CBI Closes Sushant Singh Rajput death case amid rape-murder claims by manager Disha Salian’s father

The CBI has once again stirred discussion surrounding Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s (SSR) death by officially closing the investigation five years after his demise. The central investigation agency has declared that the actor committed suicide and that there was no foul play.

The CBI statement comes 5 years after the 34-year-old was found dead in his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020 in Mumbai followed by his family’s allegations of murder and nationwide protests by his fans who suspected that the actor was killed. Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, who was charged with abetment of suicide by the Bihar Police on the basis of a complaint by Sushant’s father K K Singh, has been given clean chit by the CBI.

Interestingly, CBI filed closure report into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death within a week of the late actor’s former manager Disha Salian’s mysterious death hitting the headlines once again. Disha Salian passed away in June 2020 barely a week before Sushant’s death. Only last week, Disha’s father Satish Salian claimed that his daughter was brutally raped and murdered.

Conspiracy theories surrounding Sushant’s death

Conspiracy theories such as Sushant being a victim of Bollywood’s alleged nepotism culture forcing an ‘outsider like him’ to commit suicide emerged shortly after his death, with filmmaker Karan Johar falling prey to social media trolling and severe hatred.

“After an extensive investigation that involved gathering forensic evidence from various locations, technical evidence from the US, multiple medical opinions and questioning of all the persons connected, we haven’t found any foul play in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Hence, a closure report was filed in two related cases before a special court in Mumbai. There is no evidence of any conspiracy in either of the cases,” a senior official told the media.

Sigh of relief for Rhea

Sushant’s girlfriend actress Rhea Chakraborty was the target of social media trolls who even witch shamed her alleging she performed “black magic”. Rhea was not only accused of abetment of suicide but the actress along with her brother Showik Chakraborty were questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over allegations of money laundering.

While Sushant’s death was initially being investigated by Mumbai Police, who called it a ‘suicide’, actress Rhea Chakraborty was charged with abetment of suicide by the Bihar Police on the basis of a complaint by Sushant’s father K K Singh in Patna. The Supreme Court transferred the case to the CBI on August 19, 2020. The CBI formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by SP Nupur Prasad, under the superv

CBI investigation findings

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case from Mumbai Police and Bihar Police following nationwide protests by his fans for several months alleging that he was murdered and the late actor’s father and sisters suspecting foul play. Five years after the investigation the CBI officially closed the case last week declaring Sushant’s death as suicide and giving clean chit to Rhea.

After taking over the probe, CBI formed a special investigation team (SIT) led by SP Nupur Prasad, under the supervision of DIG Gagandeep Gambhir and Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar. The SIT explored various angles into the case including a thorough check into Sushant’s social media accounts including deleted posts and chats, abetment to suicide charges against Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and whether the actor really committed suicide or there was foul play.
The CBI also interrogated the late actor’s family members, friends, staff, his doctors, his flatmate, his manager and PRs, his girlfriend Rhea and her family members, and several members of the film fraternity, who had worked closely with the actor.

A medical board was formed by the CBI to probe Sushant’s post-mortem and viscera reports, which after investigation termed his death as ‘suicide’ in September 2020. The board had said the cause of the actor’s death was “asphyxia due to hanging” further stating that there were no injury or struggle marks on his body and his clothes were not torn.

Who is IPS Nupur Prasad?

Nupur Prasad was a key member of the CBI’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the high-profile death case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020. A dynamic and experienced IPS officer known for her sharp investigative skills and leadership, Prasad is a 2007-batch IPS officer from the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories cadre.

Role of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Rhea and her brother alleging they supplied marijuana to Sushant. The Bombay High Court rejected NCB’s theory that Rhea encouraged late boyfriend Sushant to consume drugs and granted bail to the accused siblings after a few months. The case was later transferred to the CBI, which was investigating the actor’s death.

Timing of CBI’s closure report into SSR death case

The CBI filed closure report into the high profile case of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death within a week of the late actor’s PR manager Disha Salian’s mysterious death hitting the headlines once again. Disha Salian passed away in June 2020 barely a week before Sushant’s death. Disha reportedly fell off the 14th floor of a Malad tower and died.

Only last week, Disha’s father Satish Salian claimed that his daughter was brutally raped and murdered. He further claimed that the whole incident was a cover-up to protect influential political figures. Satish Salian sought an FIR against Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray and also appealed to the Bombay High Court to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While her father is making rape murder claims now, shortly after Disha’s death in 2020, the family had issued a statement calling her death ‘suicide’. The Bombay high court will be hearing the writ petition of Disha Salian death case on April 2, 2025. The writ petition was filed by Disha Salian’s father Satish Salian.