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This is an archive article published on September 18, 2017

Jiah Khan’s mother Rabiya Khan writes an open letter to PM Narendra Modi seeking justice

The mother of Jiah Khan, who committed suicide in 2013, has open letter addressed has written an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi beseeching him for justice. Rabiya Khan pulled up the CBI for being willfully careless when the case was transferred to them.

jiah khan murder case, jiah khan mother, rabiya khan open letter, jiah khan mother Jiah Khan had committed suicide in 2013.

Rabiya Khan, the mother of late Bollywood actor Jiah Khan, who committed suicide in 2013, has written an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi beseeching him for justice. In the letter, Rabiya Khan has decried the slackness shown by the CBI in conducting the investigation in her daughter’s death that she claims was not suicide at all, but a murder. She said that the injuries on Jiah Khan’s body show that it was a murder made to look like a suicide. “…that the injuries on my daughter’s body are inconsistent with the alleged suicidal hanging and all forensic evidence strongly suggest that she was murdered and then hanged to make it look like a suicide,” an except from the open letter read.

She pulled up the CBI for being willfully careless when the case was transferred to them. “For some reason, CBI was reluctant to take over the case from the beginning, and in fifteen months of delay in their findings, the CBI investigation got compromised. It would be an insult to the capabilities of the CBI to say that CBI just failed to conduct a proper investigation. There is no doubt CBI has all the powers and skills required to get to the bottom of my daughter’s death. But somehow, the CBI investigation went off track, for reasons best known to them. Instead, CBI’s own independent forensic expert opinion is inconclusive and does not rule out either homicide or suicide,” she said.

She also pointed out that a forensic investigation had proved that the ‘suicide’ was actually a murder. “The forensic expert Jason Payne-James in his report clearly states that this appears to be a staged homicide. So I approached the Hon’ble High Court earlier this year with all the relevant grievances and expert reports requesting reinvestigation by an SIT. CBI opposed, but the Hon’ble High Court noted in its order that all the points raised in my petition can be submitted to the trial court.”

25-year-old Jiah had appeared in films like Nishabd, Ghajini and Houseful. She was found hanging at her Mumbai residence in June 2013. While the initial investigation stated that it was a suicide, Jiah’s mother Rabiya blamed her alleged boyfriend and actor Sooraj Pancholi for abetting it all. While the prosecution charged Sooraj for sexual assault and murder, the CBI ruled out the case. Rabiya then hired a British forensics expert who concluded that Jiah’s hanging was staged as marks on her body indicate a different story.

Read the entire letter here.

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My Open letter to Indian PM hon Narendra Modi and British authorities on the platform where every citizen has a right to approach with their quest and grievances, therefor here is my cry to you honourable, sir/Madame,
I am a British citizen the mother of Jiah Khan, who was murdered in india mumbai on 3June 2013. It has been four years now that I had been persistently fighting for justice.

All the forensic evidence that I have obtained from experts in India and England is pointing towards homicide. Analysis of the forensic experts shows that the injuries on my daughter’s body are inconsistent with the alleged suicidal hanging and all forensic evidence strongly suggest that she was murdered and then hanged to make it look like a suicide.

The Hon’ble Bombay High Court, in July 2014, transferred the investigation to the CBI with a clear mandate to find out whether my daughter’s death was homicidal or suicidal, and if it was found to be homicidal, to launch a further investigation and take appropriate action.

For some reason, CBI was reluctant to take over the case from the beginning, and in fifteen months of delay in their findings, the CBI investigation got compromised. It would be an insult to the capabilities of the CBI to say that CBI just failed to conduct a proper investigation. There is no doubt CBI has all the powers and skills required to get to the bottom of my daughter’s death. But somehow, the CBI investigation went off track, for reasons best known to them. Instead, CBI’s own independent forensic expert opinion is inconclusive and does not rule out either homicide or suicide. The CBI simply recycled the already compromised information provided by the Juhu police, and the worst is, in their own report they deliberately distorted certain information.

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Anyone looking at the actual facts in this case realises that the case has been heavily “managed”. It is not my task to speculate about the police’s and the CBI’s motivation, but a connection and the influence of the Accused’s father Aditya Pancholi would not be too far-fetched.

The forensic expert Jason Payne-James in his report clearly states that this appears to be a staged homicide. So I approached the Hon’ble High Court earlier this year with all the relevant grievances and expert reports requesting reinvestigation by an SIT. CBI opposed, but the Hon’ble High Court noted in its order that all the points raised in my petition can be submitted to the trial court.

I submitted my application to the trial court through State-appointed Special Public Prosecutor Dinesh Tiwari who knows the history of this case from the beginning. Following this submission, CBI has been trying to remove SPP Tiwari and to replace him with one of its own prosecutors who has no knowledge about the case and has been displaying a hostile attitude towards me.

Recently, when my application to submit key evidence and forensic expert reports was argued in the trial court, the CBI, along with the Accused, strongly opposed their recognition by the court. Now the main point is that if the CBI, who has joined hands with the Accused, is not with the victim and not willing to cooperate with me, then how is justice going to be served.

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I am attaching the forensic report by forensic expert Jason Payne-James and a report by Professor Deborah Bonneveld to highlight what CBI ignored to investigate and denied justice to the victim’s family. I fail to write in words my pain and grief. I expect answers to my daughter’s death. May God guide you and help us to get justice. Please let me know what are your plans and advice for the victim’s mother and family. I am knocking at every door where each persons voice matters. God has placed you on high position to help us against injustice. As a parent you will understand my pain.
Kind regards, Rabya Khan”

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