Ritesh Singh, who was recently evicted from Bigg Boss 15, speaks about his relationship status with Rakhi Sawant and domestic violence allegations levelled by his wife Snigdha Priya
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; December 22, 2021)

In the ongoing season of Bigg Boss, the one contestant who has been in the eye of the storm since the time he entered the Bigg Boss house is Rakhi Sawant’s husband, Ritesh Singh, aka Ritesh Kumar. From day one, people wondered whether he is really her husband and an NRI, as he claims to be. A picture of him with his wife, Snigdha Priya, and son that went viral recently further fuelled speculations.

In an interview with BT, Snigdha claimed that Ritesh was still married to her and was surprised to see him enter the show as Rakhi’s husband. She had also said that she had filed a case of domestic violence against him in April 2017. Now, Ritesh has been evicted from the reality show. In a chat with us, he fielded questions about his behaviour with Rakhi, accusations levelled by his wife Snigdha and more...

Your rude behaviour towards Rakhi in the house came under criticism. Do you think that is one of the reasons why people didn’t vote for you and you were eliminated?
I am upset with my eviction, as I had expected to last longer on the show given the way I was playing. But I guess people didn’t appreciate how I behaved with Rakhi and didn’t vote for me. They misunderstood my intentions. My behaviour towards Rakhi was a part of my game plan. I wanted housemates to believe that I was playing an individual game and not in alliance with Rakhi. The house is divided into two groups. One group would support Rakhi, while the other was on my side. Plan tha ki shuru mein Rakhi ko alag rakhna aur eventually usko support karna. I admit that I should have informed Rakhi about it.

Your wife, Snigdha Priya, has said that you are still married to her and so your claims of being married to Rakhi can’t be true?
Yes, it’s true that I am not divorced yet. People who think that I am morally wrong need to listen to my side of the story, too. I have been tight-lipped because I was not in a state to talk about my personal life. I was also quiet for the sake of my child. As far as Rakhi is concerned, we have not had a formal wedding or a court marriage. Humne ishwar ko sakshi maan kar apne relationship ko aagey badhaaya hai.

Snigdha also filed a case of domestic violence against you. What do you have to say about it?
Her accusation of domestic violence is false. In fact, she had left me for another man during our marriage. I had registered a complaint as I didn’t know her whereabouts, and eventually, I asked her for a divorce. She projected me as a violent man who would hit her every day. If I am so bad, why hasn’t she agreed to divorce me? Why did she suddenly show up and start talking about me when I was inside the BB house? The intention was to defame and trouble me. Also, how does it concern her whether I am an NRI or do a menial job? If her claims were true, would Rakhi live with me? I have always said that I am from Bihar and currently living in Belgium. Snigdha Priya’s sole intention has been to get money out of me. I have ample proof to counter all her claims and substantiate mine.

Given the status quo, where does your relationship with Rakhi stand?
Mera mann ka rishta definitely Rakhi ke saath hai. Rakhi mujhe pati maanti hai aur main usko patni manta hoon. Once I get a divorce, I will marry Rakhi. She supported me when my personal life was in a mess. Uss time par ya toh main paagal ho jaata ya alcoholic.

When and how did you meet Rakhi?
I connected with Rakhi on WhatsApp regarding an event I was organising for my company in early 2019. She proposed to me eventually, but I avoided her as I was apprehensive about getting into a relationship with her, given her controversial image. We finally met in July at a hotel in Mumbai and I fell in love with her. Humne bhagwan ko saakshi maan kar July 28, 2019, mein shaadi kari. I would call this relationship a divine intervention.