Union Power Minister R.K. Singh, who was continually involved with the fight for justice in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and CBI probe into the matter, spoke to The Daily Guardian. Excerpts:
Q: In the Sushant Singh Rajput case, as a minister and on behalf of the people of Bihar, what do you have to say?
A: People in Bihar are really happy since the decision of CBI probe into the matter was passed. They only demanded more closure of the incident and felt that due to some government or police influence and favouritism, the truth behind the whole situation was unable to come to light. Now that the investigation has been passed on to the CBI’s court, people are really looking forward to knowing the truth.
Q: You always insisted on a CBI probe into the case and said that Maharashtra Police was not right for this investigation, can you explain this?
A: A lot of questions were raised against Mumbai Police based on the way it carried out the investigation so far without any solid evidence or FIR. Not only in the minds of people of Bihar but the whole of India, there were speculations regarding the truth. It was felt that there were efforts to hide the truth and not let it come out. We are aware that the CBI is an expert agency which has always delivered unbiased justice. Mumbai Police or any other police is definitely not equipped with investigation training which CBI officers have. Hence, it was very obvious for the people to demand a CBI investigation into the case.
Q: The Shiv Sena has continuously supported Maharashtra Police in this case, what do you have to say on that?
A: There is a need for a professional investigation into the case. Why did Maharashtra Police not call a magistrate into the crime scene when the door was broken? Why did they not take the statements of the people who were present there immediately? Hence, such remarks are expected to come against Mumbai Police. This made it obvious for the people to think that some cover-up game is going on. We could not stop him from dying, but the least we can expect is the truth to come out. If someone is involved in this, he should be punished and if no one is actually involved, then even that should be known. We only want a proper investigation into the case.
Q: You and Sushant hail from neighbouring villages and you have been personally attached to the case right from the beginning. Now do you think that the actual truth will come out?
A: Absolutely, the people of Bihar thoroughly believe that the truth will be out soon since the CBI is inquiring into the case. The CBI is an expert investigating agency, we totally trust its investigative process. Whenever there has been any important case in the country, people have always demanded a CBI probe because they are no doubt the experts in the field.
Q: Uddhav Thackeray did not want a CBI probe into the matter, so do you think he should step down as CM?
A: I cannot really comment on the resignation part, but the question is why he did not want a proper investigation into the matter. Anyone who wants the truth to come out will always support a CBI inquiry, but that was not the case here. So, questions are obviously coming up in regards to why the Thackeray government did not want the CBI to take over the case.
