'Tunisha's mother, uncle controlled her life and finances, once tried to strangulate her', Sheezan Khan's family, lawyer

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, January 2

Actor Sheezan Khan's family members on Monday claimed he was being falsely implicated in the case of death of co-star Tunisha Sharma by the latter's mother.

Addressing a press conference, Sheezan’s sisters Falaq Naaz and Shafaq Naaz along with their mother and lawyer Shailendra Mishra accused Tunisha’s mother, Vanita Sharma, of trying to control her life and claimed relations between the two were strained.

Khan’s sisters and mother said Tunisha was ‘like their family member’ and alleged the deceased actor's mother used to force her to work even as Tunisha wanted to enjoy life.

Tunisha Sharma, 21, was found hanging in the washroom on the set of show Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul, near Vasai in Palghar on December 24. Sheezan Khan was arrested on December 25 on the charge of abetting her suicide.

After her tragic death, Tunisha’s mother and uncle have levied some serious allegations against her co-star and ex-boyfriend Sheezan Khan. Last week, Vanita Sharma said her daughter's death could be a case of murder, and also accused Khan and his family of trying to force her daughter into religious conversion.

She also claimed that Tunisha had checked Sheezan’s mobile phone and found his WhatsApp chats with some other woman. When Tunisha confronted Sheezan about it, he slapped her, stating that 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 in pain as she was "like their family member".

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Naaz said Tunisha and her mother used to come to their home on many occasions. "We never forced anyone to do anything," she said.

Sheezan Khan’s lawyer accused that Tunisha had strained relationship with her mother. He said Vanita Sharma of controlling her life and finances. The lawyer alleged that Tunisha Sharma's mother Vanita Sharma and her uncle Sanjeev Kaushal even forced her to take up work against her will. The lawyer also claimed that Sanjeev Kaushal is not related to the family at all. Questioning the relationship between Sanjeev Kaushal and Tunisha’s mother, he stated that the Tunisha did not have enough money to even get food for herself. “Vanita used to control Tunisha’s finances.Tunisha often pleaded before her mother for her own money.”

"Post lockdown, Tunisha's mother and Kaushal even forced the actress to travel to Chandigarh, and when she refused, Vanita broke her mobile phone. Tunisha had shared all of this with the director of the show she was a part of then," Sheezan's lawyer claimed.

The lawyer also alleged, “Tunisha used to panic a lot upon hearing name of Sanjeev Kaushal. On instigation of Sanjeev Kaushal, Tunisha’s mother broke her phone and tried to strangulate her. Sanjeev Kaushal and Tunisha’s mother used to control Tunisha’s life.”

Sheezan Khan's mother said Tunisha's mother should produce evidence for the allegations that she has been making against him. On the allegation that Khan had slapped Tunisha once during a shoot, the accused actor's mother asked, "Why had Vanita Sharma not complained to us or slapped Sheezan?" Naaz said everyone knew how Tunisha's mother used to call her many times in a day.

"We also want justice for Tunisha, but her mother is trying to falsely implicate Sheezan in the case, that is not correct," she said.

"We had decided to give Tunisha a surprise on her birthday on January 4. Her mother also know very well, she was like our younger sister.We had spent around six months with Tunisha which she enjoyed and we are proud of it," Naaz said.

On the allegations that Tunisha was being forced to wear a hijab and visit dargah, she said, "We never asked her to do anything." Referring to a picture of Tunisha wearing a hijab going viral on social media, Khan's another sister claimed the actor had worn the head cover at the time of a shoot.

"In this case, we just want to say Tunisha was like our family member and we were taking care of her," she claimed.

With inputs from PTI

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