The family of detained Indian television actor Sheezan Khan has claimed that he is being falsely implicated in the death of Tunisha Sharm on the set of the TV show "Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul."
Khan was arrested by police on December 25 accused of abetting Sharma's suicide, and has since been the target of accusations from the deceased's mother, Vanita.
In a press conference held on Monday in Mumbai, Sharm's sisters, actresses Falaq and Shafaq Naaz, along with his mother and lawyer Shailendra Mishra hit back at all the allegations made against him.
Sheezan Cheating on Tunisha?
Sharm's family refuted allegations that he was cheating on Tunisha and had mistreated her, describing them as a false narrative.
"Sheezan didn't have any other girlfriend. That girl [implicated as the lover] was called to record her statement. There's no secret girlfriend," Sheezan's sister Falaq Naaz told press.
During a press conference last week, Tunisha's mother Vanita told Indian media that Sheezan had promised to marry the actress but later cheated on her. Tunisha reportedly checked Sheezan's phone and found out that he was having an affair, her mother claimed.
"When Tunisha confronted Sheezan about his affairs, he slapped her in his room at the set and said that he had no relation with her now and she could do whatever she wanted," Vanita alleged.
Mother Strangled Tunisha?
Sheezan's lawyer went on to allege that Tunisha had suffered intrafamily violence which led her to take her own life.
The young actress was reportedly scared of her uncle Sanjeev Kaushal who instigated her mother to strangle her on one occasion.
"Tunisha used to panic a lot upon hearing the name of Sanjeev Kaushal. At the instigation of Sanjeev Kaushal, Tunisha's mother broke her phone and tried to strangulate her," the lawyer claimed.
Mother Harrassed Tunisha?
Similarly, Sheezan’s family accused Tunisha's mother of causing childhood trauma which led to her depression.
"Tunisha's mother accepted that she had been neglecting Tunisha and that she didn't take care of her. Tunisha's depression was due to her childhood trauma," Naaz said.
Her mother and uncle were also purportedly controlling Tunisha's life and finances, and she was forced to take up work against her will.
"Tunisha and Sanjeev Kaushal had terrible relations. Sanjeev Kaushal and her mother, Vanita, used to control Tunisha's finances. Tunisha often pleaded in front of her mother for her own money," Sheezan's lawyer alleged.
Sheezan Forced Tunisha to Follow Islam?
Sheezan's family also refuted allegations that he had forced her to follow Islam and that his family blackmailed her.
Tunisha's mother previously claimed that she had started wearing a hijab and calling her "amma" (a term used for mothers in the Muslim community).
"He [Sheezan] trapped Tunisha. She was blackmailed by his family... She was taught Urdu, and she had also started speaking Urdu," Tunisha's mother accused.
However, Sheezan's family claimed that the picture of Tunisha wearing a hijab is from the shoot for a TV show.
“The picture of Tunisha in a hijab being circulated online is from the set of a show she was shooting for. It can be clearly seen in the image that it was from a set. We never made her wear a hijab,” Sheezan's sister Shafaq clarified.
Tunisha Was Murdered?
Sheezan's family also denied Vanita's allegations that her daughter's death was murder and not a suicide.
"I don't know what happened exactly, but there was also some delay in taking her to the hospital. Sheezan took her from the room but did not call the ambulance. This can also be a murder," the actress' mother has gone on the record as saying.
According to the police, Tunisha went to the washroom on the set and did not come back for a long time. When the door was finally broken down, it was found that she had hanged herself. Although no suicide note was recovered, the post-mortem report stated that the actress died because of suffocation.
Vanita has since filed a police case against Sheezan for abetment to suicide. Vowing to seek justice for the death of her daughter, Vanita has said that she will not sit quietly until Sheezan and his family are punished.