Mumbai: Bandra police have summoned actor Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel for the third time for inquiries in connection with a case filed against them for alleged objectionable posts on social media. Ranaut and Chandel were served a notice on Wednesday to remain present at Bandra police station on November 23 and 24. An FIR was lodged against them last month on the directions of a magistrate court at Bandra.

“We have issued a third notice to Ranaut and Chandel asking them to appear for recording of statements,” said a senior Bandra police officer. Previously, notices had been served to them in October and then November. Police sources said the actor’s representative had reached out to them asking for time as her brother’s wedding had been scheduled and asked that the date be deferred beyond November 15.

V Narayan & Rebecca Samervel | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 8, 2020)

Mumbai:  Actor Rhea Chakraborty on Sunday submitted a written application at Bandra police station seeking a probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister Priyanka Singh and a doctor attached to a Delhi government hospital who prescribed the actor anxiety medicines.

Rhea is being investigated in the death of actor Sushant, her boyfriend.

In her application to the police, Rhea alleged that on June 8, six days before his death, she saw him exchanging messages with his sister. She claimed to have advised him against taking any such drug without a doctor’s recommendation. Sushant said he trusted his sister, who texted him the prescription of a doctor attached to a central government hospital in Delhi.

Rhea also stated that the prescription showed Sushant as an OPD patient in Delhi when he was in Mumbai. “This clearly shows that it is a forged one. Also, the doctor is a cardiologist who sought fit to prescribe psychotropic substances to a person he did not know and had never met,’’ her complaint said.

Under the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines of March 2020, these drugs are prohibited from being prescribed electronically, the application said. “These medicines have a high potential of abuse and could harm the patient or the society at large if used improperly,” it added.

Rhea, in her application, said that it should be probed whether Sushant then took these medicines, which may have contributed to his death or further deteriorated his mental health.

Rhea’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said prescribing drugs listed under the NDPS Act was an offence. “It is also a misconduct under the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines which prohibit prescribing of any Narcotic or Psychotropic Substance listed in the NDPS Act,” he added.

Lawyer Vikas Singh, representing Sushant’s father K K Singh, did not respond to TOI’s calls or text messages on Monday.
----------------------
Rhea Chakraborty states doctor prescribed medicines via sister Priyanka Singh without seeing Sushant Singh Rajput
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; September 8, 2020)

Actress Rhea Chakraborty was grilled for over eight hours by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for a second consecutive day on Monday. After this, the actress filed a complaint at Bandra police station against Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Priyanka Singh and one Dr Tarun Kumar from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi, for prescribing the actor medicines on June 8 without seeing him.

The prescription was allegedly for depression-and anxiety-related medicines, given without seeing Sushant. The actor had contacted his sister Priyanka on June 8 and told her that he is feeling low. Priyanka then arranged a prescription of some medicines from Dr. Kumar.

Satish Maneshinde, Rhea's lawyer, said, "Rhea has filed a complaint before the Mumbai police against Priyanka Singh, Dr Tarun Kumar of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and others for offences of forgery, under NDPS Act and the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines 2020 for sending a bogus medical prescription showing Sushant as an Out Patient Department visitor (at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital) when he was in Mumbai on June 8, for prescribing Schedule Drugs listed under NDPS Act as psychotropic substances."

Saw Sushant last on June 8
In her statement to Bandra police Rhea said, "On the morning of June 8, Sushant had been on phone incessantly and when I enquired what he was doing, he showed me the messages he was exchanging with his sister Priyanka Singh. I was shocked as Priyanka had sent him a list of medications to take."

"I explained to Sushant that given the seriousness of his condition, and the fact that he already had medications prescribed by doctors who had examined and treated him over several months, he ought not to take any other medication, least of all medication being prescribed by his sister who has no medical degree.

"Sushant and I disagreed on this aspect and he insisted that he would only take the medicine his sister was prescribing him. He then asked me to leave the house as his other sister Mitu Singh was coming to live with him and would take care of him. It was thus that I came to leave our residence at Mount Blanc, Bandra, and this was also the last time that I saw him alive."

The statement further reads, "The prescription prepared by them is a fabricated and false document as it reflects Sushant as an OPD patient when on that date and time, he was in Mumbai and not New Delhi."

9th Accused Tests Positive
According to sources, Rhea and Showik were grilled together. The agency is, so far, not satisfied with the actress's clarifications.

The NCB on Monday also arrested a ninth accused, Anuj Keshwani, named by Kaizan Ibrahim as a supplier of contraband. The NCB recovered 590 gm hashish, 0.64 gm LSD sheets, 304 gm marijuana, including imported joints and capsules, R1,85,200 in cash and 5,000 Indonesian Rupiah. Keshwani also tested positive before being taken to court. As a result, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Esplanade court) ordered that all accused in the case henceforth be produced for remand via video conferencing. He was remanded to five days' custody during a remand hearing later in the day.

Dr Shailesh Mohite, who was part of the Sheena Bora probe, speaks to us on the intricacies of autopsies, and the need to let forensic science guide the SSR investigation
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 28, 2020)

In his long career in forensic medicine, Dr Shailesh Mohite has been part of some sensational cases, including the Sheena Bora murder and the autopsy of terrorist Abu Ismail. We reached out to Dr Mohite — Professor and the Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Nair Hospital, Mumbai — to demystify the autopsy process and shed some light on the controversy surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput’s autopsy. Excerpts from our conversation:

How important is an autopsy report in a case like that of Sushant Singh Rajput?
According to our Indian judicial system, an autopsy is of utmost importance. It tells us various things — from identification, to the cause, manner of death, the evidence that needs to be preserved, time since death — all queries are answered at the end of the autopsy. So, it forms a crucial part of evidence.

What factors do medical professionals keep in mind while carrying out an autopsy and drawing conclusions?
There are a lot of individual variations that could occur depending on the circumstances. So, while conducting the autopsy, noting down findings or interpreting the findings, we need to keep a lot of things in mind. For instance — the sex of the person, the build, age, the environment in which the body was found, whether it’s summer or winter, temperature, was the body wearing clothes or not, was it found in water or on dry ground and so on.

Can the same autopsy report be interpreted differently by two medical professionals?
Yes, there could be slight differences of opinion. While giving an opinion, one should always say that the opinions are based on the above mentioned observations. So, if it goes to another expert, he or she knows the points that have been taken into account while coming to those conclusions. In case they have anything to add, they can always mention the facts taken into consideration apart from the ones stated by the previous doctor. Documents like the ADR (accidental death report), the panchnama, and statements of relatives also have to be taken into account and noted in the final report so that there is no ambiguity.

Dr Sudhir Gupta from AIIMS is said to have found discrepancies in Sushant’s autopsy report. It’s also in the news that the time of death was not mentioned in the report. What does this essentially mean?
It’s difficult for me to speak on Dr Sudhir’s comment about contradictions, since he has not listed those out, though I am sure he has considered all the documents. As for the time, I can show you copies of post-mortem reports. There is no specific column for time since death. But it states the deductions of the medical officer about the time since death from the stomach contents. Time since death is derived through various factors like rigor mortis, postmortem lividity, coldness or warmth of the body, decomposition changes if any. The post mortem report also mentions the stomach contents. The circumstantial evidence provided by the police are taken into consideration before arriving at an idea of the time since death. If anyone claims that time since death is not mentioned, it is like saying that I have maintained a book of accounts, mentioning the expenses but have not totalled it at the end. But from the individual entries, I can, at any given time, deduce it.

Following Sushant’s death, a few pictures were leaked and circulated. What are the things that one needs to look at as circumstantial evidence?
One needs to be very sure that these are authentic photos, not morphed ones, before commenting. I would suggest that experts, before commenting, see to it that those are authenticated by the investigating officer who will put his signature and forward it. Only those can be taken as authentic and can be permitted in court as evidence.

Some reports had questioned the need to conduct Sushant’s autopsy at night. In a situation like this, how long would it have taken the doctors to inspect his body, and is there a provision to conduct an autopsy at night?
In Mumbai, there is a specific circular from the Government of Maharashtra which states that post mortem should be done in 24 hours, except for cases of negligence and cases of murder/ homicide where the police officer has mentioned it in the papers.

Many reports have questioned the need to take his body to Dr. RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital when another ambulance from a hospital closer to his residence was present. What are the parameters of choosing a hospital?
There is no choice here. By government orders, the 90-plus police stations in the city have been divided — police stations are attached to the post-mortem centres, and we have about 10 of them: St George, GT, JJ Hospital, Nair, KEM, Sion, Rajawadi, Cooper Hospital, Siddharth Hospital and Bhagwati. For example, five police stations are attached to Nair Hospital and bodies from their jurisdictions will be brought here.

You are suggesting that taking Sushant’s body to Cooper Hospital was essentially a procedural decision?
Yes. Bandra police station has Cooper Hospital assigned to them.

Leaked pictures of Sushant’s body led to an outcry on social media. The ligature marks and other signs on his body have been questioned by people, some of whom are medical practitioners and criminal lawyers. By looking at a picture and a ligature mark on one’s neck, can you clearly tell how the death occurred?
As I said, no one should opine without an authenticated photograph. From one photo, one cannot say anything. The photos have to be taken from all sides. People need to understand that there is a difference between a forensic medicine expert (medical graduates), who has conducted autopsies and a forensic scientist (non-medical persons) who has never conducted a single autopsy but has analysed documents, conducted chemical analyses of the viscera and studied the biological evidences. Criminal lawyers have never conducted an autopsy — it is only a medical doctor, who is a forensic expert with experience in autopsies, who can opine on post mortem and injuries.

How many medical professionals are usually required for a post mortem and what are their ideal qualifications? And when you form a team of doctors for an autopsy, are they called in by appointment or are they chosen from those present in the hospital?
The rules are that any registered medical practitioner, which means anyone with an MBBS qualification, can conduct an autopsy. But ideally, a forensic medicine expert, or at times a pathologist is best suited to conduct autopsies. A forensic medicine expert is ideal in cases that show violence. If there is negligence or disease, it is ideal to bring in a pathologist. If the hospital also houses a medical college running postgraduate courses, then apart from a team of experts, there could be postgraduate trainee doctors, too.

Every medical college has a forensic medicine department. For routine purposes, there is a duty list and every doctor is assigned duties. Even one doctor can do an autopsy. But, when you require assistance, the head of the department can ask other doctors to assist. All of them present for the autopsy will sign on the report.

Cops claim that actor’s IPS brother-in-law wanted Samuel Miranda to be taken into custody and interrogated on an ‘informal basis’
Vallabh Ozarkar (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 5, 2020)

Details of conversation and WhatsApp communication between Haryana-based IPS officer O P Singh, brother-in-law of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and Paramjit Singh Dahiya, then deputy commissioner, Zone 9, Bandra police, emerged on Tuesday. The developments came a day after Rajput’s family released a text/screenshot of a complaint sent by Singh to Dahiya stating that there was a threat to the actor’s life, and that Mumbai police had ignored the family’s concerns in February.

Dahiya told Mumbai Mirror on Tuesday that Singh had asked Bandra police to summon Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and intimidate her and take into custody his friend Samuel Miranda for interrogation. According to Dahiya, Singh did not want to file a formal complaint but wanted everything to be handled on an “informal basis”.

According to Dahiya, he first contacted Singh in the first week of February through a batch-mate. The batch-mate told Dahiya that Singh would call him soon. On February 5 Singh and his wife arrived in Mumbai on a three-day break, during which the two police officers were in constant touch.

On returning to Haryana, Singh wanted the Mumbai police to get in touch with Rajput’s manager, to let the actor know they had been in the city. Dahiya said he found it odd that Singh could not do so himself.

On February 19 and 25, Singh sent messages to Dahiya saying he wanted Chakraborty to be “handled informally”. He also wanted Mumbai police to summon Miranda and keep him in custody for a day, so he would “spill the beans” on Chakraborty.

Dahiya told Mirror: “It was clearly communicated that it would not be possible to initiate an inquiry without a written and formal complaint. The last message was on February 25, and I had called Singh and requested him to lodge a formal complaint. But he wanted to get it resolved informally. After this, he never contacted me in this regard and I was transferred from Bandra on April 1 this year. Singh never came forward with any complaints for the next four months.”
--------------------------
Mumbai Zone 9 DCP Dahiya tells mid-day that the late actor's brother-in-law sent WhatsApp texts seeking personal intervention, but never registered a formal plaint
Shirish Vaktania, Vishal Singh (MID-DAY; August 5, 2020)

A day after being accused of not acting on a request from Sushant Singh Rajput's kin in February, a Mumbai top cop said the actor's family was spreading the wrong message and misleading the public. "He [the relative] wanted us to slap actor Rhea Chakraborty and keep her in custody without a formal complaint," Zone 9 Deputy Commissioner of Police Paramjit Singh Dahiya told mid-day on Tuesday.

Rajput's father Krishna Kishore Singh on Monday released WhatsApp conversations between Dahiya and his son-in-law O P Singh, who had claimed the actor's life was in danger and had asked the DCP to personally intervene. Dahiya said he became acquainted with O P Singh, a senior IPS officer posted in Haryana, through a common friend.

"In February, he sent me WhatsApp messages, asking me to call Rhea to the police station and slap her. Rhea and Sushant were in a live-in relationship then. They wanted us to take her and someone named Miranda in custody. I told him we need a written complaint to take any action, but he didn't file one." "I can't call the actor and slap her. This is against the law and O P Singh should know this... I had asked O P Singh several times to file a formal complaint, but he never did." "Why is the senior IPS officer bringing up the matter after 45 days and spreading the wrong message that we didn't act?" Dahiya asked.

'It was against the law'
In one of the messages sent to Dahiya, O P Singh alleged that "Miranda and Shruti" and Rhea are "part of the common conspiracy to destroy Sushant monetarily, mentally and physically... We need to [take] immediate and concrete action as family to save Sushant, to provide him with timely medical intervention. This is possible through your direct involvement... If we somehow keep Miranda in police custody for a day, he will spell [spill] the beans and his statement would be sufficient for us to take technical and legal action [sic]."

A senior Mumbai police officer on Tuesday said Rajput's family has deliberately leaked selective messages from the chat. "O P Singh messaged Dahiya many times, asking for help, like asking to arrange for a car, get it passed, etc. Why did O P Singh not leak that to the media?" the officer asked. Even at the time of the death, O P Singh didn't give any statement to the Mumbai police, the officer added.

BOMBAY TIMES (August 4, 2020)

Over the past few weeks, the Mumbai Police has been under fire for the way it has been handling the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. And yesterday, presenting its side, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, in his brief to the media, said, “Ab tak 56 logo ki statements li gayi hain, experts ko consult kiya gaya hai, financial records dekhe gaye hain, unke joh gadgets the — laptop aur phone — usko examine kiya jaa raha hai. Ek bahut hi detailed aur professional investigation Mumbai Police ne aaj tak kiya hai, Bandra Police kar rahi hai.” He further added, “Various points like professional rivalry, financial distress, health-related issues — sab ko humne detail mein examine kiya hai.”

Sushant reportedly died by suicide on June 14 at his Bandra residence. Even as Mumbai Police continued with their investigation, the call for a CBI inquiry from the actor’s fans and some celebrities, like Shekhar Suman and Roopa Ganguly, got louder. On July 25, the Patna Police registered an FIR against Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and six others, based on a complaint filed by his father, K K Singh. A team from Patna Police reached Mumbai on July 27, while IPS officer Vinay Tiwari arrived in Mumbai on August 2 to take the investigation ahead, but is currently in quarantine.

Talking about the tussle over jurisdiction between Mumbai and Patna, the Mumbai Police chief said, “There is no question of noncooperation, we are legally examining whether they (Bihar police) have jurisdiction or not.”

Rhea Chakraborty was one of the 56 people questioned by the Mumbai Police. Singh said, “Her (Rhea) statement was recorded twice and she was called to the police station four-five times.” Here are some of the key points from the statement he made to the media:

‘Family did not raise any suspicion earlier, nor did they file a written complaint’
Singh said that Mumbai Police had recorded Sushant’s father (K K Singh), three sisters (Mitu, Nitu and Priyanka) and brother-in-law’s (Siddharth Tawar) statements on June 16. “Unhone bayan mein kisi ke upar shaq vyakt nahi kiya tha, suspicion kisi ke upar nahi dikaya tha. Ek do bayan mein aisa bhi aaya tha ke professional pressure ki wajah se aur joh unka treatment chal raha jis illness ke liye uss karan ho sakta hai unhone suicide ki ho.”

He further added, “We had tried to call them for further corroboration, too. His brother-in-law and sister later met our Joint Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, but they didn’t express any complaint then. Aur yeh jitni statements hui, parivaar ke sadasyon ki, uss samay unke jo doosre brother-in-law hai, joh Haryana mein varisht police officer hai, O P Singh, woh maujood the. Joh sabse pehli statement unhone (K K Singh) ne di thi woh Mumbai Police ko di thi. Aur joh first information hoti hai, usko bahut sanctity law attach karta hai.”

However, when Singh, was asked about Sushant’s father’s claim that he had complained to the Mumbai Police on February 25, expressing concerns about the actor’s well-being, Singh said, “Nahi, humein jaankari nahi hai kaunsi complaint hai...writing mein kaha hai.. humein copy vagairah denge to avashya hum uss angle se bhi…”

Alerted Mumbai Police in February that Sushant’s life is in danger: Sushant’s father
Responding to the Commissioner’s In a self-made video released yesterday, Sushant’s father K K Singh said, “25 February ko maine Bandra Police ko aagah kiya tha ki mere bete Sushant ki jaan ko khatra hai, parantu unhone kuchh nahi kiya. 14 June ko jab mere bete ki jaan chali gayi, toh humnein 25 February ko namik logon ke viruddh action lene ko kaha, parantu 40 din beet jaane ke baad bhi unhone koi karvahi nahi ki. Main Patna gaya aur apne thane mein FIR darj ki. Patna Police turant action mein aayi. Parantu mujrim ab bhaag rahe hai. Hum sabhi ko chahiye ke Patna Police ki madad karein.”

No written complaint was submitted: Mumbai Police
Following K K Singh’s video, Mumbai Police released a statement, which said, “Today, K K Singh, Father of late Sushant Singh Rajput, has released a statement saying that the family had made a written complaint to Bandra Police on 25th February. It must be clarified that no such written complaint has been addressed to Bandra Police station on that date. However, one O P Singh IPS, brother-in-law of late Shri Sushant Singh Rajput had sent some WhatsApp messages to the then DCP Zone 9 regarding the matter. The then DCP, Zone 9 had called Shri O P Singh and requested that a written complaint is mandatory for any enquiry or action. However, Mr Singh wanted this to be resolved informally, to which the then DCP Zone 9 clearly told him that it was not possible (sic).”

‘He googled words like painless death, bipolar disorder and his own name’
Sharing information about Sushant’s search history online, the Commissioner said, “Jitna humne examine kiya hai unka google history, ussme woh examine karte the painless death, bipolar disorder aur apne naam ko baar-baar search karte the.”

‘No evidence of misappropriation of funds right now’
Addressing the allegations of misappropriation of funds by Rhea Chakraborty, Singh said, “Sushant Singh Rajput had around Rs. 18 crore in his account, from that Rs. 4.5 crore are still in his account and FDs. Joh Rs. 13-14 crore kharcha hua, woh jitni jaankari dikhai deti hai, ussme aisa nahi lagta ke koi paisa Rhea Chakraborty ke account mein gaya tha. But we are looking at the details with the help of financial experts.”

No evidence of a party at Sushant’s residence
Talking about reports in the media claiming there was a party held at Sushant’s Bandra residence the night before he died, Singh said, “We have examined the CCTV footage of the building for June 13 and 14, we know about the people present in the flat. Joh unke saath rehnewale chaar-paanch vyakti the, unke alawa aur kisi party ke baare mein humein kuch bhi evidence nahi milli hai.”

‘Sushant messaged his lawyer and asked — Who is Disha Salian?’
There have been various theories doing the rounds in the media that Disha Salian’s death is linked to Sushant’s demise. “Apart from Disha and her fiancé, there were four more people at the house on the night of June 8. Statements of all those present and her parents were recorded, the CCTV footage was checked. Ussme yeh spasht dikhayi deta hai ke inn chhe vyakti ke alawa, wahan koi aur nahi tha, koi wahan ke political leader haazir nahi the, iske alawa koi aur connection nahi hai. Unke parivaar ke sadasyoon ne, mata-pita ne, aur friends joh uss party mein maujood the sabne statement diya hai ke issme koi suspicion nahi hai,” the Commissioner said.

‘Sushant was emotionally disturbed when his name was linked to Disha Salian’s death’
As per the investigation, the actor was upset when his name was linked to Disha Salian’s death. Singh shared, “Jab unka naam, Disha Salian ke suicide se linkkiya gaya, toh isse bahut emotionally disturb ho gaye the, iss prakar ka bayano mein aaya hai. Disha Salian was working for Cornerstone, a management company. She had met Sushant Singh Rajput only in the month of March. Lekin social media pe kuchh faltu rumours spread kiye gaaye, unko link kiya gaya suicide se. That disturbed him.In fact, he messaged his lawyer and asked, ‘Who is Disha Salian?’”

Actress Rhea Chakraborty has been getting obscene messages, rape and murder threats with regard to Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged suicide last month
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; July 20, 2020)

The Santacruz police on Sunday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against two unknown Instagram account holders for allegedly sending rape and murder threats to actress Rhea Chakraborty. She is being trolled and abused on social media for actor Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged suicide, which happened on June 14.

"The case has been registered under section 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), 509 (whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object) of IPC and section 67 (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of Information Technology Act. Further investigation in the matter is underway," said Shriram Koregaonkar, senior PI, Santacruz police station.

On Tuesday night the actress had visited Santacruz police station and submitted a written complaint along with screenshots of the Instagram accounts from where she has been getting obscene messages, rape and murder threats.

The complaint was later converted into an FIR. The actress is being blamed on social media for Rajput's death. Last week she had shared a screen grab of one of the Instagram users who sent her rape and murder threats. After registering the FIR, the Santacruz police wrote to Instagram seeking details of the accounts shared by her.

Rhea has already recorded her statement with the Bandra police in connection with the actor's alleged suicide.

Former Yash Raj Films manager, Ashish Singh at Bandra police station to record his statement. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Cops say the actor might have first tried it but it tore; he then used green kurta by which he was found hanging
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; June 27, 2020)

Further investigation into the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput by the Bandra police has revealed that before hanging himself using his green kurta, the actor tried to use a bathrobe belt to do the same but it tore off. In order to find out whether the kurta could hold his weight, the cops have sent it to the Kalina Forensic Science laboratory (FSL) for further verification.

According to sources, the Bandra police got suspicious when they saw the torn pieces of the belt lying on the floor while Sushant's body was on the bed. Those present in the flat at the time of the incident had cut the green kurta, which he used to hang himself, from the middle after recovering his body.

"Initially, we had doubts after seeing the torn pieces of the belt, but after a thorough inquiry we understood that the actor might have first tried to hang himself using the belt but it tore off while he was checking its strength," an officer said.

"During the spot panchnama we also learnt that his cupboard was opened and all his ironed clothes were scattered over the floor. We think after the bathrobe belt gave off, he pulled out his green kurta from the cupboard and all the other clothes fell off," the officer added.

Sources further said that the Kalina FSL would use equipment to measure tensile strength of the kurta and find out whether it could hold Sushant's weight. It is expected to submit a detailed analysis by the end of next week.

The cops also got suspicious when the witnesses told them that his body was hanging in an inclined position. According to sources, while doing the panchnama the investigating team found out that the height of the ceiling fan motor from the bed was 5 feet 11 inches and the actor's height was 5 feet 10 inches. They also measured the height of the fan from the inclined position of the body, which was 8 feet 1 inch.

"A thorough investigation was conducted but there is no foul play. Even the post-mortem report confirmed that there was no sign of struggle and even the circumstances suggest that he hanged himself in an inclined position," the officer further added.

The forensic team from the toxicology department would also conduct a chemical analysis test to find out whether he had consumed any toxic substance.

Meanwhile, the Bandra police recorded the statements of two former employees of Yash Raj Films production. They are the signatories in the contract signed by Sushant in 2012. The investigating team didn't reveal much about the statements but said they were important to ascertain if there was any professional rivalry. "So far we have received the statements of 25 people in connection with the actor's death and further investigation is on," said Abhishek Trimukhe, DCP Zone IX.

V Narayan (THE TIMES OF INDIA; June 25, 2020)

Mumbai: Sushant Singh Rajput’s final post-mortem report from Cooper Hospital submitted to Bandra police station on Monday has confirmed the 34-year-old actor died due to hanging and it is a clear case of suicide. It ruled out any foul play. Eleven days after his death, though, police are still clueless about what prompted Rajput to end his life.

Rajput was found dead by a house help in a bedroom of his sixth-floor flat at Mount Blanc Apartment in Bandra (West) on June 14. Bandra police said Rajput’s viscera and vital organs were preserved for certain chemical tests at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Kalina.

Meanwhile, the investigation team plans to seek details from Twitter over suspicions that his tweets over the past six months might have been deleted. “We will dispatch a letter to Twitter to get information on whether Rajput was active on his handle @itsSSR in the past six months because there is something wrong. It is observed that his last tweet was on December 27, 2019, and since then there are no more posts,” a senior police official told TOI on the condition of anonymity.

DCP (Zone IX) Abhishek Trimukhe confirmed the investigation team received the final post-mortem report on June 22, and it confirmed suicide. Trimukhe, though, declined to elaborate on the report.

Meanwhile, Bandra police have recorded statements of at least 23 people, including Rajput’s actor-friend Rhea Chakraborty, his family and managerial staff.

Police are also going through his multi-film contract papers obtained from a production house.

Chakraborty, in her statement, reportedly said she was living with Rajput in his flat for a while and she left on June 8, after which his sister was to join him. She said Rajput was being treated for clinical depression.

A person who handles post-mortem reports told TOI: “The FSL performed an autopsy of vital organs and viscera and confirmed the death was caused due to hanging.”

Police said they have asked the directorate of forensic science services to speed up the chemical analysis at the Kalina lab. “The PM report suggested no struggle marks or external injuries were found on the actor’s body. The cause of death is mentioned as asphyxia due to hanging. His nails were found clean too,” said the police.

Actor, who was close to signing Rs 14 crore contract, went into a shell after aide's suicide on June 8, say investigators
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; June 18, 2020)

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who allegedly committed suicide on Sunday, had cleared all his debts, paid his servants and manager and told them that he won't be able to provide for them going forward due to financial reasons."

One of Rajput's managers has told Bandra police that Rajput made the payments three days before his death. A similar statement was given by a close servant of Rajput's. According to the statement, the servant had told Rajput, "Aapne humara humesha dhyaan rakha hai, aap aise mat boliye, humlog kuchh na kuchh kar lenge."

Sources said that such statements do suggest financial difficulties which Rajput might have been facing as he did not have enough projects. "He was about to get a contract worth Rs 14 crore for a web series with the help of his former manager, Disha Salian, who also committed suicide on June 8," said a source.

The manager told police that Rajput was already depressed and Salian's death exacerbated it. He did not speak to anyone and would stay by himself in his room. However, officers investigation Salian's death told mid-day that they have not found details of any upcoming project as of now. "As per our investigation, Salian and Rajput spoke to each other twice in March on WhatsApp regarding some project. After that there was no conversation between them," a senior officer said on condition of anonymity.

On the other hand, Bandra police have found that Rajput had stopped taking his medicines for depression after he started feeling better around 45 days ago. "We have only taken primary details from the doctor, a detailed statement has not been recorded. It will be recorded soon. As of now, there are no claims of financial issues by the family," an officer from Bandra police said.

On Wednesday, the Bandra police recorded the statement of casting director Mukesh Chhabra, a close friend of the actor. Chhabra said in his statement that he was no aware of Rajput having been depressed. "He was a very intelligent actor and a very reserved person. He never shared his personal details with me and that's why I am not aware that he was in depression. I am not aware which films were taken away from him or whether he turned them down," Chhabra told police in his statement.

Cops scan journals
During a search of the house, Bandra police found several documents, including five journals the actor used to write in daily. Officers are scanning the journals. The police also found a thank you note from the Nagaland government. Rajput had donated Rs 1.25 crore to the Nagaland Chief Minister's Relief Fund in 2018 to help with flood relief.

Project 151
Rajput's managers Siddharth Pithani and Deepesh Sawant told police that he had called them home in January as he wanted to finish his Project 151. Rajput had included many goals in the project which he wanted to achieve, such as playing cricket with M S Dhoni, tennis with Roger Federer, flying a plane to raise money for charity. Police also found that he wanted to send kids to NASA under the project.

"He was very optimistic about his dream project. Sometimes he used to feel very sad that he won't be able to send kids to NASA," one of Rajput's servants said in a statement.