Trust Mumbai Police On Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case Probe: Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said the state police were capable of probing the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, an assertion which comes in the backdrop of growing clamour for a CBI probe in the actor's death in June.

He said people must trust the probe into the high-profile case being conducted by the Mumbai police.

Of late, there has been a growing demand from certain quarters to hand over the case to the CBI, but the state government has been repeatedly insisting that the Mumbai police were capable to handle the matter.

"The state police and Mumbai police are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. They are COVID warriors and not to trust them is an insult to them," he said.

"I would like to tell Rajput's fans to trust the Mumbai police and give whatever information they have to them. You can criticise if the case is not taken to its logical conclusion," he said.

Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14. A Bihar police team is probing a separate ''abetment to suicide'' case on the basis of a complaint filed by the late actor's father in Patna.

Mr Thackeray lashed out at Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, saying the BJP politician had doubted the credibility of the Mumbai police in handling the case despite being a chief minister for five years.

The chief minister said he wasn't bothered about stability of his government as long as he enjoys support of the people of the state and Shiv Sainiks.

"The BJP says our government is against the mandate. Then is destabilising democratically-elected governments, a mandate," he asked.

Mr Thackeray, who is also Shiv Sena president, was speaking at an event organised by a Marathi news channel.

He said the BJP and the Shiv Sena have "divorced" now so the national party need not bother about what his outfit does.

"We were in a relationship with the BJP for 30 years, but they did not trust us. But, those with whom we had political differences for 30 years trusted us," Mr Thackeray said, referring to the NCP and the Congress, who are part of the Shiv Sena-led government.

Mr Thackeray said the coronavirus spread, and not the administration, is determining the duration of the lockdown.

He rejected criticism that bureaucracy was dominating political leadership in the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Political leadership takes decisions and bureaucracy implements them, the chief minister added.