Mumbai: Jailed television actor Sheezan Khan's family members on Monday claimed he was being falsely implicated in the case of the death of his co-star Tunisha Sharma, while his lawyer asserted their break up was not the reason behind the alleged suicide and that his client was being targeted because of his religion.
Khan's lawyer Shailendra Mishra, the actor's sisters Falaq Naaz and Shafaq Naaz, and his mother addressed a press conference here for the first time after his arrest on December 25 and sought to refute several allegations levelled against the accused and also spoke on issues related to the death of Sharma.
The 21-year-old actress who appeared in the Hindi serial 'Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul' along with Khan (28) was found hanging in the washroom on the set of the serial near Vasai in adjoining Palghar district on December 24.
Khan was arrested a day later on the charge of abetting her suicide and is currently lodged in jail under judicial custody. Tunisha Sharma's mother Vanita Sharma last week said her daughter's death could be a case of murder, and also accused Khan and his family of trying to force her daughter to change her religion.
She also claimed Sharma had checked the mobile phone of Khan, with whom she was in a relationship but broke up recently, and found his WhatsApp chats with another woman.
When she confronted Khan about the chats, he slapped her, stating she was "free to do whatever she wanted", Vanita Sharma had alleged.
However, Khan's sister Falaq Naaz, who is also an actor, on Monday refuted the allegations and said they could never see Tunisha Sharma in pain as she was "like their family member". Falaq Naaz said Tunisha Sharma and her mother had visited their home on many occasions. "We never forced anyone to do anything," she said.
Khan's mother said Sharma's mother should produce evidence to support her allegations. On the allegation that Khan had slapped Tunisha Sharma once during a shoot, the accused actor's mother asked, "Why had Vanita Sharma not complained to us or slapped Sheezan?" "We also want justice for Tunisha, but her mother is trying to falsely implicate Sheezan in the case, that is not correct," Falaq Naaz said.
On the allegation that Tunisha Sharma was being forced to wear a hijab (Islamic head scarf) and visit dargah, she said, "We never asked her to do anything." Referring to a picture of the late actor wearing a hijab going viral on social media, Khan's sister Shafaq Naaz claimed she had worn the headscarf for a shoot.
Khan's lawyer Mishra said the break-up between the two actors was not the reason behind Tunisha Sharma's death. “I am making a very responsible statement. This issue (the break up) has got nothing to do with what she has done (alleged suicide by Tunisha)," he said.
Talking to PTI, Mishra claimed several "secrets" related to the entire episode would soon come out in the open. Sheezan in his custody has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that this (break up or him being with another woman, which was rubbished at the press meet) is not the reason.
“Her mother is alleging something opposite to what she needs to come forward with because Sheezan knows loads of things, which could go against her. Today, whatever information I and his family have, she's aware we are going to use it either today or tomorrow. I have already written everything in my bail application, I have not kept anything to myself," the lawyer said.
Mishra alleged his client has been targeted due to his religion and accused the police of misusing their powers. "The police have misused their authority to safeguard themselves from the media trial. If Sheezan would not have been a Muslim, he would not have been arrested. A Hindu-Muslim angle is involved (here)...Several such cases have been blown out of proportion in the past wherein similar allegations were made.”
“Fearing they (police) would face such a situation, they decided to take the first suspect into custody and then investigate the matter," he alleged.
Mishra sounded confident about Khan getting exonerated in the court. The accused, who is in 14-day judicial custody, on Monday filed a bail application in a court in Vasai town of Palghar district, located on Mumbai's outskirts, and the plea will come up for hearing on January 7, another lawyer of the actor said.
