Seven years after actor Pratyusha Banerjee died by suicide, a sessions court has stated that her then-boyfriend, Rahul Raj Singh’s physical, emotional and financial harassment and exploitation, pushed her to take the drastic step.

Banerjee’s Balika Vadhu co-star and close friend Shashank Vyas is relieved with this development. “I have no words. I was so close to Pratyusha and at the time of her death, along with a couple of her close friends, demanded proper investigation into the matter. Now, this statement is a big step towards her getting justice,” Vyas tells us.

Banerjee died in her rented apartment in Mumbai on April 1, 2016 and Singh was booked for abetting her suicide. He was granted anticipatory bail by Bombay High Court in July the same year. Now, rejecting Singh’s discharge plea, the sessions court stated that the “state of being of Pratyusha as per the material, on record, was on account of the accused, whose harassment made her think about suicide”.

Vyas adds that her friends and family have waited for closure for long and the void still remains. “Kisi ke jaane ke peeche kuch toh kaaran hoga. She was at the peak of her career, visible everywhere and earning well. We need to know what forced her to take such a step suddenly. It’s a question we asked then, too,” says the 36-year-old, adding, “I miss her every day. She was brilliant, and a far better actor than me. She would have gone places.”