NEWSWORTHY: Beware Bollywood, ED there, CBI is coming!

Sushant Singh Rajput’s case has remained in the national headlines for the better part of the last two months, arousing equal amount of love and hate, support and opposition, sympathy and antipathy.

From the hinterland of Bihar to the financial capital of India – Mumbai, the case has generated enough steam to fuel the political system, question the Bureaucracy and led to the intervention of the Supreme Court.

Justice Hrishikesh Roy minced no words in directing the CBI to take over the case, ''While according approval for the ongoing investigations, if any other case is registered on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the surrounding circumstances of his unnatural death, the CBI is directed to investigate the new case as well”.

While the Mumbai Police remained mum, the Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh put up a brave face defending the investigations by the Mumbai Police so far. He said “We welcome the judgement of the Supreme Court and we will provide whatever cooperation is needed by the CBI. It is a matter of pride for the Mumbai Police that the Supreme Court observed there is no fault in their investigation”

The CBI will now start its investigations by officially seeking all evidence and investigation details till now, which includes autopsy report, crime scene details, circumstantial evidences and the statements of more than 50 people, taken by the Mumbai Police.

The Mumbai Police, which seemed to have messed up the entire investigation, right since the actor died on 14^th June, will have to answer some tough questions like

• • • Why was a formal complaint not lodged in spite of the actors father sending a WhatsApp message to the DCP, fearing his sons wellbeing?
    • Why was the Call Data Record of the people present with Sushant on the fateful night not checked?
    • Why did Mumbai Police refuse to share the Post-mortem report of the deceased actor with Patna Police?
    • What is the connection between the DCP and Rhea Chakraborty, who exchanged messages on WhatsApp and also spoke on the phone?
    • Why was the Mumbai Police Hostile and non-cooperative with the Bihar Police team which came to investigate the complaint filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father?
    • Why could the Mumbai Police not recover the CCTV footage of the entire lane in which Sushant lived?

The Devil therefore now lies in the details which the CBI will slowly and carefully collect, analyse and investigate in the days to come. This surely will unravel many mysteries and unmask many truths. Something which Mumbai police have failed to do.

It has also been a big win for an army of Bollywood personalities, activists and politician who have stood firmly and strongly in support of the CBI enquiry for the 60 days

Reacting to the Supreme Court's decision, Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar said, said, "Today, the Supreme Court has justified and legalized the actions taken by the Bihar police on the FIR lodged by Sushant’s father in Patna and the Bihar government’s decision to hand over the case to the CBI."

While, Sushant's sister Shweta Kirti Singh, took to twitter. “There we go!!Finally!!CBI for SSR!!But this is just the beginning...the first step towards the truth! Full faith on CBI”, she tweeted, in a series of tweets.

There's palpable distress in the top Bollywood circles, who now fear that CBI will raise some tough questions and may even grill some influential patrons. This even while the Enforcement Directorate has already tightened it's noose, trying  to connect dots through financial trials. Sources in the ED tell us that many shady financial transactions have been identified, which will lead to questioning of various companies engaged in

• Organising world tours and concerts
• Talent management
• Events and endorsements
• and various other activities

Whatever may be the truth and whatever be the findings of the investigations, there are two big losers in this entire thriller. One Mumbai Police, a force that was once compared to Scotland Yard for its professionalism and investigative skills. The image and credibility of Mumbai Police has certainly suffered a massive dent and Second Maharashtra Government led by Shiv Sena.

The Shiv Sena will find it extremely difficult to save itself from the mudslinging.  As the CBI investigation progresses, it surely, will keep debates on National TV heated and edgy, while the social media will have all the fodder for constant reactions, trolling and much more.

Kanhaiya Singh is a senior Indian Journalist and Editor-In-Chief of CSRLive.in, having interests in politics, economy & sustainability. He has worked with prominent news organizations like CNN-NEWS18, CNBC-TV18 & NewsX in various capacities.