Jiah Khan was physically and verbally abused by Sooraj Pancholi before alleged suicide, says her mother in court

Jiah Khan’s mother, Rabia Khan, told a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday that months before her alleged suicide in June 2013, her daughter had accused her boyfriend at the time, actor Sooraj Pancholi, of physically and verbally abusing her. Rabia began recording her testimony before a special judge in the case against Sooraj, who was booked for abetment of suicide by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after Jiah’s death. He is currently out on bail. Read more: Sooraj Pancholi says perception of him was ‘ruined years ago’ because of Jiah Khan case

Rabia reportedly told the court about Jiah Khan’s entry into Bollywood, her career and her relationship with Sooraj Pancholi. She said the actor had approached Jiah via a social media platform and insisted on meeting her. Rabia added that Jiah was initially ‘apprehensive and reluctant’ but agreed to meet him.

Stating the two met for the first time in September 2012, as per news agency PTI, Rabia said in court, “At that time she sent some pictures… to me it looked like they clicked and had mutual interest… However, in September she (Jiah) told me they were just friends.” She added Jiah’s daily routine was ‘taken over’ by Sooraj, and by October 2012, the two had started living at each other’s house.

Rabia said Jiah looked very happy when she visited their London home in November 2012. She said Jiah then returned to Mumbai for work and was supposed to come back to celebrate Christmas with her family in London, but did not turn up. On December 24, 2012, Rabia said she received a message from Sooraj. He said he got angry with Jiah after a fight with a friend and that she (Jiah) should forgive him and give another chance. “At that time, I discovered that the duo had a violent fight,” Rabia said in court.

She said Jiah decided to give Sooraj a second chance and the two went to Goa. However, in one of her phone calls, Jiah spoke about being at a very strange place and not wanting to stay there, Rabia said. In Goa, Sooraj allegedly used to embarrass Jiah in front of his friends by flirting with other women in her presence, Rabia said, citing her conversations with her daughter.

Rabia Khan said Jiah suddenly turned up in London on February 14, 2013, and looked sad. According to Rabia, Jiah told her that Sooraj abused her verbally and physically, and also called her ‘dirty names’. Jiah’s mother’s testimony will continue on Thursday.

Jiah is best known for her film Nishabd starring Amitabh Bachchan. She was found dead at her Mumbai home on June 3, 2013, by her mother. Sooraj, son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, is currently out on bail in the case. The CBI had alleged that a three-page note seized by the Mumbai Police, which first probed the case, on June 10, 2013, was written by Jiah and it narrated her ordeal. The alleged suicide note narrated Jiah’s ‘intimate relationship, physical abuse and mental and physical torture’ at the hands of Sooraj, which led her to commit suicide, the central agency had said.