Kuljeet was just fine: boyfriend

Bhanu Uday, the boyfriend of TV actress Kuljeet Randhawa, who committed suicide on February 8, recorded his statement with the Juhu Police yesterday, eight days after the incident.

"Kuljeet had a severe backache; otherwise she was absolutely fine," said Uday.

Kuljeet had begged her mother to visit her as the pain was unbearable, according to Kuljeet's maid Chanda Kedu, who spoke to her mother in Delhi a day before the suicide.

"Mataji asked me to take care of didi, as her back pain was excruciating. I overheard didi saying, 'Ma, I can't take this pain anymore. I feel like ending it here. Kuch bhi karo, aap jaldi aa jao'," said Kedu.

Long talk

The investigating officer asked Uday about their last conversation, after he had send Kuljeet an SMS ("Love, I'm leaving. Will be back in a couple of days") around 5 pm, a couple of hours before she hanged herself. Uday replied that they'd had a long talk over the phone, but the conversation was casual.

"Kuljeet said, 'Take care of yourself, call me when you get there'. If she had been depressed, she would have cut short her conversation," added Uday. He denied that Kuljeet and him had argued.

'End of the world'

He also claimed that he found out about the suicide only on the morning of February 9. "I had a huge breakdown after I heard the news. I called Kuljeet's sister. It seemed like the end of the world," said Uday.

Uday in his statements also tried to put to rest the speculation about Kuljeet being depressed about her career.

"She had no professional hassles. Kuljeet was at the peak of her career. She had many assignments lined up and was also going to break into Bollywood."

Not convinced

The police said Uday's reason for not attending the funeral —that he had professional commitments — did not seem plausible.

"He claims to be a close friend, so he should have at least tried to attend her funeral. But he did not come to offer his condolences to the Randhawa family," said an officer from Juhu police station.

Additional Commissioner of Police Bipin Bihari Singh said Uday could be questioned again, but said the Randhawas had not lodged a complaint against him.