Tunisha Sharma's body was found in the washroom of the sets of a TV show on December 24.
The uncle of Tunisha Sharma, the 20-year-old television actor who allegedly died by suicide, today questioned her former boyfriend Sheezan Khan's comment that they broke up due to the religious divide. If he was concerned about that, "then why did he do all this," Pawan Sharma questioned. He also questioned if there was a break-up. "If so, then why were they having lunch together everyday? By themselves, in a room? What was that about? If there was a break-up, why were you spending time with her?" he said.
Tunisha Sharma's body was found in the washroom on the sets of TV show 'Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul' in Vasai near Mumbai, on December 24. Sheezan Khan, who claimed he had broken up with her a fortnight before her death, has been arrested on charges of abetment.
During questioning by the Maharashtra police, Sheezan Khan said he ended the relationship after seeing repercussions from the murder of Shraddha Walkar, allegedly by her live-in boyfriend Aaftab Poonawala.
The murder has stirred up a massive controversy, with a section of top leaders saying it was a case of "love jihad" – a term coined by the right wing to describe many inter-faith relationships. A section of the right wing contends that Muslim boys deliberately lure Hindu girls into relationships to ensure their religious conversion.
Sheezan Khan said he told Tunisha Sharma that belonging to a different community stood in their way, as did their eight-year age gap, reported news agency ANI.
Asked what the stance of the family was -- whether they wanted Tunisa to marry Sheezan Khan -- Pawan Sharma said his niece had never spelt out that they were in a relationship. "She said they were good friends," he said.
"Someone told me that Sheezan had said that he broke up with her because of the religious divide. Then why did you start all this? For three months, they went around together? Why did you have her meet your mother? His mother and sister used to call her up and they spoke regularly… If you are from a different community and you know you cannot pull through, then why?" he told NDTV.
Tunisha's mother, Mr Sharma said, had advised Sheezan Khan not to take things forward.
"She had asked if it was a casual relationship, then why did he take things so far? One should not take it to a level that the other person gets hurt and does something," he added. Tunisha Sharma's mother earlier told NDTV that Sheezan Khan was cheating on her daughter.
Pawan Sharma also indicated that the conclusion of the police, that Tunisha had committed suicide, may not be final. "We do not know what exactly happened. The police will say whether it was a case of suicide or something else… No one knows what happened between them. if the investigation is conducted properly, it will come out," he added.