her daughter.
On the day of the incident, Khan and Sharma met during the lunch break of shooting. After speaking to Sharma for 15 minutes, Khan left for his shoot, the official said.
After some time, Sharma was found hanging in the washroom, said.
“Khan is being questioned about what exactly happened during the chat with Tunisha Sharma on the set,” the official said.
So far, Khan has not revealed what transpired between them, he said.
The police have so far recorded the statements of a number of people, including Sharma’s mother, uncle, other relatives, crew on the set and co-actors, the official said.
Police also called Khan’s sister for an enquiry on Thursday, but she was yet to appear before the investigation officer, he said.
The police were also questioning another woman who was in contact with Khan, the official said.
They were also examining the WhatsApp chats which took place between Khan and Sharma, he added.
Sharma had also featured in the TV show ‘Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap’ and films like ‘Fitoor’ and ‘Baar Baar Dekho’.
Meanwhile, talking to a news channel, the deceased actor’s uncle Pawan Sharma said, “I want the government and police to support us and they should investigate the case with the murder angle also.”
“There has been a change in the behaviour of Tunisha since the last few days and I want the police to investigate it,” he said.
If she committed suicide, why is there no photo or video of the place of the incident, he asked.
“The family also wants to why they were informed (about her death) late,” her uncle added.
During the day, Union minister Ramdas Athawale met the deceased actor’s family at Bhayandar in Thane district and sought strict punishment for the accused. He also demanded Rs 25 lakh compensation to Sharma’s mother.
“Tunisha committed suicide as Sheezan deceived her. He should be given strictest punishment,” Athawale told reporters after meeting the deceased’s mother Vanita Sharma.
“Her mother is totally devastated due to the loss. The state government must give her Rs 25 lakh as compensation. My Republican Party of India (Athawale) will give her Rs 3 lakh. We want the state government to appoint Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor to ensure that Tunisha gets justice,” the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said.
