Zarina Wahab denies rumours linking Sooraj Pancholi to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death: ‘They called each other brother’

Zarina Wahab denied speculation that her son Sooraj Pancholi was in any way linked with Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

Veteran actor Zarina Wahab has dismissed conspiracy theories suggesting that her son, actor Sooraj Pancholi, had a connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. She said that such speculation was the work of idle minds and had no basis in truth.

In an interview with The Times of India, Zarina said, “People are unnecessarily dragging Sooraj into this. They just need a helpless person to blame everything for. He has nothing to do with Sushant Singh Rajput’s case. People are just cooking stories. Sooraj and Sushant were not ‘friends’ as such but they knew each other and they spoke to each other cordially whenever they met. They called each other ‘brother’.”

Zarina said that such rumours started by anonymous people online could take a toll on Sooraj’s mental health. “It is not right to take advantage of someone’s helpless situation. People do not fear anybody. I think people have too much free time to do these kinds of things. It is easy to sit behind a computer and talk about people. They don’t think about how these things will affect the concerned person. Sooraj has already gone through so much in his life. How can someone kill someone whom he has known only for a few months?,” she said.

Sushant died by suicide on June 14, at the age of 34. The Mumbai Police are currently investigating the case and have questioned 29 people including his family members, close friends and staff members. PTI reports that filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been summoned on Monday to record his statement.

The post-mortem report of Sushant listed the cause of death as asphyxia due to hanging. The police have sent the cloth used by him to a forensic lab for ‘tensile strength’ analysis. Forensic experts will also check the ligature marks around his neck to ascertain the exact cause of death and whether there was any foul play, according to PTI.

Meanwhile, Sooraj is facing trial in the suicide of his ex-girlfriend Jiah Khan, who died in 2013. He has been charged with abetment. In an Instagram post in 2018, he said that he has been fighting the case in court ‘with patience and respect’ even as he has been called nasty names.

“I have been fighting the case in court for the last 6 years, with patience and respect, waiting for the trial to be completed. In this process I have been called a murderer, a criminal, an abuser and so much worse. I read these things about me almost every single day. And my heartfelt effort has always been to be strong, respectful and ignore it. But they still fill my and my loved ones’ heart with so much sadness. I don’t blame the people who call me names, because that’s how i have been portrayed in public, but i’m not the monster that has been portrayed in headlines,” he had written.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918