The Opposition BJP on Saturday upped the ante over the alleged suicide of a 22-year-old Tik-Tok star Pooja Chavan, by rooting for the arrest of Maharashtra’s Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod of the Shiv Sena, who was reportedly in love with the deceased woman.
Five days after she allegedly committed suicide by jumping off off the Heaven Park building in Pune’;s Wanwadi locality, BJP leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Kirit Somaiya and party’s woman leader Chitra Wagh said that the minister hadc no moral right to continue in the office. “In fact, he should be booked abetting Pooja’s alleged suicide and arrested immediately,” Wagh said.A four-time Shiv Sena MLA from Yavatmal, Rathod is a prominent leader of the Banjara community.
Amid a controversy over the controversy over the circumstances leading to Pooja’s death, the BJP leaders alleged that the Tik-Tok star had committed suicide due to her reported love affair with the minister.
Maharashtra’s former chief minister and senior BJP Devensra Fadnavis demanded that Pooja’s death be investigated in view of the fact that the telephonic conversations between her and the minister had gone viral on society
media.
The Opposition leaders alleged that Pooja was pregnant at the time of death and that there were reasons to believe that the minister was responsible for her pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray downplayed the Opposition’s demand for Rathod;’s arrest, by saying that an inquiry had been ordered into the circumstances leading to Pooja’s death. “Truth will emerge in the investigations,” he said.
Official sources said that the chief minister had sought a report from Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta on the death. On his port, Rathod could not be reached all through the day.
On Friday, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis had written a letter to the Director-General of Police Hemant Nagrale requesting for a probe. Along with the letter, Fadnavis had submitted 14 purported audio-clips allegedly linked with Chavan’s death.
Senior Shiv Sena Minister Eknath Shinde defended the accused minister saying that it was not proper to make allegations against a minister’s name before the completion of the investigations by the police.
Another Minister Uday Samant said it was improper for him to comment on the issue, since the chief minister had Already asked for a report from the Pune Police Commissioner.
Preliminary reports said that Pooja, hailing from Beed district in Mar Marathwada region, had gone to Pune a week prior to her death last week. She was attending an English-speaking course and was living with two youths, said to be brother and his friend
Having registered an accidental death report, the Wanwadi police are investigating the case. They have not ruled out foul play in Pooja’s death.