Death of Sushant Singh Rajput

On 14 June 2020, Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead, hanging from the ceiling fan at his home in Bandra, Mumbai. The cause of death was ruled to have been suicide and the official postmortem reports concluded that Rajput died of asphyxia due to hanging. The Mumbai Police launched an investigation into the death, which was the subject of widespread speculation and rumours.
Timeline.
A week prior to his suicide, Rajput had searched on the Internet three subjects multiple times: Disha Salian, his former manager who had died about a week before him; news reports containing his own name; and information about a mental illness.
On 13 June 2020, the night before his death, Rajput retired to his bedroom after dinner. At around 2a.m. on Sunday, 14 June he made two phone calls, one to Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty and another to television actor Mahesh Shetty. Neither call was answered. Rajput then woke up early that morning. Some time after, he googled information about "schizophrenia", "bipolar disorder" and "painless death".
Two of Rajput's friends were living with him. In the morning of 14 June, he spoke to his sister over the telephone at around 9a.m. and an hour later he had a glass of juice and his tablets. At around 11:30a.m., his cook knocked several times on the door of his room, to confirm the menu for the day. He and Rajput's friends received no response. They then called a key-maker to open the door, following which they called Rajput's sister and the police. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan. No suicide note was recovered.
"The Indian Express" reported that the Mumbai Police said the actor had shown symptoms of clinical depression and was consulting a psychiatrist. Times Now reported that medical papers and anti-depressant pills were found in his house.
Investigation.
The Mumbai Police commenced an investigation, stating that the death was being treated as a suicide. A team of three doctors conducted an autopsy and submitted their provisional postmortem report at Bandra Police Station. On 22 June, the Mumbai deputy commissioner of police said "The provisional cause of death is asphyxia due to hanging." The final postmortem report, received on 25 June, confirmed the cause of the death as asphyxia due to hanging and said it was a "clear case of suicide." The autopsy doctors placed time of death at 10 to 12 hours before postmortem examination on 14 June at 11:30 p.m.—meaning between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (Indian Standard Time). The report added that no foul play was found. On 27 July, Mumbai Police received the viscera report, which likewise ruled out any foul play.
On 15 June, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh stated that the police would also probe the "professional rivalry" in the film industry as the cause of Rajput's depression. The police revealed that Rajput was upset with being linked to the death of Disha Salian, his previous manager. Salian had died five days before him, and a case of accidental death was registered. She died after falling from the fourteenth floor of her building. On 3 August, Police Commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh said investigators had found no link between the deaths of Rajput and Salian.
Interrogation of three psychiatrists and one psychotherapist confirmed that Rajput had consulted them and was on medication prescribed by them.
The police also revealed that Rajput had initially tried to hang himself with the belt of a bathrobe, but it could not sustain his weight. Following this, he used a green kurta. His clothes were strewn over the floor of his bedroom; the police concluded that they had fallen out when he had pulled the kurta from his cupboard. Due to a discrepancy between his height and the distance between his bed and the ceiling fan, the police concluded that he had hanged himself in an inclined position. No sign of struggle was found.
On 25 July, Rajput's father, K. K. Singh, filed an FIR at Patna, where he lives, against Rhea Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, for abetment of suicide. He also accused them of wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, and cheating. He alleged in his complaint that Chakraborty cheated Rajput financially and mentally harassed him. On 28 July, India Today reported that Chakraborty had been booked in the case. In a petition filed at the Supreme Court, Chakraborty claimed she had no role in the actor's death and was falsely implicated by Rajput's father. She also sought transfer of the probe in the FIR to Mumbai, saying that there cannot be an impartial investigation in Bihar. 
Acting on the FIR filed in Patna, an investigative team was formed by Bihar Police and was sent to Mumbai to probe the case. Although the investigation continued only for a brief period as the case was later transferred to CBI. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which investigates financial crimes, also registered a money laundering case over transactions worth of Rs 150 million based on the complaint registered by Rajput's father.
Multiple reports stated that Sushant had hosted a party at his house on 13 June, the night before his death. This was denied by Mumbai Police and his house help, who was interrogated by Bihar Police. Mumbai Police initially reported that the CCTV in Rajput's house was not working, but on 3 August said they had assessed CCTV footage that ruled out any party at Rajput's Bandra apartment on 13 June.
On 3 August, Mumbai's police commissioner said there was no misappropriation of funds from Rajput's bank accounts and no money had been transferred to Rhea Chakraborty's accounts. On 4 August, Mumbai Police appointed Grant Thornton as the financial forensic auditor in the case. During the investigation, reported "Hindustan Times", the Mumbai Police revealed that the actor's family had informally complained to the Mumbai Police in February 2020 about Rajput's life being in danger.
On 6 August, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indian national government's top investigating agency, re-registered the Patna Police FIR accusing Chakraborty and others of wrongdoing, thus taking over the case.
On 19 August, the Supreme Court allowed the CBI to take control of the investigation and ordered the CBI to look into any future cases registered in relation to Rajput's death. On 21 August, Sudhir Gupta, head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS) and leader of a forensic medical team tasked by CBI for assistance, told the Press Trust of India, "We will look into the possibility of murder. However, all probable angles will be thoroughly examined." Gupta told Asian News International (ANI), "We will also examine other trace evidence preserved at the time of autopsy to differentiate between hanging and murder allegations."
On 26 August, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India's national drug law enforcement agency, registered an FIR against Rhea, her brother Showik, and three others. The ED had requested the NCB to join the investigation after its financial probe found that drugs were supplied to Rhea and Sushant. Specifically, the FIR invoked sections of India's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) dealing with cannabis. On 4 September, the NCB arrested Showik Chakraborty and Sushant Singh Rajput's house manager, charging them under provisions of the NDPS Act. The NCB arrested Rhea Chakraborty on 9 September for allegedly procuring drugs for Rajput; she was one of 20 persons arrested by the NCB in connection with the drugs angle being probed in the actor's death. On 6 October, Mumbai Sessions Court extended Chakraborty's judicial remand until 20 October, but a day later she was granted bail by the Bombay High Court. The high court rejected the NCB's theory that Chakraborty had harboured and financed Rajput's drug addiction, finding instead that she was not part of the chain of drug dealers involved in the case. "She has not forwarded the drugs allegedly procured by her to somebody else to earn monetary or other benefits," wrote Justice Sarang Kotwal. On 5 March, the NCB submitted a chargesheet against 33 persons including Chakraborty and her brother.
On 3 October, Dr. Sudhir Gupta of AIIMS, leader of the CBI-designated forensic medical team, said, "Sushant death is a case of suicide. Murder completely ruled out." Gupta told ANI, "There were no injuries over the body other than hanging. There were no marks of struggle/scuffle in the body and clothes of the deceased." On 5 October, ANI reported that the AIIMS medical board had submitted its report to CBI confirming that Rajput died by suicide and ruling out the murder angle. On 15 October, the CBI said it "continues to investigate the death of Rajput. There are certain speculative reports in the media that the CBI has reached a conclusion. It may be reiterated that these reports are speculative and erroneous."
Public reactions.
Rajput's death was generally perceived as being unexpected and shocking and sparked debates over mental health. Several prominent leaders and actors responded on social media. On Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Rajput "a bright young actor gone too soon". Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli too expressed their shock on Twitter.
A few hours after Rajput's death, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam claimed that Rajput had signed seven films after his 2019 box office hit "Chhichhore" and had lost them all within a span of six months.
On 15 June, Maharashtra Cyber Police tweeted that some pictures of Rajput being circulated online were "disturbing and in bad taste", warning people that posting such pictures on social media would invite legal action.
, at least three fans had reportedly committed copycat suicide, including a 30-year-old television actor and a 13-year-old girl using the same method as Rajput.
Following allegations that Rhea Chakraborty was responsible for his death, some Bhojpuri songs, which abused and threatened her, became popular in his home state of Bihar.
Rajput's sister Shweta Singh Kirti initiated a 'Global Prayers for SSR' campaign to urge all to collectively pray for the departed soul on 15 August 10:00 am local time. Along with family members and fans, many celebrities include Kriti Sanon, Ankita Lokhande and Ekta Kapoor also joined in this movement.
During the course of ongoing investigations, the case received widespread and continuous media coverage and attention. On 3 September 2020, considering two public interest litigation petitions alleging an "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against Mumbai Police, the Bombay High Court advised, "We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint in reporting of the investigation with respect to the death, [such that it] would not hamper investigation in any manner." On 5 October 2020, Mumbai Police stated that its cyber unit had identified more than 80,000 fake accounts on social media platforms from various countries in Asia and Europe seeking to discredit their ongoing official investigation. Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh termed this as "a motivated campaign with vested interests" to malign Mumbai Police. He added that those found to have violated the law would be prosecuted under the Information Technology Act. On 23 October, the nongovernmental News Broadcasting Standards Authority directed news channels Aaj Tak, Zee News, News 24 and India TV to air an apology for insensitive reporting and sensationalizing Rajput's death. Several people were arrested by Mumbai Police and were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. They were accused by Mumbai Police for concocting conspiracy theories and making sensational and defamatory allegations against the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police.
A road was renamed "Sushant Singh Rajput Marg" in memory of the actor in New Delhi.
Request for CBI probe.
Rajput's maternal uncle, alleging that his nephew was murdered, had demanded a CBI probe on the day of the actor's death. Several political leaders, mostly from Bihar also demanded for a CBI investigation into the case. Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman created a forum called #justiceforSushantforum demanding a CBI probe into the death. Actress and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly, in a series of tweets with hashtag #cbiforsushant, questioned actor's death and called for an "independent unbiased CBI investigation".
Rajput's fans demanded an inquiry on various social platforms. On 16 July 2020, "Hindustan Times" reported that in the wake of Rajput's suicide, "a massive online campaign fuelled by conspiracy theories has been demanding a CBI investigation into the matter." Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who "identified herself as Sushant's girlfriend," wrote the "Hindustan Times", asked for the aid of Amit Shah, India's Minister of Home Affairs, in launching a CBI probe. Former union minister Subramanian Swamy wrote a letter to PM Modi requesting a CBI probe, which was acknowledged by the PM's office on 25 July.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh questioned the necessity of a CBI probe into the death. "The Mumbai Police is competent enough to handle such cases," he said on 17 July. On 22 July, the Twitter hashtag #Candle4SSR trended with two million tweets from Rajput's fans around the world, as part of their online campaigns demanding a CBI investigation since actor's death. On 29 July, Home Minister Deshmukh reiterated that the investigation would not be transferred to the CBI.
On 5 August, however, Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, told the Supreme Court that the executive branch of India's national government had accepted the recommendation by Bihar's state government for a CBI inquiry into Rajput's death. On that basis, officials said, CBI had decided to start the probe. On 8 August, the Maharashtra government told the Supreme Court that the CBI had shown "indecent haste" and should not have registered the case while proceedings were still pending before the court.
Groupism debate.
Rajput's death sparked a debate in India about nepotism and related malpractices in the Bollywood film industry. A day after Rajput's death, actress and filmmaker Kangana Ranaut speculated that the actor was a victim of the Hindi film industry's nepotistic nature and it didn't acknowledge Rajput's work which led to his mental suffering. A case was registered against Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Salman Khan, Ekta Kapoor and four others in the Patna High Court by a lawyer, Sudhir Kumar Ojha, alleging that Rajput had been denied opportunities due to nepotism, leading to his suicide, but the case was later dismissed on 8 July. Johar and Alia Bhatt were then bullied on social media.
Soon after, Ranaut and her team started a campaign against rampant nepotism in Bollywood. In an interview with Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, she blamed the "movie mafia" for Rajput's death. She claimed that production houses like Dharma Productions and Yash Raj Films had worked to ensure Rajput's failure and that film critic Rajeev Masand had defamed him publicly.
Following this, Simi Garewal and A. R. Rahman spoke about groupism that they faced in Bollywood. Sonu Nigam referred to the nepotism in music industry as "music mafia".
Amid the debate over nepotism, vote brigading by Rajput's fans led to the trailer of "Sadak 2", released on 12 August 2020, to become the most disliked trailer on YouTube within 24 hours of its release. Speculating that Rajput had despaired of being shut out of the film industry due to favoritism, his fans blamed Bollywood insiders, including Mahesh Bhatt, director of "Sadak 2", and his daughter Alia Bhatt, one of the film's stars, who had spoken dismissively of Rajput in a talk show.
Funeral.
Rajput was cremated by his father at Pawan Hans Crematorium, Vile Parle on 15 June. Actors Kriti Sanon, Shraddha Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Ranvir Shorey amongst others were present at his funeral proceedings.