Pratyusha Banerjee's parents, Soma and Shankar Banerjee, speak about their daughter's untimely demise and why they believe only her beau Rahul Raj Singh is to blame
Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; April 7, 2016)
Pratyusha Banerjee's parents, Soma and Shankar Banerjee, are still trying to come to terms with the tragic death of their only child. Now, they have another battle to fight ahead, that too a long one. They believe that Rahul Raj Singh, aka Pratyusha's boyfriend, is responsible for her death and want him punished. Excerpts:
How did you learn of your daughter's death?
Mother: I was in Jamshedpur when I got a call from her uncle. I immediately called Rahul, who pretended to be howling on the phone. Pratyusha had severed ties with us after she asked me to leave her house on January 12. She was brainwashed by him and was made to believe that I was her enemy. He would not let her get in touch with us.
Father: He managed to influence her. She was never the same.
When was the last time you spoke to her?
Mother: We spoke to her last on March 31. Her father told Rahul to make things work between them and stay happy. Later, when she called me, I told her that we would like them to get married and she said okay.
How did she sound on the phone during her last days?
Mother: She seemed sad and scared, which was quite unlike her. There was a time when her aunt asked her why she was so afraid and she replied that she wasn't scared of anyone but Rahul. He would assault her at home and in public. She told her aunt that he didn't let her live in peace for even 10 minutes and kept raking up her past to insult and torture her. Her uncle organised a conference call, where we cried and patched up on January 29. She told me to come to Mumbai, but changed the plan the next day and told us that she had to leave for a shoot. Then she made it seem that everything was normal and started planning her wedding. However, Rahul told her that he would lose his share of property if he married her at that time. He told her they would tie the knot in June.
What did Rahul tell you when he met you at the hospital?
Mother: He didn't say a word. He was shedding crocodile tears.
How did your relationship with Pratyusha and Rahul change over a period of time?
Mother: I first met Rahul on June 23 last year, when Pratyusha brought him home. Their friendship graduated to love. After we left in January, she didn't communicate with us and she was only in touch with her uncle and aunt. It was only towards the end that she spoke to us a few times.
Father: On March 31, she wanted me to read her astrological chart. I asked her why she was stressed and that she was my champion daughter. As she was talking to me, I overheard the bell and she disconnected the call saying she would call later. That was the last we heard from her.
Why did you agree for the marriage if you felt Rahul was not right for her?
Father: I thought that my daughter's life would get spoilt if we went against Rahul as she was madly in love with him. So instead of discouraging her, I motivated her.
Rahul's father, Harshvardhan accused you of blowing up all her money.
Mother: My daughter was staying with me. She was an actress, who didn't have the time to look into her expenses. As a mother, I was in charge of clearing the dues of the driver, daily expenses and insurance. What's the big deal about that?
Father: We saw his parents for the first time on TV. Rahul claimed that his family was powerful and influential, and scared Pratyusha of dire consequences if she went against his will. But when I saw the father, he seemed nothing like what he was made out to be. The truth will be out in the open soon. The law doesn't favour anyone, it works on the basis of evidence. Ask them to get proofs to substantiate their claims. In trying to save him, they are digging the pit even deeper for him by making stupid accusations. My daughter has gone and my world has crashed. I want justice as I don't want this to happen to any girl and her parents.
He even said that Pratyusha was planning to file a case against you.
Mother: All this has been orchestrated by Rahul; he instilled in Pratyusha's mind that we transferred all her money into our accounts and had bought several flats with it. How can we take money from her account when they were handling the accounts? In fact, it is Rahul who has taken money on Pratyusha's name in the garb of opening a production house. Why are we only talking about Pratyusha's money? What about his money? Wasn't he supposed to contribute as well? It was during the last few days that she may have realised her mistake he was hitting her in public, siphoning off her money and also cheating on her. Saloni Sharma, the other woman in the equation, had come home and hit her and Rahul hadn't done anything about it. She had made frantic calls to some of her industry friends and told them she was being cheated on. She said she wanted to walk out of the relationship and fight back. She never said that she wanted to kill herself.
Were you aware of Rahul's ex, Saloni?
Mother: Pratyusha had told us about Saloni and also that she was troubled because of it. But she would also say that she couldn't leave him. My daughter made a huge mistake trusting that guy and alienating herself from friends and family. By the time she realised her mistake, it was too late.
You maintain Pratyusha couldn't have killed herself...
Mother: She couldn't have. When she would be angry, she would pick her bag and leave. She would tell me, 'Ma, no matter what happens in our lives and however big the problem is, aapki beti khud ko khatam nahi karegi. She had a dream to fulfill and that was to open an orphanage and an old-age home. The only mistake was that she wanted to prove that she could be in a good relationship. She didn't want it to fail or everyone would accuse her of choosing the wrong man again. Her previous relationship didn't work out and as a public figure, you are always worried about your image. She was trying her best to save this one. Had she killed herself, she would have written a note.
Do you regret leaving her house on January 12?
Mother: I do. But he created such a situation that she had to throw me out of the house.
How do you plan to take it forward?
Mother: We will fight till the end.
How did you learn of your daughter's death?
Mother: I was in Jamshedpur when I got a call from her uncle. I immediately called Rahul, who pretended to be howling on the phone. Pratyusha had severed ties with us after she asked me to leave her house on January 12. She was brainwashed by him and was made to believe that I was her enemy. He would not let her get in touch with us.
Father: He managed to influence her. She was never the same.
When was the last time you spoke to her?
Mother: We spoke to her last on March 31. Her father told Rahul to make things work between them and stay happy. Later, when she called me, I told her that we would like them to get married and she said okay.
How did she sound on the phone during her last days?
Mother: She seemed sad and scared, which was quite unlike her. There was a time when her aunt asked her why she was so afraid and she replied that she wasn't scared of anyone but Rahul. He would assault her at home and in public. She told her aunt that he didn't let her live in peace for even 10 minutes and kept raking up her past to insult and torture her. Her uncle organised a conference call, where we cried and patched up on January 29. She told me to come to Mumbai, but changed the plan the next day and told us that she had to leave for a shoot. Then she made it seem that everything was normal and started planning her wedding. However, Rahul told her that he would lose his share of property if he married her at that time. He told her they would tie the knot in June.
What did Rahul tell you when he met you at the hospital?
Mother: He didn't say a word. He was shedding crocodile tears.
How did your relationship with Pratyusha and Rahul change over a period of time?
Mother: I first met Rahul on June 23 last year, when Pratyusha brought him home. Their friendship graduated to love. After we left in January, she didn't communicate with us and she was only in touch with her uncle and aunt. It was only towards the end that she spoke to us a few times.
Father: On March 31, she wanted me to read her astrological chart. I asked her why she was stressed and that she was my champion daughter. As she was talking to me, I overheard the bell and she disconnected the call saying she would call later. That was the last we heard from her.
Why did you agree for the marriage if you felt Rahul was not right for her?
Father: I thought that my daughter's life would get spoilt if we went against Rahul as she was madly in love with him. So instead of discouraging her, I motivated her.
Rahul's father, Harshvardhan accused you of blowing up all her money.
Mother: My daughter was staying with me. She was an actress, who didn't have the time to look into her expenses. As a mother, I was in charge of clearing the dues of the driver, daily expenses and insurance. What's the big deal about that?
Father: We saw his parents for the first time on TV. Rahul claimed that his family was powerful and influential, and scared Pratyusha of dire consequences if she went against his will. But when I saw the father, he seemed nothing like what he was made out to be. The truth will be out in the open soon. The law doesn't favour anyone, it works on the basis of evidence. Ask them to get proofs to substantiate their claims. In trying to save him, they are digging the pit even deeper for him by making stupid accusations. My daughter has gone and my world has crashed. I want justice as I don't want this to happen to any girl and her parents.
He even said that Pratyusha was planning to file a case against you.
Mother: All this has been orchestrated by Rahul; he instilled in Pratyusha's mind that we transferred all her money into our accounts and had bought several flats with it. How can we take money from her account when they were handling the accounts? In fact, it is Rahul who has taken money on Pratyusha's name in the garb of opening a production house. Why are we only talking about Pratyusha's money? What about his money? Wasn't he supposed to contribute as well? It was during the last few days that she may have realised her mistake he was hitting her in public, siphoning off her money and also cheating on her. Saloni Sharma, the other woman in the equation, had come home and hit her and Rahul hadn't done anything about it. She had made frantic calls to some of her industry friends and told them she was being cheated on. She said she wanted to walk out of the relationship and fight back. She never said that she wanted to kill herself.
Were you aware of Rahul's ex, Saloni?
Mother: Pratyusha had told us about Saloni and also that she was troubled because of it. But she would also say that she couldn't leave him. My daughter made a huge mistake trusting that guy and alienating herself from friends and family. By the time she realised her mistake, it was too late.
You maintain Pratyusha couldn't have killed herself...
Mother: She couldn't have. When she would be angry, she would pick her bag and leave. She would tell me, 'Ma, no matter what happens in our lives and however big the problem is, aapki beti khud ko khatam nahi karegi. She had a dream to fulfill and that was to open an orphanage and an old-age home. The only mistake was that she wanted to prove that she could be in a good relationship. She didn't want it to fail or everyone would accuse her of choosing the wrong man again. Her previous relationship didn't work out and as a public figure, you are always worried about your image. She was trying her best to save this one. Had she killed herself, she would have written a note.
Do you regret leaving her house on January 12?
Mother: I do. But he created such a situation that she had to throw me out of the house.
How do you plan to take it forward?
Mother: We will fight till the end.
