The focus has been on him ever since his girlfriend, 24-year-old Pratyusha Bannerjee allegedly committed suicide on April 1. Rahul Raj Singh says that he is “still to come to terms with her death“ and “unable to sleep“ since the unfortunate incident took place. Here, he speaks at length about the woman he was soon going to marry and the accusations levelled against him.

What do you have to say to the reports that she underwent an abortion a few days before the incident and also the bank transactions being made during March?
After she told me that she had missed her periods, we went to the doctor for the pregnancy test. However, we mutually decided to abort it since we were not married and only living in together. I went with her to the doctor for the abortion, but since there was a long waiting, she told me to leave. I, in fact, went the following day to the same doctor to get medicines prescribed for her. We decided to terminate the pregnancy thinking about our future as we were planning to get married in November.

The post-mortem reports may have come out the very next day. Why are they talking about it now?
Someone has circulated a recording claiming it to be hers where she speaks about the reason behind committing suicide, but those who knew Pratyusha will vouch that it wasn't her. The allegations don't matter to me. I don't want to comment on this.

Was Pratyusha suicidal?
I never felt so.

Did you want to end the relationship?
Never. People fight in every relationship but we have never had any major argument. We would fight like any other normal couple. No one can claim that they don't fight. It would be a lie.

Was she aware of your marriage (to Sougata Mukherjee in 2011) when the two of you started going out initially?
Of course, she knew about it. My engagement was covered in newspapers. It was in full media glare.

When did your divorce come through?
It was a mutual separation and the divorce came through in 2013.

Did you have a joint account with Pratyusha and did you take charge of her credit and debit cards?
Everything has been presented to the court and the truth will be revealed in due course. She didn't have a joint account with me. All the accounts were with her mother. In fact, I was the first one to open her solo account because she never had anything of her own. She wouldn't have any answer to my questions. I even got her Aadhaar card made. She didn't even have a passport. She has done well for herself, then how come she didn't have a single property in her name? She was in depression and had several loans on her name before I entered her life. Her EMIs were not paid on time either. A 23-year-old couldn't handle that pressure. I knew her for eight months and it was too less a time to get into someone's personal zone. We started staying together three months ago. That's when I learnt about the financial stress and depression she was going through. I even spoke to her parents two days before the incident. They never said anything against me in their first statement. If I was torturing their daughter, they would have accused me of her death first. They are doing it under the influence of people around them. I won't do that two days later as an afterthought. I want them to be with me, who they considered their son, during this difficult time. I still can't believe that she is no more. I have also been accused of being a father to a nine-year-old kid. I demand proof. Time will tell who is in the right.

What's your source of income?
I won a pageant in 2004, and have featured in shows like Amber Dhara, Mata Ki Chowki and Ganesh Leela. I have done more than 600 episodes. I have an event company and we recently organised a Holi bash. I am also into film production, marketing and distribution. People, who are accusing me of swindling her money, need to know that I only took Rs 10,000 from Power Couple and requested the team to transfer the rest of the money to Pratyusha's account.

What about the allegations made by her maid that the relationship was abusive, you didn't allow Pratyusha to work and that she would often ask her for money?
In fact, I would push her to leave for work as I would get calls on her behalf. She did Power Couple and Sasural Simar Ka after meeting me. Did Pratysusha ever complain about me? Why would she get my name inked and then order a bridal lehenga three days before the incident? I was not even allowed at her funeral.

Who stopped you?
Her parents didn't allow me to attend the funeral. The police authorities told me that they had an objection with me being there.

Her parents have accused you of brainwashing her to cut all ties with them?
I have phone calls and messages from them requesting me to help them iron out their differences with Pratyusha, which I often tried to do. I was in touch with them on a regular basis. They would also ask me to clear their EMIs. I have stayed with her mother before Power Couple and had a cordial relationship with her. There are several accusations. If I sit and start addressing every single of them, I would end up behaving like them. I don't wish to indulge in mud slinging with anyone.

They have also accused you of torturing her mentally by raking up her past relationships...
If it was so bad, why didn't they take their daughter away? They were aware she was in Ranchi and Kolkata with me.

Going back to April 1, what happened that day?
Pratyusha, I and a common friend partied and chatted the night away. The latter left at 8.30 am on April 1. We decided to eat out. If we had cooked at home that day, the incident wouldn't have taken place. When I got up, Pratyusha went for a shower and started drinking again. She had a drinking problem. I told her to stop drinking so much. I left to get food later. On returning home, I rang the bell and it was turned off. My key didn't work since it was double locked. I banged the door. When there was no response, I started calling her and dropped messages. I went down to get the locksmith to make duplicate keys. In the meantime, our neighbour's domestic held reached out to me and I requested him to jump over to my balcony from his and open the double lock from inside. The first thing I saw after entering the home was Pratyusha hanging from the fan. I immediately rushed towards her and placed her legs on my shoulders.The locksmith cut her dupatta. I splashed water on her face, started pumping her chest and gave her mouth-to-mouth to revive her. I immediately lifted her, carried her down and sat in the car besides her. I was restless and jumped every signal possible.

Why were you absconding later?
I rushed Pratyusha to the hospital and wanted to save her. I waited there for two and a half hours. I called everyone, including her uncle and parents. I was not in a state to face the media. I handed her over to her parents. I was feeling terrible and could not believe that she was no more. I was inundated with calls from the media. So, I decided to leave. I went to the police and Siddharth Hospital the next day. I was not arrested.

Some women have come out in the open alleging you of duping them monetarily. Why are they talking about it now?
Why didn't they talk about it when and if it happened?

After Pratyusha Banerjee's mother Soma Banerjee shot off a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, requesting for a probe by Mumbai Police Crime Branch into her daughter's death, alleging that Pratyusha's boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh was 'solely responsible for her death', now Rahul's father has written a letter to the CM.

The letter, dated April 16, which has also been sent to the Home ministry and Mumbai police commissioner, states that Rahul has been traumatised and was in the hospital from April 3 since his to-be-wife (fiancée) committed suicide. “It's a sincere and urgent request to ensure that some antisocial persons, who do not know the actual facts, are harming my family name and reputation, and who shall and will be responsible if anything happens to any of my family members, especially my son Mr Rahul Raj Singh, who's extremely traumatised but is trying to be strong and brave in view of this unfortunate and unforeseen tragedy. Due to all these false allegations, he may take some drastic step which may be harmful to him and to the entire family,“ said the letter signed by Rahul's father Harshvardhan Singh.

He goes on to request the CM in the letter to ensure that justice prevails and there is no unnecessary interference or pressure by any anti-social persons who can harm the entire family and Rahul.

When contacted, Rahul, who was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, said, “This letter is for people to know that they shouldn't judge the family and me who loved Pratyusha. Don't judge the book by reading the preface, read the complete book. Let the truth come out and then judge. The idea behind the letter is I love her and I love her forever. It has been my biggest loss in life.“

Pratyusha Banerjee's parents, Soma and Shankar Banerjee, are still trying to come to terms with the tragic death of their only child. Now, they have another battle to fight ahead, that too a long one. They believe that Rahul Raj Singh, aka Pratyusha's boyfriend, is responsible for her death and want him punished. Excerpts:

How did you learn of your daughter's death?
Mother: I was in Jamshedpur when I got a call from her uncle. I immediately called Rahul, who pretended to be howling on the phone. Pratyusha had severed ties with us after she asked me to leave her house on January 12. She was brainwashed by him and was made to believe that I was her enemy. He would not let her get in touch with us.
Father: He managed to influence her. She was never the same.

When was the last time you spoke to her?
Mother: We spoke to her last on March 31. Her father told Rahul to make things work between them and stay happy. Later, when she called me, I told her that we would like them to get married and she said okay.

How did she sound on the phone during her last days?
Mother: She seemed sad and scared, which was quite unlike her. There was a time when her aunt asked her why she was so afraid and she replied that she wasn't scared of anyone but Rahul. He would assault her at home and in public. She told her aunt that he didn't let her live in peace for even 10 minutes and kept raking up her past to insult and torture her. Her uncle organised a conference call, where we cried and patched up on January 29. She told me to come to Mumbai, but changed the plan the next day and told us that she had to leave for a shoot. Then she made it seem that everything was normal and started planning her wedding. However, Rahul told her that he would lose his share of property if he married her at that time. He told her they would tie the knot in June.

What did Rahul tell you when he met you at the hospital?
Mother: He didn't say a word. He was shedding crocodile tears.

How did your relationship with Pratyusha and Rahul change over a period of time?
Mother: I first met Rahul on June 23 last year, when Pratyusha brought him home. Their friendship graduated to love. After we left in January, she didn't communicate with us and she was only in touch with her uncle and aunt. It was only towards the end that she spoke to us a few times.
Father: On March 31, she wanted me to read her astrological chart. I asked her why she was stressed and that she was my champion daughter. As she was talking to me, I overheard the bell and she disconnected the call saying she would call later. That was the last we heard from her.

Why did you agree for the marriage if you felt Rahul was not right for her?
Father: I thought that my daughter's life would get spoilt if we went against Rahul as she was madly in love with him. So instead of discouraging her, I motivated her.

Rahul's father, Harshvardhan accused you of blowing up all her money.
Mother: My daughter was staying with me. She was an actress, who didn't have the time to look into her expenses. As a mother, I was in charge of clearing the dues of the driver, daily expenses and insurance. What's the big deal about that?
Father: We saw his parents for the first time on TV. Rahul claimed that his family was powerful and influential, and scared Pratyusha of dire consequences if she went against his will. But when I saw the father, he seemed nothing like what he was made out to be. The truth will be out in the open soon. The law doesn't favour anyone, it works on the basis of evidence. Ask them to get proofs to substantiate their claims. In trying to save him, they are digging the pit even deeper for him by making stupid accusations. My daughter has gone and my world has crashed. I want justice as I don't want this to happen to any girl and her parents.

He even said that Pratyusha was planning to file a case against you.
Mother: All this has been orchestrated by Rahul; he instilled in Pratyusha's mind that we transferred all her money into our accounts and had bought several flats with it. How can we take money from her account when they were handling the accounts? In fact, it is Rahul who has taken money on Pratyusha's name in the garb of opening a production house. Why are we only talking about Pratyusha's money? What about his money? Wasn't he supposed to contribute as well? It was during the last few days that she may have realised her mistake he was hitting her in public, siphoning off her money and also cheating on her. Saloni Sharma, the other woman in the equation, had come home and hit her and Rahul hadn't done anything about it. She had made frantic calls to some of her industry friends and told them she was being cheated on. She said she wanted to walk out of the relationship and fight back. She never said that she wanted to kill herself.

Were you aware of Rahul's ex, Saloni?
Mother: Pratyusha had told us about Saloni and also that she was troubled because of it. But she would also say that she couldn't leave him. My daughter made a huge mistake trusting that guy and alienating herself from friends and family. By the time she realised her mistake, it was too late.

You maintain Pratyusha couldn't have killed herself...
Mother: She couldn't have. When she would be angry, she would pick her bag and leave. She would tell me, 'Ma, no matter what happens in our lives and however big the problem is, aapki beti khud ko khatam nahi karegi. She had a dream to fulfill and that was to open an orphanage and an old-age home. The only mistake was that she wanted to prove that she could be in a good relationship. She didn't want it to fail or everyone would accuse her of choosing the wrong man again. Her previous relationship didn't work out and as a public figure, you are always worried about your image. She was trying her best to save this one. Had she killed herself, she would have written a note.

Do you regret leaving her house on January 12?
Mother: I do. But he created such a situation that she had to throw me out of the house.

How do you plan to take it forward?
Mother: We will fight till the end.