The death of renowned Bhojpuri singer Brajkishore Dubey, 68, a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, has left his friends and family baffled.
According to police, the folk singer was found dead in mysterious conditions on Monday at a flat in Ananta colony of BiharтАЩs capital Patna, which is said to belong to one of his close friends. His body was recovered from the bathroom of this flat and his feet was found tied with the legs of a chair while his head was deep down in a bucket full of water. A suicide note was also recovered from the spot.
DubeyтАЩs family members, however, have strongly dismissed the suicide theory.
тАЬRecently, he had visited Mumbai and started working on some new projects. He was not in any kind of depression, as is being claimed by many after his death,тАЭ said Manindra Mishra, son-in-law of Dubey.
тАЬHis feet was tied to the chair three times over,тАЭ Mishra said, expressing fears of a foul play.
DubeyтАЩs daughter Manisha Kumar said she couldnтАЩt think of a reason that could have driven him to suicide. тАЬHe couldnтАЩt have ended his life this way as he deeply loved his family. His death needs to be investigated,тАЭ she said.
Manisha said the family didnтАЩt know much about Dubey’s friends and associates. тАЬHe used to keep us away from his work and friends in Patna and in Mumbai. Even on the day of the incident on Monday, my family was not aware of his location. That morning, I tried to contact him, but he didnтАЩt respond. A few hours later, his mobile phone got switched off. Alarmed at the situation, I contacted my mother and got to know that he had been away since Sunday,тАЭ she said.
тАЬHe had told my mother Ramkumari Devi not to wait for him that evening as he would be away for some work,тАЭ the daughter said.
тАЬSince he often used to stay away for work, my family didnтАЩt bother when he didnтАЩt got back home on Sunday night. But I was alarmed as he didnтАЩt even notice my mobile messages. When I tried to locate him, I had no idea whom to contact as I hardly knew any of his friends. But there was one person in his contact whom I knew. He confirmed that my father was at his flat while he was at the ongoing Sonepur fair,тАЭ she said.
тАЬWhen we family reached the flat, we found it main door open. We later found his body in the bathroom,тАЭ Manisha said, adding that autopsy and forensic reports were still awaited.
She said Dubey will be cremated at Varanasi.
Subdivisional police officer (SDPO) Sanjay Kumar said while autopsy and forensic reports were still awaited, it prima facie seemed a case of suicide. тАЬA suicide note has been recovered from the site. The deceased is learnt to have been in depression,тАЭ he said.
тАЬIf the family has any doubts, they must submit a written report, demanding investigation from another angle also,тАЭ the officer said.
Dubey, a folk singer and lyricist from Rohtas, had written lyrics for many Bhojpuri blockbusters, including Shatrughan Sinha-starrer тАШBihari BabuтАЩ. He had remained associated with the Bhojpuri Academy of the state government and had won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award recommended by state government and was also given Bindhyavasini Devi award by the art, culture and youth affairs department.
