That jaw-dropping moment in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ of Tom Cruise trapped in a steel pod, watching nuclear missiles arc across the sky and cities vanish in fiery blasts was pieced together in a modest apartment in Bengaluru’s Whitefield.

“I was in my shorts, sipping chai, compositing the missile launches, the explosions and the whole sequence that was CGI,” says Mayank Tiwari, a mining-engineer-turned-VFX-compositor from Ranchi, laughing at the absurdity of working on the shot from his swivel chair.

Over the years, he’s cut out shoot plates for Hollywood films like ‘Cats & Dogs’, ‘Green Hornet’, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, and ‘Clash of the Titans’, cleaned up skylines for ‘Tron: Legacy’, simulated a tsunami in ‘Hereafter’, and built royal banquets for ‘The Gilded Age’.

That, in a sense, is the story of India’s quiet, unseen rise as Hollywood’s visual-effects backroom, all bringing cinema’s grand illusions to life.

Today, Gaurav Choudhury in Patna who leads a 100-member team at Rotomaker, a self-described ‘offshore VFX partner’ for global studios, shows just how far this largely invisible workforce has spread. With branches in Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Vijayawada, the studio brings high-end work closer to the small towns its artists come from.

“A lot of us are from Bihar, UP, and Bengal,” says Choudhury, who works on wire removal, cleanup, and frame restoration. “It lets me stay close to home and still earn almost twice what I would on an Indian project. We don’t always know which client we’re working for, but there’s a steady flow of international commercials and web series.”

Ganesh Papanna, vice-president of ABAI, a Karnataka-based non-profit for India’s animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) industry, says Indian studios manage the nuts and bolts of high-volume, lower-cost work — while the creative design stays with Hollywood. The VFX supply chain runs like a global relay where a single shot can pass through half a dozen hands across three time zones.

Hollywood studios such as Disney or Paramount hire top vendors in the US or UK like ILM, MPC, Framestore who then send large portions of work to Indian production houses like Prime Focus, DNEG, or Prasad EFX. These major studios break down sequences into smaller tasks and pass them to mid-sized boutique studios that specialize in one or two skills. Those boutiques, in turn, rope in freelancers finishing individual shots from home.

That future, however, holds new uncertainties. There’s the spectre of Donald Trump’s proposed 100% tariff on foreign-made films. “I think the 100% tariff is on films entering America,” clarifies Papanna. But he’s confident that the industry can survive this.

“For work done outside the US, the surcharge is 25%. Even then, it’s cheaper to do it here.” The likely fallout, he says, will be leaner vendor rates. “A producer might say, ‘I can’t spend Rs 100, do it for Rs 70’ but somebody will take it.”

The math makes it obvious why India is the execution hub. “An average roto artist in India might earn around Rs 20,000-Rs 40,000 a month — roughly $3,000-$6,000 a year — for work that would cost $40,000-60,000 annually in the US.”

It’s this enormous cost gap, says Papanna, that keeps the world’s most spectacular explosions, creatures, and galaxies routed through Indian hands.

“If Hollywood is the interior designer, think of Indian VFX firms as painters and carpenters,” says Parthasarathy Iyer, who runs Andheri-based studio Katalyst Creates.

“I have about 25 artists when work comes in,” says Iyer. “They can be anywhere in Patna, Goa, or Mumbai. All they need is decent internet.”

Abhishek Prasad, director and chief technology officer of Prasad Studios including Prasad EFX, has been part of the invisible engine behind Hollywood spectacles like ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘Hercules’, ‘Hugo’ and ‘Maleficent’.

“We do a lot of detail-heavy work that may not carry our name in the end credits (due to non-disclosure agreements) but is essential for every frame to hold together,” he says. Studios, he adds, “know we understand workflows, quality check, and the discipline required.”

Scalability is key too. “We can ramp up hardware, software, and people in a month. That kind of agility isn’t easy elsewhere.”

Hollywood’s biggest VFX vendors set up shop in India in the mid-2010s. Technicolor — the French company behind the visual effects of countless Hollywood blockbusters — led the charge. Within months, they had snapped up nearly every skilled artist in the country.

“It was a gold rush,” recalls Tiwari, who rode that wave. “At first, they gave India the easy shots, but once we kept delivering smarter fixes, the trust grew. And if you were earning Rs 60,000 a month for Indian projects, you could suddenly make Rs 3-4 lakh doing the same job for a Hollywood project.”

For American studios, even that was roughly half of what they’d have paid a mid-level artist in the US. Then the bubble burst. In Feb 2025, Technicolor’s global operations went bankrupt, a casualty of the prolonged 2023 Hollywood strikes. “Overnight, over 3,000 artists in India lost jobs,” says Tiwari. But that’s also when the remote-freelance economy exploded.

Studios set up small India outposts or paid through partners. “Old colleagues from Los Angeles would message asking if I was free, had a software licence and we’d put together a team overnight. And it paid far better. What I made in a month as salary, I could now make in ten days,” says Tiwari. Day rates run anywhere from Rs 3,000 to Rs 30,000, depending on skill.

India’s main VFX hubs remain Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai, but mid-sized studios and freelancers can be based anywhere. “Freelancing has become very, very big,” says Papanna. "People work in a company by day and freelance at night. I’d say 35% of artists are freelance now.”

So, if tariffs aren’t the real threat, what is? “AI hasn’t fully entered VFX yet, but when it does, jobs will go,” says Iyer, who’s already adapting. “I don’t do heavy VFX now but focus on motion graphics and title montages, which I can now do myself on AI tools like Midjourney instead of hiring an artist.”

Tiwari says AI is already replacing some basic, labour-intensive tasks and cutting timelines. “But you still need a compositor’s eye so it’s not replacing my creative skills but helping me work faster.”

Prasad calls this the next upskilling wave. “Those who learn will survive,” he says. His bigger concern is elsewhere. “If international work slows, training and R&D investment could take a hit. You can lose a generation of skilled artists if opportunity dries up.”

Another reason for optimism is that Indian content is growing fast, says Prasad. “Budgets are better and the quality bar has gone up.” Iyer agrees that domestic boom — especially OTT series and CGI-heavy regional films — will keep smaller studios afloat even if Hollywood contracts shrink. “Ten years ago, there were hardly any Gujarati, Marathi, or Odia films. Now there’s one every week.”

Papanna too is upbeat. “After all, VFX in India isn’t just about Hollywood anymore,” he says. “Films like 'RRR’, ‘Brahmastra’, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ show what’s possible here.”

At a time when people are of the belief that cinema business is going to diminish from here on, it’s heartening to see that the Gujarati blockbuster film Chaal Jeevi Laiye has managed to excel in cinemas, and how! Believe it or not, this film has completed 2 years in cinemas! Yes, you read it right. Today, that is, February 1 marks its second anniversary. Needless to say, not just the makers but even the exhibitors screening the film are grinning from ear to ear.

 

In fact, so happy are the multiplexes that for the anniversary week, they decided to increase the shows. Ritesh Laalan, CEO of Coconut Motion Pictures says, “The multiplexes have added the shows on their own. We haven’t told them to do so. The film this week is running in more than 200 shows across the country. Till last week, it had 50 shows, in Gujarat and Mumbai.”

A quick glance at the ticketing website, Book My Show, shows that the shows of Chaal Jeevi Laiye have indeed increased in places like Ahmedabad (currently running with 27 shows in a day), Surat (24 shows), Vadodara (17 shows) and Anand (12 shows). In Mumbai, it has the third highest number of shows, at 23. Interestingly, Chaal Jeevi Laiye has re-released in Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR with 3 shows each and in Hyderabad with 2 shows. In Kolkata, it will have one show daily. And very surprisingly, the city of Patna, too, has one show daily this week. The prices of most of these shows are priced at less than Rs. 100.

The collections of Chaal Jeevi Laiye till date are expected to be around Rs. 44-45 crore net. In comparison to Bollywood and South films, it might not seem significant but it’s a feat for a Gujarati film to reach till this mark. Also, what sets it apart is that the film has managed to find audiences for two years and yet, it’s not showing any signs of slow down. Ritesh Laalan adds, “In the week of Makar Sankranti, the collections had doubled as compared to the previous week.”

It’s no wonder that the makers are ecstatic about this feat. A success bash was organized yesterday in Ahmedabad and another one a week later, in Mumbai for the cast and crew.

 

Chaal Jeevi Laiye is the story of a workaholic son who takes his terminally ill father on holiday to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand to fulfil his last wish. On the way, they meet a young woman named Ketki and the trio undertake the most unexpected but satisfying journey of their lives. Starring Siddharth Randeria, a star of Gujarati theatre and cinema, along with Yash Soni and Aarohi Patel, the film has been directed by Vipul Mehta with music by popular composer duo Sachin-Jigar.

Last year, the makers had revealed that they plan to remake this film in Hindi. In fact, they had spoken to Rishi Kapoor and were about to get Ranbir Kapoor on board as well. However, the plans went kaput after the veteran actor passed away, on April 30, 2020. Yet, the remake plan is on and they are currently hunting actors for the lead characters.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 30, 2020)

For the last few days, producer Sandip Ssingh is drawing a lot of attention in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, with allegations of foul play being levelled against him by social media users and TV channels reporting that he was planning to leave the country. While Sushant Singh Rajput’s family members have reportedly stated that they don’t know him, he was seen handling all the formalities at the hospital post Sushant’s demise and even made arrangements for the actor’s funeral.

Literally caught off guard, Sandip was seen dodging the cameras on Friday. Actor Shekhar Suman, who had started the Justice For Sushant Forum, speaks to BT about his equation with Sandip Ssingh. Excerpts:

Tell us about your equation with Sandip Ssingh...
He was the producer of Sanjay Dutt’s Bhoomi (2017). We spent a month shooting in Agra together. I have known him for longer than that, though it was off and on. He had contacted my son Adhyayan for a movie, which didn’t work out, but that is how it began. There was a professional relationship. Going by my equation with him, I felt he was a fun-loving guy who was totally engrossed with a lot of projects of his own, and he knew people and people knew him in the film industry. That was it. These recent developments have come as a huge surprise. Let the investigation go on and let’s see what happens. But before this, there was nothing abnormal or unusual about him that I noticed.

Did he ever mention to you that he was a close friend of Sushant?
No, he never mentioned anything, except once in a casual conversation, he had spoken about how Ranveer Singh got Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. He did mention that these films had gone to several actors and one of them was Sushant, who had turned them down. I asked him why Sushant would do that to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films. He said, ‘I don’t know, maybe he didn’t like the role or something.’ Why I remember this is because one would give an arm and a leg to work with that filmmaker. This was a casual chat and I really don’t know how close he was with Sushant or anyone else. Lately, he was planning another film with Sanjay Dutt called Blockbuster. We have had a couple of close friends chatting about it. He was excited about this project, which was to be produced by Anand Pandit. He would talk about this movie. In fact, I don’t think I had much of an interaction with him when he was making the film, PM Narendra Modi, though I used to read about the film in the newspapers.

So, how did both of you touch base again after Sushant’s death? You even visited Sushant’s family in Patna at their residence along with Sandip...
I saw him on TV, managing everything around Sushant. I didn’t want to call him right then, because I felt it wasn’t the right time to do that. I started tweeting about Sushant on my own. I interpreted his demise differently from day one. I felt there is more to it than meets the eye. I felt a different sort of a connection — he was a Bihari boy, people could barely make it to his funeral because of the Coronavirus situation and I am someone who has lost a son years ago. I wanted to meet Sushant’s father and share his grief. I have lived with my tragedy for years now and I haven’t been able to get over it. My family asked me why I was getting so involved, and that I should not go to Patna in the thick of the pandemic. I said to them, ‘Let me speak to Sandip, maybe he knows the family.’ I called him. That is the first time I asked him what had happened really and he said, ‘I will tell you later.’ I asked if there was a way to meet Sushant’s father K K Singh. Sandip told me that he was planning to go to Patna after the terahvi, post June 28. I said, ‘Fair enough. Can you please let them know that I will be coming, too?’ And that’s how we went. It would have been awkward to go just like that. In Patna, I stayed with my cousins at my maternal granny’s house and he stayed elsewhere. I think it was on June 29 that we went to Sushant’s house. We didn’t exchange words with the family. We just sat there for 10 minutes. I wanted to meet (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar for some political support for my Justice For Sushant Forum. I remember Sandip had asked me, ‘Why do you want to go ahead with this forum?’ I had said, ‘I want to, because I feel there is foul play and I should fight for it, instead of looking the other way.’ No one was talking about it at that time. It was my battle and I was okay with it being that way. I again asked him what had happened. He said, ‘I think it is suicide.’ I didn’t delve further into it. I met Tejashwi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal leader), since Nitish Kumar could not make it, and told him about the forum. Prior to this meeting, Sandip, in fact, had asked me if I wanted to get Sushant’s father on to it and I said, ‘No. Later, if he wants to, he can be a part of it.’ After the press conference with Tejashwi in Patna, I didn’t speak to Sandip. And then he got into the thick of things as they are now. You see, I knew Sushant as a co-competitor from a reality show in 2010. But that was it. He had not even joined films. He was in the transition phase. I remembered him as a sweet boy. I don’t think I ever met him again after that, but I did watch some of his films.

Sushant’s family and friends have been saying that they don’t know Sandip Ssingh. How did he then make arrangements for the Patna visit?
There is a contradiction in this. From the footage that I saw on TV, he was seen with his arm around Sushant’s grieving sister. It seemed that he knew the family. He had even taken Ankita (Lokhande) to meet his family, so obviously he knew them. Also, I think for him, it’s not a big deal. And, when we went to Patna, everything was arranged and his family knew I was coming over.

On Friday, Sandip ran from the scene when he saw TV cameras following him. Reportedly, he has been dodging cameras by changing his locations, and not going to the house where he lives. Why do you think he is doing this?
I have no idea. Maybe because of the pressure and the intense media trial; anyone would be scared, especially if one feels he or she is getting cornered. But if you are honest, you should just come out and speak. That goes for everyone who knows Sushant or has anything to say. There is no need to hide and avoid speaking up. I feel Sandip should just come out and speak his side of the story like he did earlier. Running away will only lead to more speculation as to what it is that he is hiding. The investigating agencies will eventually make people speak and they will have to answer. They should come out and say it anyway. There is nothing to fear if you have been honest and have done no wrong.

Dhananjay Mahapatra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 20, 2020)

New Delhi: Much maligned for their manner of inquiry into the death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, there was a silver lining for Mumbai police in the Supreme Court’s verdict ordering a CBI probe into the case on Wednesday.

Mumbai police had produced the entire inquiry records on the actor’s death, including the post-mortem examination and forensic reports during the hearing on actor Rhea Chakraborty’s plea for transfer of an FIR lodged by Patna police, on the complaint of Rajput’s father, to Mumbai police. She and Maharashtra had contended that since the June 14 incident happened at Rajput’s Bandra residence, only Mumbai police had jurisdiction over the case.

Justice Hrishikesh Roy said, “The records of the case produced before this court do not prima facie suggest any wrongdoing by Mumbai police.” The court gave a thumbs-up to Patna police for registering an FIR based on Rajput’s father and held the Bihar government was competent to recommend a CBI probe into the FIR.

The SC said Mumbai police overstretched its inquiry under Section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code for two months on the basis of an accidental death report without registering an FIR. The SC found merit in the arguments of senior advocate Maninder Singh and standing counsel Keshav Mohan, appearing for Bihar government, and senior advocate Vikas Singh, for Rajput’s father, blaming Mumbai police for impeding Patna police probe in Mumbai by obstructing and quarantining them.

“Their obstruction to the Bihar police team in Mumbai could have been avoided since it gave rise to suspicion on the bona fide of their inquiry,” Justice Roy said, while pointing to the absence of clarity in the direction of the probe—whether or not it would lead to an FIR.

On the other hand, it was a good day for the Bihar government and Patna police as the court said, “It must be held that Patna police committed no illegality in registering the complaint. Looking at the nature of the allegations in the complaint, which also relate to misappropriation and breach of trust, the exercise of jurisdiction by Bihar police appears to be in order. At the stage of investigation, they were not required to transfer the FIR to Mumbai police. For the same reason, the Bihar government was competent to give consent for entrustment of investigation to the CBI and as such, the ongoing investigation by the CBI is held to be lawful.”
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Holding the registration of FIR in Patna valid, SC says city police could have avoided obstruction of Bihar police, as it gave rise to suspicion
Faizan Khan (MID-DAY; August 20, 2020)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. The apex court also said that registration of the FIR in Patna by Bihar police is valid, and they have jurisdiction. The top court also upheld the Bihar government's move to transfer the case to CBI, and disposed of the petition of Rhea Chakraborty. The Mumbai police are exploring legal options.

SC On Mumbai Police
The apex court in its order has mentioned that the records of the case produced do not prima facie suggest any wrongdoing by the Mumbai police. However, their obstruction to the Bihar police team at Mumbai could have been avoided since it gave rise to suspicion on the bonafide nature of their inquiry. A senior police officer told mid-day, "The court didn't find any wrongdoing in our probe. We will continue with 174CrPC and if we see any crime was committed, then we will register an FIR and transferred it to CBI as directed by the top court."

"We are looking into the Supreme Court's order with our legal team and will decide accordingly," said Vinoy Chaubey, joint commissioner of Mumbai police (law and order).

"We welcome the Supreme Court's verdict, we will cooperate with the CBI. The court, in its judgment, has clearly said that Mumbai police have done professional investigation, there is no wrong doing," said Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

A single bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy also directed the Maharashtra police to hand over the case files to CBI and assist them in the probe. The top court also directed the CBI to look into the other cases registered in future in connection with the death of Rajput.

SC On Two State Politics
The apex court also took the note of the politics happening in the states of Bihar and Maharashtra, with allegations of political interference levelled against each. The court said in its order, "Such comments, responsible or otherwise, have led to speculative public discourse which have hogged media limelight. These developments unfortunately have the propensity to delay and misdirect the investigation. In such a situation, there is reasonable apprehension of truth being a casualty and justice becoming a victim... When truth meets sunshine, justice will not prevail on the living alone but after life's fitful fever, now the departed will also sleep well. Satyameva Jayate".

Rhea Will Appear Before CBI
After the SC order, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde issued a statement that she will fully cooperate with CBI as she cooperated with the Mumbai police and Enforcement Directorate.

"The investigation related to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput is continuing. A CBI team will visit Mumbai in due course for further investigation. Other details cannot be shared at this stage," the CBI said in its official statement.

Sushant's family issues statement
Thanking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Sushant's family issued a statement saying, "We, Sushant's family, thank our friends, well-wishers, media and millions of fans for their love and support. As the country's premier investigating agency has taken over the case, we believe that all those involved in the dastardly crime will be brought to justice."

- With inputs from Vishal Singh
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BMC To Grant Permission To CBI Officers
WHILE the Bihar IPS officer, Vnay Kumar, who had come to Mumbai in connection with Rajput’s case was put into quarantine, CBI officers will probably get permission for their investigation. A CBI team is supposed to come to the city on Thursday. P Velarasu, additional commissioner , BMC told mid-day, “They (CBI) are informed of the procedure. A deputy collector is designated to give exemptions. Once she gets the exemption request, the BMC will decide.” He added that officers on important government work will be exempted from quarantine.

Dhananjay Mahapatra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 19, 2020)

The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Wednesday whether CBI should investigate the mysterious death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput two months ago.

Justice Hrishikesh Roy will give the verdict on a petition filed by Rajput’s friend and actor Rhea Chakraborty, who had sought transfer of the FIR lodged by Rajput’s father in Patna to Mumbai, where the actor was found dead.

The Bihar government had referred the Patna FIR to the CBI, leading the Centre to ask the probe agency to take up the case. However, Maharashtra government had opposed the Centre’s decision to hand the case over to CBI and said that the Patna FIR should be transferred to Mumbai police in whose jurisdiction the incident happened. Mumbai police are yet to register an FIR and have continued their inquiry under an accidental death report.

Before concluding the hearing on August 14, Justice Roy recorded that Chakraborty was not opposed to a CBI probe. “You may be correct in saying that you have been a victim of media focus on the case but your stand is that if CBI probe is ordered into the incident, you have no objection,” he had said.

That day saw counsel for Bihar government and Rajput’s father K K Singh on one side, trading charges with their counterparts representing Maharashtra and Chakraborty on the other. Entering the fray, solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the apex court that it was a fit case for CBI probe as Mumbai police had not filed an FIR and declared that it was a case of suicide.

“We do not know what is the role of Chakraborty in the case — witness, accused, complainant or nobody? Yet, she moves an application in the SC, seeking transfer of the FIR to Mumbai. What is her interest in seeking transfer when she should be interested only in a fair probe, irrespective of the agency which investigates the case,” Mehta had said.

There can be two possible outcomes of the verdict. One, the court may allow CBI probe, in which case Mumbai police will have to abort its investigation. In this scenario, the CBI will take the FIR lodged by Rajput’s father in Patna too into account while taking over the case material collected so far by Mumbai police. The SC, if it orders a CBI probe, will decide which court — the one in Patna or Mumbai — will have jurisdiction over the FIR and consequent investigation.

Conversely, CBI might find it difficult to engage with the investigation in case the apex court allows Chakraborty’s plea for transfer of the Patna FIR to Mumbai police because the suicide took place in Mumbai and most witnesses and people related to Rajput are linked to Bollywood and are located in the metropolis.

Mitu Singh is the first Rajput family member to join the agency’s investigation, sources say
Abhishek Sharan (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 12, 2020)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday recorded the statement of Mitu Singh, the sister of Sushant Singh Rajput, to gather details on the state of the late actor’s finances, deposits in bank accounts, investments, expenditures and whether there was any siphoning of funds or abuse of his credit cards.

Rajput’s father, Krishna Kishore Singh, in his counter-affidavit to the Supreme Court to oppose the transfer to Mumbai police of Patna police’s July 25 first information report to look into charges, including of abetment to suicide, stated that it took him 40-odd days to approach the Patna police as he had been under “depression” after his son’s death and later felt that the Mumbai police was allegedly “derailing the inquiry”.

Singh’s affidavit stated that he had lost his son, aged 34, on June 14 and had gone into “depression” and “on regaining his senses after the mourning period of 40 days was over”, he realised that the police was allegedly “derailing the inquiry and not investigating the criminal offences committed”. He, thereafter, filed a complaint, after which the FIR was registered at the police station nearest to his residence. Singh alleged that the Mumbai police examined Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, “four days after the death of the actor and thereafter, in the name of inquiry, examined many witnesses, who do not lie within the ambit and scope of investigation of a criminal offence”.

Singh’s affidavit was filed after the SC asked him, Bihar and Maharashtra to submit their versions after Chakraborty moved the court to get the Patna FIR transferred to Mumbai. Maharashtra told the apex court that Mumbai police has the investigative and legal jurisdiction to probe the case as per laws and is conducting a “fair, impartial, professional” probe into the accidental death report lodged after the suicide. Maharashtra also said that Singh had not requested Mumbai police to register an FIR against Chakraborty and others on any ground. The state said that when Mumbai police recorded the statements of the close relatives of Rajput, including Singh, “none of them had any suspicion about the suicide or against anybody whatsoever in that regard”.

Mitu Singh is the first Rajput family member to have joined the agency’s investigation, sources said. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which has taken over the Patna police FIR, had on Monday recorded the statements of Rajput’s father and another of his sister.

The ED has sought information on multiple occasions from the four persons – Chakraborty, her brother Showik, father Indrajit and manager Shruti Modi – named as accused in the FIR. The ED is investigating the four for their alleged attempt to control Rajput’s life and finances to their own advantage, as per Rajput’s father’s complaint.

Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; August 11, 2020)

Vinay Tiwari, the IPS officer from Bihar at the centre of the probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide, rubbished rumours of him joining the CBI team investigating the actor’s death. The SP (Central), Patna, travelled to Mumbai to supervise Bihar Police’s probe into Sushant’s death, only to be quarantined by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on reaching the city.

The move peeved Tiwari, who told reporters it wasn’t him, but the investigation that had been “quarantined”.

FAKE NEWS DOING THE ROUNDS
On Sunday, speculation started doing the rounds on social media that Tiwari, an IPS officer of the 2015 batch, will be joining the CBI team probing Sushant’s death. When we contacted him, he rubbished the rumour, saying, “This is fake news. It’s completely false and bogus.” Tiwari also panned reports that he had sought a central deputation. When we asked CBI spokesperson R K Gaur, he confirmed that the news of Tiwari joining CBI was “not true”. Tiwari took to social media and tweeted, “Kuch khabarein kal se prasarit ho rahi hain, woh purnatah galat, bhramik aur afwah hain. Kripya un par dhyan na de.”

Ever since he was quarantined in Mumbai, Tiwari has not only been dealing with rumours, but also fake accounts in his name on social media. He says, “This is the first time I’ve come across my fake accounts. I’ve reported these accounts to Twitter and have requested them to verify my account.”

‘NOT ME, THE INVESTIGATION WAS QUARANTINED’
An alumnus of IIT (BHU), Tiwari was handed the case a day after Sushant’s father K K Singh filed a complaint in Patna, and an FIR was registered.

But his being quarantined in Mumbai led to a lot of questions on the intent behind the move. The Mumbai Police, however, had reportedly said that he was not quarantined to obstruct the investigation. Tiwari asks, “What else could be the reason? Ek police officer ko adhikar hai ki woh investigation kare. Aur yeh bahut pavitra adhikar hai. Lekin mujhe investigation karne hi nahi diya gaya. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, that it wasn’t me who was quarantined, but the investigation was quarantined. It is not about me as an individual, it is about the investigation. I had discussed an action plan with my seniors, and to execute that plan I had to move out physically. I had to interrogate people and write down their statements, then prepare my draft and submit it. But I could not do any of it because I was quarantined.”

He adds, “How could they quarantine me? Did I test positive? Was I showing any symptoms of COVID-19? Mera Coronavirus ka test kar lete agar unko laga ki main positive hoon. Main iski ninda karta hoon.”

Dhananjay Mahapatra (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 11, 2020)

New Delhi: Actor Rhea Chakraborty told the Supreme Court on Monday that it could order a CBI probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, a stand she had taken earlier, reports Dhananjay Mahapatra.

While maintaining that the Bihar government illegally referred the Patna FIR for a probe by the CBI on the eve of the SC hearing on her transfer petition, 28-year-old Chakraborty, in her affidavit, said she had “no objection if the Supreme Court refers the matter to CBI by its order”. However, she said even if the CBI investigated the case, the jurisdiction would remain with a Mumbai court and not a Patna court.

After acceding to a CBI probe into Rajput’s alleged death by suicide, a stand she had taken earlier while requesting the home minister before moving a petition in the SC for transfer of an FIR lodged in Patna by Rajput’s father to Mumbai, Chakraborty said the case was heavily politicised by the Bihar government as the incident happened in the runup to assembly elections.

“The issue of Rajput’s suicide has been isolated and blown out of proportion... In case of Rajput’s death, the CM of Bihar is reported to be responsible for registration of the FIR in Patna,” she alleged.

Chakraborty said immediately after the “erroneous” transfer of the Patna FIR to the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate too started collateral investigations. Doubting the professional competence of both the CBI and the ED, Chakraborty said, “Investigation into financial scams of thousands of crores (of rupees) by ED and CBI never see the light of day and at the drop of a hat, cases get registered even without there being a jurisdiction in the foundational case.”

“Since the cause of action (Rajput’s suicide) occurred in Mumbai, Bihar police had no jurisdiction over the incident. Thus, the consent of Bihar under Section 6 of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act is bad in law. Said consent is merely to render my transfer petition infructuous.” Since the foundation for initiating the CBI probe was illegal, the inquiry by the ED too would fall foul of the law, she added.

Bihar government, through standing counsel Keshav Mohan, has filed an affidavit arguing since Chakraborty and Rajput’s father wanted a CBI probe, the state had decided to refer the Patna FIR to the central agency and, hence, Chakraborty’s petition had become infructuous. Mohan said the state government recommended a CBI probe also because Mumbai police had not registered an FIR even after nearly two months.

Chakraborty complained of violation of her right to privacy because of intense media attention on the case. She said, “Media channels are examining and cross-examining all witnesses in the case. Petitioner is already convicted by the media even before foul play is established. Extreme trauma and infringement of privacy of the rights of the petitioner is caused due to constant sensationalisation of this case.”