Sushant Singh Rajput case: Netas join in Mumbai vs Bihar cops’ turf war

MUMBAI/DELHI/PATNA: Days after a Bihar police team reached Mumbai to probe the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, a turf battle has broken out between law enforcement officers from the two regions, with even ministers weighing in to control the investigation. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said the Bihar team had exceeded their brief: the law requires an offence to be probed by police and courts within whose jurisdiction it has been committed.
With the Bihar cops’ attempt to access documents linked to the alleged suicide of Sushant’s manager Disha Salian (28) stonewalled, the Bihar government sent Patna city SP Vinay Tiwary to Mumbai to “remove obstacles”.
Tiwari arrived in Mumbai on Sunday and was quarantined by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities late in the night for 14 days at the State Reserve Police Force quarter in suburban Goregaon, a police official said. His hand was also stamped showing the quarantine period till August 15.
Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey on Sunday alleged that Tiwari was "forcibly quarantined" by civic authorities in Mumbai.
"IPS officer Vinay Tiwari reached Mumbai today from Patna on official duty to lead the police team there but he has been forcibly quarantined by BMC officials at 11 PM today. He was not provided accommodation in the IPS mess, despite request, and was staying in a Guest House in Goregaon," Pandey tweeted.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray met chief secretary Sanjay Kumar, CP Parambir Singh and DGP Subodh Jaiswal on Sunday evening to review the broad contours of the case. “He just wanted to take a review of the investigation and technicalities as one more state (Bihar) is also involved in the probe,” said an official.
The view that the Sushant case deserved a deeper, more independent probe continued to find takers, especially among politicians and the bureaucracy in Bihar. Union minister R K Singh said, “Mumbai police did precious little after the incident. They didn’t lodge a formal FIR even after interrogation of a number of suspects.”
Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. An FIR has been registered in Patna on a complaint filed by Rajput’s father K K Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty under sections including abetment of suicide. Bihar police may up the ante in coming days and get a lookout notice issued against Chakraborty. State DGP Gupteshwar Pandey said on Sunday, “She is absconding. She has her own sources in Mumbai for helping her out there.”
That those questioning the probe were divided on political lines was evident. Singh’s reactions came hours after Congress in-charge for Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil defended Maharashtra government, saying, “Bihar police should focus on the investigation rather than indulging in mudslinging.”
(With input from agencies)