Monitoring Desk
CHANDIGARH/INDIA: The circumstances surrounding an Indian actress’ death and the arrest of her ex-boyfriend amid allegations of manipulating religion have made news in India regarding the actress’ alleged suicide.
On December 24, Tunisha Sharma’s body was discovered in a restroom on the set of her programme Alibaba – Dastaan-e-Kabul. Sheezan Khan, Sharma’s co-star and ex-boyfriend was detained by police the following day after Sharma’s mother accused him of “abetment to suicide.”
The 20-year-old has stunned India’s entertainment industry because she was a rising star and had a large social media fan base. The actress’s life and relationships have been heavily watched by the media as a result of the unfortunate tragedy.
Who was Tunisha Sharma?
Sharma, who was born in Chandigarh in northern India, had always wanted to be an actor. She began performing in TV shows when she was just 13 years old and gradually made her way to the big screen by playing small roles in movies starring well-known Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif and Vidya Balan. She had previously discussed her struggles with depression, anxiety, and stress brought on by her job and social media scrutiny. Khan, a 28-year-old co-star from the show who was held responsible for her murder by her family, was detained on December 25 and is still being held in detention.
The media war
Khan and Sharma reportedly dated for a few months, but according to the police, they split up 15 days prior to her death. They claim the actress was under “severe stress” as a result of the split and that it may have “pushed her over the edge.” In connection with the case, the police have questioned a number of people and have also looked over Sharma and Khan’s WhatsApp conversations.
Khan and Sharma’s families have been giving the media information about the couple’s relationship and swapping allegations with one another. Vanita Sharma, the mother of Sharma, claims that Khan cheated on her daughter and hit her on the set.
Additionally, she claimed that she believed her daughter had been “murdered” and charged Khan with neglecting to call an ambulance right away after discovering her daughter’s body. In addition, Khan’s sisters have claimed that Sharma and Khan’s breakup, was mutual and ended on a “positive note, and it was unrelated to Sharma’s depression and instead “brought on by childhood trauma.” According to Sharma’s social media accounts, she shared a very good bound with Khan and his family. She referred to Khan as “the most beautiful Man in my life” in an Instagram post from one month before to her death. And in December, she shared pictures with the caption as “my favorite person” with one of Khan’s sisters.
Love Jihad
The fact that Khan is Muslim and Sharma is Hindu contributes to the tragedy’s unwavering attention. Hindu nationalists have claimed that the case may have a “love jihad angle”—a term radical Hindu groups use to promote the baseless accusation that Muslim men are converting Hindu women through marriage. These claims have come from members of Hindu nationalist groups, including India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A minister in the western state of Maharashtra and BJP leader Girish Mahajan said that the state government was considering implementing a “strict law against it” due to the “growing” number of such cases. Sharma’s family claimed that once she started dating Khan, she “changed her lifestyle” and started wearing the hijab. Shortly after her death, a picture of the actress wearing the hijab spread on social media, sparking outrage among devout Hindus. Khan’s sister stated that the photo was taken on the set of her show and refuted claims that they had “forced” Sharma to wear the hijab.
